[shotgun]

Good luck to Marcos Daniel in Chennai and Melbourne!

Vamos!! :rocker2:

 

[shotgun]

He lost to Pavel today, bagel included.

He still has a few mental issues for sure. Today was an example of that. Lost a tight first set, then there was an interruption by rain for 2 hours, then when they came back, it seems he wasn't there at all, hence the bagel. Same Monday when he blew a 4-0 lead against Hewitt in the third. I'm a bit disappointed because he had an open draw and a good opportunity to make semis at least here. On the other hand, I wasn't expecting him to defeat Hewitt.

Hewitt was definitely his most important win up to date. He also had a few important wins against Massu and Horna this year. He just lacks the necessary consistency to do well at top level, and he'll have to improve that asap if he doesn't want to fall out of the top 100 by the end of the year. Either way, getting direct entry at all those big tourneys is being a great experience to him, and a nice way to reward a career that was plagued by financial problems and injuries.

Best of luck to Marcos!

 

[shotgun]

And here's a pic of him in action against Hewitt.

 

[shotgun]

Congrats Marcos reaching a career high at the entry ranking this week at #80.

 

[shotgun]

I've read an interview with him this past week, he said he seriously thought about retiring from tennis recently. He said this year was disappointing for him, with many injuries, lack of sponsors and bad results. What most disappointed him though, was the fact that he was looking forward to play for Brazil in Davis Cup vs. Sweden and was rejected by Meligeni. He also said that he considers the win against Hewitt in Poertschach the biggest of his career.

http://www2.uol.com.br/tenisbrasil/profissional/entrevista/entrevista_marcos_ daniel.htm

 

[shotgun]

where is marcos daniel?

His wife is pregnant and should give birth in the next couple of weeks, that's why he's not travelling much. He should play in Florianopolis next week though.

 

[shotgun]

http://www.rolandgarros.com/en_FR/news/articles/2009-05-23/200905231243094880593.html

Marcos Daniel, 29 years-old, world ranked 96: Spiritually inspired

Like many Brazilians, Marcos Daniel first dreamed of becoming a footballer. He and his father were regulars on the pitches in Rio Grande do Sul until a serious knee injury put paid to his future as a footballer. But tennis soon filled the void: "I first picked up a racket when I was 12, and quickly came to love the sport. Even when my friends were going to the beach I would stay behind and practice," remembers Daniel.

By the time he turned 19, Marcos had turned professional and signed up with a sponsor. But then a slipped disc struck a terrible blow to his progress. For four years he was virtually unable to move, and the injury nearly pushed him to end to his budding career. Then, on the long road to recovery Daniel found God. He became an Evangelist and joined the Atletas de Cristo (‘‘Athletes of Christ’’) association, alongside the footballer Kakà. "It is thanks to God that I didn’t give up,’’ he says. ‘‘He helped me to keep going and get out of the dark hole I was in. My family were also there for me. I owe them a lot." Since then, "el padre", as he is known by his friends on the circuit, has forged a respectable career for himself, the highlight being an ATP ranking of No60 in September 2008.

Today, Marcos Daniel is ranked world No96 and eager to make up for lost time. At nearly 30 years of age, he feels he still has progress to make. After getting through the qualifying rounds, Larri Passos’ ex-pupil drew the short straw and faces Rafael Nadal in the first round. Not that he is overawed. “I’m really excited about the match! Facing the King of Clay on Centre Court at Roland Garros – that’s great, isn’t it? And you never know… Nothing’s impossible.”