It was Batman versus Superman at Wollaton Hall as tennis stars James Ward and Marcos Baghdatis donned superhero costumes for a special friendly match ahead of their Aegon Open Nottingham campaigns.
Its not an excuse you hear Batman trot out too often, but the mask had a lot to answer for at Wollaton Hall this weekend.
There was no ‘kapow’ moment, instead it was Superman who prevailed in the clash of the superheroes.
James Ward, the Caped Crusader for the day, could not uncover Marcos Baghdatis’ Kryptonite as the Cypriot cruised to a 5-1 victory when the pair played a quick friendly match ahead of getting their Aegon Open Nottingham campaigns underway.
“It was tough to see, that’s my excuse,” explained Ward.
“The mask wasn’t fully planted on my face so it kept falling off.”
Even the Hall’s Batman links could not help Ward.
But the Brit nevertheless took great delight in stepping out on a specially-designed court in front of the building used as Wayne Manor in the 2011 movie The Dark Knight Rises.
“The suit’s a little bit big; I’m not really packing it out too well,” Ward laughed.
“It’s fun. It’s good to do something a bit different.
“It’s a beautiful place. It’s pretty impressive.”
Baghdatis, too, enjoyed his moment in costume.
“It’s nice to be here in an amazing place and have some fun,” he said.
“And I won 5-1, so I’m happy.”
The world No.42 will be even happier if he can repeat his previous good form in Nottingham.
A firm fans’ favourite at the Beeston venue, Baghdatis won the Aegon Trophy here in 2014 and reached the semi-finals of last year’s ATP event, only to be forced to withdraw through injury.
So is the aim to go one further and make it to the final this time around?
“Maybe go two further, for sure. But I think right now, my first goal is to win my first match,” said the No.9 seed who was given a bye in the first round and will now face Russian Evgeny Donskoy
Every match will be very tough.
“I arrived a bit late, on Saturday night, because I had another tournament before.
“There’s not too much time to feel the courts or the place here, but I’m going to try to do my best, try to win my first match and then we’ll see.
“I’m playing good and I feel good.
“It’s nice to be back and I’m here with my family.
“I’ll try to find a way to win the first match and get some momentum for this week.”
Momentum is something Baghdatis feels he has been short of in 2016.
He started the season late following the birth of his second daughter, and though he reached the final of the Dubai Championships in February, he is eager to put a run of results together.
“I had to catch up. I didn’t play the first few weeks,” Baghdatis explained.
“In Australia I didn’t play that well. Okay, I lost to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, but I didn’t have momentum.
“But I’m happy now.
“I played well in Dubai and since then I took some time off also, because we have a newborn child, which we had in December.
“I wanted to spend some time with family, too.
“It’s kind of a tough year to find momentum, but I’m happy with the way it’s going.
“The goal was to be top 30 at the end of the year. I’m not far from that goal and there’s still six months of the year to go.”
Doing well in Nottingham would certainly give him a boost.
“I love it here. I think the fans are great. They’re happy and they make me happy,” Baghdatis added.
“They make me want to play here. It’s always a pleasure being back.”
Ward, too, hopes a good run at the Open will help him get back on track as he takes on Malek Jaziri in the first round.
Having broken into the top 100 for the first time, in 2015, the 29-year-old has dropped down to 178 in the world after struggling with injuries this year.
“It’s not been great. I’ve had a lot of injuries and a few tough times,” Ward said of his season so far.
“I’m hoping those have passed now. I’m looking to play well on the surface I love playing on and in tournaments and in front of crowds that I love playing in front of.
“That always brings the best out of me, and I’m hoping to do that again in the next couple of weeks.
“It’s definitely helpful playing in front of a home crowd. Everyone’s behind you and wants you to do well; you can use that to your advantage.
“I’m looking forward to doing it again.
“I want to have a good week. It’s a good prep for Wimbledon and hopefully I can get quite a few matches, that would be ideal.
“I’ll just give it my best and see how it goes.”
He added: “The main thing is to keep playing without too many injuries or too many problems, and then I think the results will come, whether it’s now or whether it’s later on in the year.
“It’s not too much of a panic at the moment; it’s just trying to get healthy.”
Nottingham Post