Help
12/23/08 4:49 AM | Jonathan Morgan
After 3 years of game building experience for Davydenko by straddling the line between ATP and challenger events, Davydenko took the next step in 2005.
Nikolay ended 2004 ranked 28, his career high. He started out 2005 in Doha, making the semifinals before Federer crushed him. The Aussie Open beckoned, and Nikolay put up the best slam result thus far in his career by reaching the quarterfinals. Not only that, he did it in dominating fashion, not dropping a single set en route. However, down two sets against Roddick in the quarters with defeat imminent, Nikolay retired due to the relentless Australian heat. With this result, he bumped his rank up to 15, another career high.
Davydenko went 4-3 during the Euro indoor season, including another loss to Federer, this time in Rotterdam. He followed that up with a three match losing streak in Indian Wells (Blake), Miami (Monfils), and Valencia (Costa). Not a bad string of opponents to lose to, but Nikolay wanted better. He rebounded by making the third round in Monte Carlo before falling to Richard Gasquet after being up a set and a break. Gasquet would famously beat Federer in the quarterfinals that tournament.
Davydenko backed up his Monte Carlo wins with a semifinal run in Barcelona, but lost to a resurgent Ferrero. Davy scored a revenge victory over Ferrero in Hamburg, where he again had an awesome week and reached the semifinals. He lost to Federer for the third time on the year, but he was playing well on the clay. After Hamburg, his rank was up to 13. The next week, Davydenko stormed to his first title of the year in St. Polten ahead of the French Open.
At Roland Garros that year, Davydenko really made a name for himself. After a very solid clay season and two easy early round wins, he came into the third round against Tommy Haas. Davydenko crushed him, with a pair of 6-0 sets to close the match. He was looking great and his confidence was sky high. Nikolay played Guillermo Coria in the 4th round, the previous year’s finalist and huge favorite to again reach the finals. Davydenko took him out in 4 sets, ending Coria’s title dream. It was Davydenko’s biggest career win and his baseline dominant game was really taking hold. In the quarterfinals, Davydenko beat out Tommy Robredo in 5 sick sets before losing to Mariano Puerta in 5 sets in the semifinals after being up two sets to one and a break in the 5th. Puerta would lose to Nadal in the finals but would be banned for doping later on in his career.
After his miraculous French Open, Davydenko catapulted into the top 10, landing at 7th. His grass results were never that good, but this year’s Wimbledon added injury to insult. He lost to Bjorkman in the second round, but had to retire with a wrist injury. Luckily, he got over it very quickly, leading the Safin-less Russian Davis Cup team to a win over the French. His summer clay season was so-so, losing in the first round in both Gstaad and Kitzbuhel but making the semis in Stuttgart.
He went a very respectable 5-2 in Canada and Cincinnati, but lost in the second round at the US Open. After losing to Ljubicic and the Croats in the Davis Cup semis, Davydenko rebounded and reached the semifinals in Metz, where he again faced Ivan. Ljubicic swept him aside easily as the Croat went on to have his best indoor season while Davydenko went 5-3 until Shanghai.
At the Masters Cup, Nikolay defeated Puerta, Agassi, and Gaudio to go win his group. In the semis, he lost to Nalbandian to end his year. He ended the year as the #5 ranked player in the world.
The thing to remember about Davydenko though, is that from 2005-2007, he played over 30 events each year. Some may say this would be taking advantage of the system, but hey, more power to the guy if he can play week in and week out and still put up top 10 results. And that’s exactly what he’s been doing.
Davydenko kicked off 2006 with a quarterfinal in Doha and a semifinal in Sydney ahead of the Aussie Open. Unlike 2005, where Nikolay reached the quarterfinals without dropping a set, he would need 18 sets to reach the same round in 06.
In the first round, he faced down 31 aces from Ivo Karlovic to beat the Croat in 5 sets. He beat Kevin Kim and Nathan Healy in the next two rounds, both in 4 sets, before coming back from 2-0 sets down to upend Hrbaty in 5 sets. There was some doubt coming into this slam whether or not Davydenko would be able to back up his awesome 2005 or if he would be a one year wonder, but he put it to rest in his quarterfinal.
Roger Federer and Nikolay Davydenko played 4 tough sets in the quarterfinals with Roger winning it after a pair of insane tiebreaks in the 3rd and 4th sets. It was after this match that people really began to take the man seriously as a top contender and someone who’s top 10 stay may be an extended one.
After a semifinal in Rotterdam, Nikolay lost to Marat Safin in both Dubai and Indian Wells. He fared a bit better in Miami, making the 4th round, but with first round losses in Valencia, Monte Carlo, and Barcelona, and with a ton of points to defend in the clay season, Davydenko looked a bit unsure of himself and his game. Many reporters and tennis pundits referred to Nikolay as the “invisible man” of the top 10.
Davydenko rebounded though, finding his game and his fitness as overplaying seemed to catch up just a bit with his string of losses to much lesser accomplished clay players than he. Nikolay beat both Safin and Moya before losing in the finals to Nalbandian in Estoril. The whole week though, he played quite well and got himself back on track.
In Rome the next week, Davydenko met up with clay courter Nicolas Almagro in the third round. After a tight tiebreaker in the first set, Davydenko retired from the match with a foot injury. It ended up simply being a precaution, as he bounced back the next week with a quarterfinal run in Hamburg. He lost to Ancic in Germany, in a well-fought 3 set encounter. Nikolay was looking good. He looked even better the following week by winning the title in Poertschach without dropping a set.
Davydenko came into Roland Garros as the 6 seed, defending a semifinal from the previous year. He breezed through the first few rounds and calmly took out 2004 champ Gaudio in the 4th round. Nalbandian took out Nikolay in the quarterfinals in a well played battle from both men. Davydenko’s game and results were becoming more and more workman-like, putting up strong top 10 results without really breaking through and beating the big guys.
Another grass season, another lack of Davydenko. He went 0-3 before returning to his beloved summer clay swing. In Bastad, Nikolay stormed to the final without dropping a set before Robredo smacked him around to take the title. Davydenko looked a bit flat in the following event in Kitzbuhel, losing to Lapentti in his opening match. He came back to win the title in Sopot, though. Davydenko beat out Florian Mayer in a very interesting final. After winning the first set and being up 5-1 in the second, Mayer won 6 games straight to take the second before Davydenko won it 6-4 in the third. It was Davydenko’s second title of the year.
Nikolay flew back to North America and lost first round in both Toronto and Cincinnait. He did, however, win his third title of the year in New Haven, and without dropping a set. Davydenko’s habit of doing well in small events to gain confidence before a slam seemed to be continuing. At the US Open the next week, he was cruising through the first three round and faced Andy Murray in the 4th. The youngster stole a set from Davydenko, but Nikolay closed it out in 4, too solid for young Murray.
In the quarterfinals, Nikolay lost the first two sets to Tommy Haas and was looking to be on the way out. Davy fought back to win the match in 5 sets, but Federer ripped him to shreds in the semifinals. Davydenko had cemented his top 5 spot at this point, wavering between 5 and 7 for the whole year, winning 3 titles, and scoring QF, QF, SF in 3 of the slams.
He played in Beijing the week after the US Open, but was left off the Davis Cup team in favor of Safin and recent US Open semifinalist Mikhail Youzhny. Nikolay ended up not playing for 3 weeks (gasp!) but came back for Moscow. In his first match back, he double bagelled Jiri Vanek and reached the finals without dropping a set. Safin also made the finals, but Nikolay took him out in 3 great sets for his 4th title of the year.
After losing early in Madrid and St. Petersburg, Davydenko bagged the biggest title of his career at the Masters event in Paris. Davydenko looked very strong all week, losing just one set and crushing Hrbaty in the finals. In Shanghai, he played a trio of 3 set matches, beating Robredo but losing to Nadal and Blake. Luckily, he got his Davis Cup position back for the finals. He went 1-1, but Safin clinched the tie for the Russians in the 5th rubber. Davydenko finished 2006 as the #3 player in the world, he won his first Masters title in Paris, and his country had just won the Davis Cup. It was the best year ever.
Tell a friend »
Scan QR code to access Unibet mobile.
Bet on Sports wherever you are and whenever you like, with Unibet's quick and simple mobile client you can place bets, check results and see live odds.
For more info about QR codes & scanners click here.
Contact us
/ About us
/ Cookies
/ Recommended links
/ Advertise
/ Sitemap
Tennistalk v1.5.0
Disclaimer © 2001-2012, Moneytainment Media Ltd - All rights reserved
