Article

  • Nikolay Davydenko Part 5: A new Davy D

    12/25/08 2:26 AM | Jonathan Morgan
    Nikolay Davydenko Part 5: A new Davy D Nikolay Davydenko's 2007 was a mental and physical battle. 2008 wasn't any easier, but there was a light at the end of the tunnel.

    Davydenko once again started in Doha, and once again lost to Murray in the semifinals. Instead of playing Sydney as he usually does, Davydenko chose to play the Kooyong exhibition that many top players traditionally play. 2008 was the first year that Nikolay began to cut down on his tournament load. 30+ events a year for 3 years was insane. In 2008, he only played in 21 events. 24 including Davis Cup.

    Prior to the Australian Open, Davydenko began to speak out against the “ATP motives”. He implied that the ATP was perhaps trying to remove him from the top 10 in the rankings in favor of a player with more charisma and marketability that was ranked lower. He was also mad about how long the ATP’s investigation of his match in Sopot was taking. After the ATP received Nikolay’s phone records, they asked for his wife, Irina’s, phone records as well.

    The Australian Open was a bit worse than in previous years for Nikolay. He breezed through the first three rounds, but countryman Mikhail Youzhny slapped him around in the 4th round. It appeared that the Davydenko fall would be just as slow and steady as his rise. In the Davis Cup first round against the Serbians, Davydenko scored a 5 set win over Troicki as well as a retirement victory over Djokovic.

    Nikolay faltered in Rotterdam and lost to Michael Llodra in the second round. He dropped to #5 for a few weeks, but rebounded in Dubai. Nikolay finally beat Murray in the Dubai quarterfinals, ending the Scot’s run after beating Federer. Davydenko lost in the semis to Lopez in 3 tight sets, but his mini-slump seemed to be over. However, Nikolay was unfortunate to find himself against Mardy Fish in the 3rd round in Indian Wells, where the American had an awesome run to the finals. Nikolay’s performance in that match absolutely woeful.

    In Miami, Davydenko continued a rough patch as he pulled through in 3 sets against Gulbis, Bolelli, and Ancic. Towards the end of the Ancic match, he began to play better. Davydenko destroyed Tipsarevic in the quarterfinals before upending Roddick in the semifinals. Nikolay finished his awesome run by totally dismantling Nadal in the final. During the event, he revealed that he had switched racquets and had reached the finals using just a single new racquet. Another report that came out was from Davydenko’s lawyer, who told the media during Miami that the match fixing investigation was nearing an end and that he would consider suing the ATP upon the investigation’s completion.

    After his fantastic Miami title run, Nikolay won a clinching 4th rubber to send the Russians to the Davis Cup semifinals. Berdych and Davydenko were at the start of the 5th set when Tomas was forced to retire with an ankle injury. Estoril was next, and after a few patchy wins for both, Federer and Davydenko met in the finals. Davydenko missed out on a few set points in the first and Roger took it in a tiebreak. After the first, Nikolay called for a trainer. Davydenko came out and went up a break in the second but retired with a hand/wrist injury to give the title to Federer. Davydenko would later remark that it was a precaution so that he would be able to play Monte Carlo, the bigger event, the following week.

    He didn’t have it very easy in Monaco though, struggling in 3 sets over Kohlschreiber and a rollercoaster against Andreev. He was able to get through to the semis, though, where Nadal steamrolled him. Davydenko was fighting for his victories more and more, and as a result, was forced to play fewer events. Nikolay withdrew from Barcelona the next week and followed it up with 3rd round losses in both Rome and Hamburg. Davydenko got himself back in the winner’s circle by battling to take the title in Poertschach, his 13th career title.

    He looked good in the first two rounds of Roland Garros, winning the opening rounds against Johansson and Safin pretty easily. In the 3rd round against Ljubicic, Davydenko was up 2 sets to love. The Croat formulated an incredible comeback, winning the match in 5 sets and sending Nikolay home. Luckily for Davydenko, there was a clay event during the grass season in Warsaw, Poland. Nikolay was certainly in his element as he strode to the title there the week after Roland Garros. His Wimbledon play was back to the norm as he lost in the first round to Benjamin Becker. He seemed completely disinterested on grass this year as opposed to his 4th round showing in 2007.

    With all the trouble the previous summers’ clay season begot for him, Davydenko decided to skip it and headed straight for Toronto. He lost to Kiefer in the 3rd round in Canada, Moya in the first round in Cincinnati, and Mathieu in the second round at the Olympics in Beijing. Davydenko was playing less, but his results were steadily declining. There was even an interview out around this time where Nikolay admits to losing some of the passion and motivation he had for the game, especially in regards to his game’s freefall and the fixing investigation.

    At the US Open, Nikolay played a little bit better, reaching the 4th round before qualifier Gilles Muller took him out in 4 sets. After losing there, he fell to #6 in the rankings as his terrible year continued. After the US Open, the ATP cleared Davydenko of any and all wrongdoing in regards to his Sopot match the previous August. In the fall, Davydenko went 1-1 against the Argentines in the Davis Cup semis, losing to them 3-2. His one win was over David Nalbandian in as well a match Nikolay had played since Miami.

    Nikolay was in Moscow to defend his title a few weeks later. He won the first two matches easily and was looking good. Against Safin in the quarterfinals in a rematch of the 06 final, Safin got his revenge. Both men looked great in the match but Marat won in three sets. Madrid was another disaster as Nikolay lost in the first round to Robby Ginepri. Davydenko had to give a walkover in St. Petersburg due to an injury, but rebounded after both these losses for the final two events of the year.

    In Paris, where he won the title back in 2006, Davydenko scored his best result in months. He played solid in dispatching Ljubicic and steamrolled Berdych in the 3rd round. Against Nadal in the quarterfinals, Davydenko was on fire and took the first set 6-1 before Rafael had to retire due to his knee injury. In the semifinals, he took indoor king David Nalbandian to 3 tantilizing sets before the Argentine was able to score the victory.

    Whatever the reason, Davydenko was playing well for in Paris and looked to be getting back to his old self. In Shanghai, he beat Tsonga in 3 wild sets, lost to Djokovic in 3 more crazy sets, and crushed Del Potro. Nikolay was playing much better and advanced to the semifinal stage for the first time in his career. He took out Murray in the semifinals before Djokovic rolled him out in the finals.

    Davydenko’s 2008 was a transition year in his career. For much of the year while the investigation was still on going, Davydenko looked terrible, emotionless, and at a loss for an explanation. After he was cleared following the US Open, his game began to pick up. He made the Paris semifinals and the Masters Cup final. Nikolay ended the year at #5 in the world, with plenty of possible points to pick up in 2009.

Tell a friend »

Comments


Write comment

You have to be logged in to comment. If you do not have an account, click here to register. It only takes a minute and you'll be redirected back to this page.
Username:

Password: