it takes more than hotels to be famous
it takes achivements and records that comes hand in hand with the attitude when you are the sucessful everyone wants a piece of you,cant blame them for trying

It says more about the audience at O2 than it does about Davydenko that he was not mobbed for his autograph.

He has been quietly stalking a major title for a long time and has now finally been rewarded.

I suspect a fairly large proportion of the audience came for the entertainment and do not follow tennis closely at other times so would therefore have no idea he has been in the top 10 for the last five years. But not us let forget it is the high profile stars that bring the money into the sport.

maybe his reputation suffers from the betting investigations that happened??

i saw a picture after the final where Davydenko was getting HOUNDED for autographs

Good to hear Ricky.

I don't think his reputation suffers from betting investigations. In fact, I'm not sure how many people even KNOW about it.

The thing with Davy D is, even though he's been on tour for ages, he has always been low profile. Especially with Marat around, he is/was over-shadowed by him. That's just too much to compete with! (much like Stan the Man is over-shadowed when it comes to Federer....though, one of my favorite matches this year was when Stan played Rafa at Miami. Amazing match!)

But even if Marat were never around (the thought!) I STILL think he would've been overlooked. He's just that kind of a person. Even though his tennis is world class and he is an absolute nightmare and a joy to watch when he's on, he lacks a certain je ne sais qui.

I think that anyone who follows tennis will know about him and appreciate him. But other than that, because he lacks a certain star quality or ANY type of quality that the media would find appealing and marketable, he may never be a "high profile star". And that's good too! I'd rather see him doing his thang on court than posing for top magazines, being the face of a fancy perfume, or doing Gillette commercials. Not everybody is born to experience exposure, YouTube proves that. Though who knows, his life just might change drastically when he goes back to Russia. As long as tennis channels and tennis media show him respect and give him the recognition he deserves I think he'll be happy.

I like him just as he is. I'd totally ask him for a picture (I've never met a celebrity or an pro athlete, but I have a feeling that autographs aren't my thing. I'd much prefer a really dorky picture for memories.)

It's interesting because he was told that he wasn't well-known in London because he's never done well on grass....surely they follow other tournaments as well? But I suppose what they meant was that you are loved and form a connection with the audience when they've seen you fight throughout one their tourneys and win. That's exactly what he's just done! :)

MiniArbre: no, not necessarily. there genuinely are people over here who think tennis is only on for 2 weeks a year

Davy is a humble player who doesn't need the respect from the fans, but he has certainly earned the respect of other top players after London. To beat all the GS winners this year in one tournament is impressive to say the least. Yes, his press conference skills can be improved but his hot wife should do all the talking next time for him.

I loved is comment after he won in Shanghai: along the lines of 'I'm not interested in the celebrity, but I like the money'.

Davy is playing the tennis of his life right now but I don't think '10 will have any GS's for him. The reason being is that the top 5, minus Nadal who I think will drop below 5th, are much more consistent and have key competitive advantages in their games. Davy is a consistent all-round player, exceptional in indoor play, but will struggle in GS's, which are in totally different surroundings.

Davy has reached the semifinals of slams three times - in 2005 at the FO & in 2007 at the FO & USO, lost to the runner-up Puerta in 2005. and lost both in 2007 to Federer. I won't say that he has totally no chance, it depends on who he meets at the QF, SF stages, if he can get that far. I think he has chances at the FO and may reach the final one day, who knows it may be next year, how about a Rafa/Davy FO final next year? He may not win but reaching the final of a slam may be a milestone for him. I think he has no chance on grass, given how poor his record is on grass. AO is a bit difficult for him due to the heat, USO is a possibility but will face more competition from the big hitters/big servers and the top 4/5 guys.

Sib69, it's really hard to imagine! That's a crime! I bet those who don't follow tennis religiously are like: "Things haven't changed have they? Tennis players are still the wimps we always thought them to be. They're complaining about a long season and it's only TWO weeks long!" XD

Ed251137, I think that's the ideal situation actually. Money without the celebrity. It's like healthy teeth without the dentist. Or rest without the sleep. Or skateboarding without the bruises and broken bones. Perfect!

Davy D is a force to be reckoned with. While I agree that GS are not his cup of tea (I don't think the conditions and the best of 5 format suit him) I think he's the type of player who can spring major upsets. He might not go the distance himself in a GS but he can sure spoil the partay for the poor soul(s) unlucky enough to run into him when he's in his 'D Day' mood.

At 28 years old, it seems like he's peaking and coming into his own. I hope he continues with his good form because he's a joy to watch.

I guess you could call him a late developer! I do hope the confidence booster of this win will carry through to next year.

Mini: The only problem - he is one of the players who can give Rafa a seriously hard time on clay although he is yet to beat him. The 2007 SF in Rome was an amazing duel. And their H2H on hard courts speaks for itself.

Good point. Well, I guess we can call rooting for Davy D a double-edged sword. Ouch! We already have band-aids on our fingers from him this year! >_o

ed: he's been in and out of the top 10 for years so I wouldn't call him a late developer. He's been a bit inconsistent when it matters and also had his fair share of injury/scandal, that's all. I love his play, he's so fast, improving at the net and whacks that ball so hard, wow! Don't you just love it when a smallish guy takes on the big hitters and, using superb timing, beats them at their own game?

deuce: That was a tongue-in-the-cheek comment on my part. You have to admit though that he has waited five years since his break out year ( 2005 - the same year as Nadal) to double his number of Masters titles.