Nikolay Davydenko
Encyclopedia
Nikolay Vladimirovich Davydenko is a Ukrainian
-Russia
n tennis
player. Davydenko's best result in a Grand Slam tournament
has been reaching the semifinals, which he has done on four occasions: twice each at the French Open and the U.S. Open. His biggest achievement to date was winning the 2009 ATP World Tour Finals
, and he has also won three ATP Masters Series
. He is one of the few players who has a winning record against Rafael Nadal
.
Davydenko was granted Russian citizenship in 1999 at the age of 18, and has represented Russia ever since. In 2007, he applied for Austrian citizenship (so as to obtain dual citizenship) and has also previously applied for German citizenship.
Tennis fans have nicknamed Davydenko "Kolya", the Russian nickname for Nikolay. He has also been called "Iron Man" because he plays in more tournaments per year than any other player, just like fellow Russian and former World No. 1 Yevgeny Kafelnikov
. Another nickname is "The Machine" due to his aggressive, consistent style of play.
Davydenko's favourite players growing up were Ivan Lendl
and Yannick Noah
. During his spare time he enjoys cycling, fishing, soccer, and hockey. He is also a Guns N' Roses
fan. He speaks Russian, German, and English.
Before the Davis Cup in 2006, Davydenko married his girlfriend Irina, who had been his traveling companion for three years. He currently resides in Volgograd, Russia.
, Germany with Eduard to further improve and participate in more tournaments.
Davydenko turned professional in 1999. In 2000, he played mainly on the Futures Tour, where he captured one title and reached three finals. He made his ATP
debut at Amsterdam
, reaching the semifinal. Later in August, he won his first Challenger title in Mönchengladbach
.
, where he made it to the second round before losing to former World No. 1, Patrick Rafter
in four sets. This performance captured the public eye for his talent and ability. Later in February, he injured his lower back in Dallas and subsequently was out for six weeks. After the injury, he came back to win two Challenger titles in Ulm
and Istanbul
. He finished the season with a quarterfinal in Basel
.
In 2002, Davydenko continued to play on both the ATP Tour and in Challenger events. It was a steady year with quarterfinal appearances in Båstad
and Vienna
. During the year, he captured his fourth Challenger title in Szczecin
.
Davydenko made huge strides on the ATP Tour in 2003. He opened the season with his first ATP title in Adelaide
, defeating Kristof Vliegen
in the final. A few months later, he captured his second tour title in Estoril
on clay, beating Agustín Calleri
. His season was backed up with solid performances on clay in Barcelona
and St. Pölten, reaching the quarterfinal and final respectively. After a solid year, Davydenko finished in the top 50 for the first time in his career.
. He backed up his win by reaching the semifinal in Stuttgart
, losing to Guillermo Cañas
. In October, he captured his first home-soil victory in Moscow by winning both the singles and doubles (partnering Igor Andreev
). He finished the season in the top 30 for the first time.
at the Australian Open. During the clay season, he captured his fifth career title in St. Pölten, beating home favourite, Jürgen Melzer
. He continued his solid form by reaching the semifinals of the Hamburg Masters
and his first Grand Slam at the French Open. There was a controversy after the French Open because he lost to Mariano Puerta
in five close sets 3–6, 7–5, 6–2, 4–6, 4–6. Puerta was later caught and banned for doping
. Davydenko reached the top 10 for the first time after the French Open. He closed out the year by reaching the quarterfinals at the Cincinnati Masters
and the Paris Masters
. After a great season, he qualified at the Tennis Masters Cup
in Shanghai
for the first time and reached the semifinals, losing to David Nalbandian
. He finished the year as the no. 1 Russian and world no. 5.
in four tight sets 4–6, 6–3, 6–7, 6–7. He had another solid clay court season, reaching the final in Estoril and the quarterfinal at the Hamburg Masters. He defended his title in Pöertschach
and reached the quarterfinal at the French Open for the second year. His form continued after an early loss at Wimbledon
with wins in Sopot
and his first American win in New Haven. He reached his second Grand Slam semifinal at the U.S. Open
, losing to Roger Federer. He finished the season with a win in Moscow and his first career TMS title in Paris. After getting married, Davydenko helped Russia win the Davis Cup
against Argentina
. He reached a career-high ranking of no. 3 which he finished on for the year.
2007 started with another quarterfinal appearance at the Australian Open for the third consecutive year. He was slow to find his form in the clay court
season; but finally did at the Rome Masters
, losing in the semifinal to Rafael Nadal
in an enthralling match, 6–7, 7–6, 4–6. His good form continued, and he reached the semifinal for the second time at the French Open, losing to Roger Federer again 5–7, 6–7, 6–7. At Wimbledon, he surprised the tennis world by reaching the fourth round on his least preferred surface. Moving to the hard court season in the US, Davydenko had strong showings in the Canada Masters
and the Cincinnati Masters
, reaching the quarterfinal and semifinal respectively. Davydenko then reached the semifinal of the U.S. Open
for the second consecutive year before losing to Roger Federer, 5–7, 1–6, 5–7. He won his eleventh career title in Moscow, defeating Paul-Henri Mathieu
. Davydenko ended the year ranked no. 4 and in the top 5 for the third straight year.
, where he was seeded fourth. He won his first three matches in straight sets, but in the fourth round he lost to countryman Mikhail Youzhny
, 7–6, 6–3, 6–1. In Dubai, he reached the semifinals, losing to Feliciano López
in three sets. He then went on to win his biggest career title to date at the Miami Masters
. On route to the win, he defeated Andy Roddick
in the semifinal and Rafael Nadal
, 6–4, 6–2, in the final to win his second ATP Masters Series title. His win over Roddick in the semifinal was his first victory in six matches, while his win over Nadal was his first in three matches.
Davydenko began the European clay court season with a finals appearance in his next tournament, the Estoril Open
in Portugal, where he met world no. 1, Roger Federer
in the final. In the second set of the final, while trailing Federer, 6-7, 2-1, Davydenko retired with a left leg injury. He then reached the semifinals of the Monte Carlo Masters. He won his thirteenth career title in Pöertschach, defeating Juan Mónaco
, 6–2, 2–6, 6–2. After a disappointing French Open, Davydenko went on to win another title, this time in Warsaw, defeating Tommy Robredo, 6–3, 6–3, in the final. He did not win back-to-back matches until the US Open. At the Open, he lost in the fourth round to qualifier Gilles Müller
, 4–6, 6–4, 3–6, 6–7, breaking his streak of two straight semifinals.
Davydenko reached the semifinals at the Paris Masters, losing to David Nalbandian, 1–6, 7–5, 4–6. Davydenko qualified for the Tennis Masters Cup
for the fourth consecutive year. He beat Juan Martín del Potro
and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the round-robin matches to progress to the semifinal, where he defeated Andy Murray, 7–5, 6–2, to reach the final. There he met Novak Djokovic
, losing 1–6, 5–7. Davydenko finished the year ranked no. 5 in world and in the top 5 for the fourth consecutive year.
, which featured six of the world's best players. Davydenko defeated Andy Roddick
, 6–4, 6–4, before being defeated by top seed Rafael Nadal
, 6–2, 6–3.
His first tour tournament was in Chennai
, India, where he was the top seed. He defeated Daniel Köllerer
in straight sets, but was forced to withdraw before his second round match against Lukáš Dlouhý
because of a left heel injury. This injury subsequently forced Davydenko to withdraw from the Australian Open
. In Rotterdam
, he was defeated in the second round by Julien Benneteau
. The injury he sustained in Chennai earlier in the year returned, forcing Davydenko to withdraw from the 1000 Series tournaments in Indian Wells and Miami. This caused his ranking to fall from no. 5 to no. 9 by April 6.
Davydenko returned to the tour after a two-month absence. In Monte Carlo
, he defeated Ivo Karlović
and David Nalbandian
before being eliminated by Andy Murray in the quarterfinals, 7–6, 6–4. In Barcelona
, he posted back-to-back three-set wins over Feliciano López
and Radek Štěpánek
. He was ousted by world no. 1 Rafael Nadal
in the semifinals, 6–3, 6–2. Despite his run in Barcelona, his ranking slipped out of the top 10 for the first time since May 23, 2005.
Davydenko was upset in the early rounds in Rome
. Davydenko reached his second semifinal of the year in Estoril
by eliminating Juan Carlos Ferrero
in the second round and Mardy Fish
in the quarterfinals, but was stopped by American James Blake
, 6–7, 7–6, 6–3. In his last tournament before the French Open, Nikolay advanced to the third round in Madrid
before he was forced to withdraw before his match with Andy Roddick
due to a leg injury. He was able to play at Roland Garros and convincingly advanced to the quarterfinals. He dropped a set apiece to Diego Junqueira
and Stanislas Wawrinka
and beat the no. 8 seed Fernando Verdasco
, 6–2, 6–2, 6–4 en route. He fell to eventual runner-up Robin Söderling
, 6–1, 6–3, 6–1.
On grass, Davydenko advanced to the third round at Wimbledon before falling to Tomáš Berdych
, 6–2, 6–3, 6–2, for the first time. After Wimbledon, he competed in the 2009 MercedesCup
as second seed, falling to Fabio Fognini
in the quarterfinals. He then won two straight titles: the 2009 International German Open
, defeating Paul-Henri Mathieu
, 6–4, 6–2, and the 2009 ATP Studena Croatia Open Umag
, defeating Juan Carlos Ferrero
, 6–3, 6–0, dropping only one set in 10 matches. Davydenko then lost to Andy Murray in the quarterfinals of the Rogers Cup in Montreal, 6–2, 6–4, a loss which snapped a 12-match winning streak. He then lost in the third round of the 2009 Cincinnati Masters to Gilles Simon
, 7–6, 4–6, 4–6. Davydenko lost in the quarterfinals of the 2009 Pilot Pen Tennis
to Sam Querrey
. At the US Open
, he reached the fourth round before retiring against Robin Söderling
with a left thigh injury.
He won his third title of the year at the 2009 Malaysian Open by beating Gaël Monfils
, 6–3, 6–3, in the quarterfinals, Robin Söderling
, 1–6, 7–6, 6–2, in the semifinals, and Fernando Verdasco
, 6–4, 7–5, in the final. Following his triumph in Malaysia, he competed in the 2009 China Open
, losing in the quarterfinals to eventual runner-up Marin Čilić
, 6–4, 6–4. At the Shanghai Masters 1000 event, he defeated three seeded players en route to the final, tenth seed Fernando González
, thirteenth seed Radek Štěpánek
, and second seed Novak Djokovic
. He upset Djokovic in the semifinal, 4–6, 6–4, 7–6. In the final, he played Rafael Nadal and again won in an upset, 7–6, 6–3.
At the ATP World Tour Finals in London, Davydenko won four of his five matches. He lost his first round-robin match to Novak Djokovic
, 6–3, 4–6, 5–7, but he beat Nadal in his second match, 6–1, 7–6. He also went on to beat the odds, defeating his group leader, Robin Söderling
, 7–6, 4–6, 6–3 to reach the semifinals. He recorded his first win over Roger Federer
in 13 tries in the semifinals with a 6–2, 4–6, 7–5 win. With the win, Davydenko advanced to his second consecutive ATP World Tour Finals final. He won by defeating Juan Martín del Potro
in the final, 6–3, 6–4. This victory meant that he became the first Russian to win the event. The straight-set victory also meant that the winner won the event in straight sets for the fourth year in a row.
Davydenko finished the year ranked no. 6 in world and in the top 10 for the fifth consecutive year.
, but was defeated in the first round by David Ferrer
. A week later at the 2010 Qatar ExxonMobil Open
, Davydenko defeated Roger Federer
, 6–4, 6–4, in the semifinal and Rafael Nadal
, 0–6, 7–6, 6–4, in the final to claim his twenthieth ATP World Tour title. With this victory in 2010, Davydenko became the second player to beat both Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in the same tournament on separate occasions. At the Australian Open
, Davydenko won his first three rounds without dropping a set, before beating Spain's Fernando Verdasco
in five sets. He eventually lost to Federer in the quarterfinal, 6–2, 3–6, 0–6, 5–7.
Davydenko then went to Rotterdam to play in the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament
. He was the second seed but, in the semifinal against Sweden's Robin Söderling
Davydenko landed on his wrist, and injured it. He continued to play and lost to the eventual champion, 7–6, 6–4. Davydenko next appeared in the Dubai Tennis Championships
.
At the 2010 BNP Paribas Open
at Indian Wells, Davydenko defeated Latvia's Ernests Gulbis
. Before his third-round match with Viktor Troicki
of Serbia, he withdrew due to a fractured wrist. Davydenko returned to the grass court in Halle
, after missing the 2010 French Open
. In his first match back he beat local player Simon Greul
, 7–6, 6–0. He played despite his doctor's advising him against playing the tournament. However, he lost in the next round to Benjamin Becker
, 6–3, 6–4.
He then fell in the second round of 2010 Wimbledon to Daniel Brands
, 6–1, 6–7, 6–7, 1–6. He then failed to win back-to-back matches in his next four tournaments until the 2010 Western & Southern Financial Group Masters, where he defeated Robby Ginepri
and David Ferrer
, both in three sets before falling to Roger Federer
in the quarterfinals, 6–4, 7–5. He also reached the quarterfinals of the 2010 China Open
, but failed to defend his title in the Shanghai Rolex Masters and fell out the top 10 for the first time in over a year. He then reached three consecutive quarterfinals in the 2010 Open Sud de France
, 2010 Valencia Open 500
, and 2010 BNP Paribas Masters
. Davydenko did not qualify for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. This is the first time he did not qualify since qualifying for the first time in 2005. He also dropped out of the top 20 for the first time in over 5 1/2 years.
, where he defeated Rafael Nadal
in the semifinal, but he fell in the final to Roger Federer
, 3–6, 4–6.
His next tournament was the 2011 Australian Open
, but he was defeated by unseeded Florian Mayer
in four sets, 6–3, 4–6, 7–6, 6–4.
He then fell in the opening rounds of 2011 ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament
and 2011 Open 13
to Frenchmen Michaël Llodra
and Gilles Simon
, respectively.
In the 2011 Dubai Tennis Championships
and 2011 BNP Paribas Open
he fell in the opening and second rounds to Tomáš Berdych
and Stanislas Wawrinka
respectively.
In the next two Masters 1000, he fell in the first round of the 2011 Sony Ericsson Open
and 2011 Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters
.
He then earned his first back-to-back win since Doha in the 2011 Barcelona Open Banco Sabadell
, but fell in the third round to Nicolás Almagro
6–7, 3–6.
Then, at the 2011 BMW Open
tournament, he started slowly but progressively found some good form which allowed him to eventually win the final, 6–3, 3–6, 6–1, against Florian Mayer
. This was his 21st ATP title, and it meant that he had won at least one ATP-tour title for nine straight years and returned him back into the top 30 in the rankings.
At Wimbledon
, Davydenko lost in the first round to unseeded Bernard Tomic
, who continued on to the quarterfinals before losing to Novak Djokovic in four sets.
At the US Open
, he lost in the third round to Djokovic, 6–3, 6–4, 6–2 after victories in the first two rounds against Ivan Dodig
and Potito Starace
.
. Davydenko's best shot is his backhand which he can hit down the line, cross court or with extreme angles. He is known for his running shots which he takes early and often turn into winners. Davydenko's style makes him a good player on any surface, especially hardcourts and clay, although he is yet to make a breakthrough on grass.
Davydenko's main weaknesses are his volleys, serve, and inability to close matches. His volleys are not as consistent as his groundstrokes, though he does have one of the best swinging volleys on tour. Many tennis analysts have also criticised Davydenko for lacking variation in his game due to the fact that he mainly plays from the baseline with his consistent groundstrokes. In recent years, he has varied his game by employing the slice and moving into the net more often. His serve is technically correct. Davydenko's difficulty closing matches has lost numerous important matches after holding the lead. This was evident during the 2006 Tennis Masters Cup
against James Blake
and Rafael Nadal
where he won the first sets and had leads in the second but lost. Against Roger Federer
he blew a lead at the 2006 and 2010 Australian Opens and the 2007 French Open. In the 2006 Australian Open, he had three set points in the third to go up 2 sets to 1, but lost the set and eventually the match.
racquets and clothing, and is currently using the Dunlop Biomimetic 200 Plus.
investigation of Davydenko's match against Martín Vassallo Argüello
in Sopot
of 2 August 2007, after several large bets were placed at an online British gambling company, Betfair
, in Argüello's favour after Davydenko had won the first set 6–2. Davydenko withdrew from the match during the third set with a foot injury. Although Davydenko had suffered three first-round defeats in his last three tournaments, was injured in an earlier-round match, and showed signs of injury in the second set, it did not make sense to Betfair that such a heavy betting volume would go in Argüello's direction at that point of time in the match. Per its agreement with the ATP, Betfair
notified the Tour. It has since been revealed that nine people based in Russia had bet US$1.5M on Davydenko losing while two unknown people would gain US$6M from the loss. A total of $7M was wagered on the match, ten times the usual amount. Due to these irregularities, all bets were voided. On September 11, 2008, Davydenko, along with Arguello, was cleared of any involvement in match-fixing. The inquiry, which lasted over a year, was the longest ever held into match-fixing in tennis. However, Betfair did not return money to those who won their bets.
Further controversy also surrounded Davydenko after one of his matches at St. Petersburg Open
in October 2007. During his 1–6, 7–5, 6–1 defeat by Marin Čilić, he was given a code violation by umpire Jean-Philippe Dercq for not giving his best effort. He was later fined $2000 (£987) by the ATP, but the fine was rescinded upon appeal. The following week, he lost 6–2, 6–2 to Marcos Baghdatis
at the Paris Masters
. This generated some controversy, as Davydenko was cautioned by the umpire to do his best during the match.
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
-Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
player. Davydenko's best result in a Grand Slam tournament
Grand Slam (tennis)
The four Major tennis tournaments, also called the Slams, are the most important tennis events of the year in terms of world tour ranking points, tradition, prize-money awarded, strength and size of player field, and public attention. They are the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon, and...
has been reaching the semifinals, which he has done on four occasions: twice each at the French Open and the U.S. Open. His biggest achievement to date was winning the 2009 ATP World Tour Finals
2009 ATP World Tour Finals - Singles
Novak Djokovic was the defending champion, but was eliminated in the round robin stage.Nikolay Davydenko won in the final 6–3, 6–4 against Juan Martín del Potro.-Seeds:# Roger Federer # Rafael Nadal ...
, and he has also won three ATP Masters Series
ATP World Tour Masters 1000
The ATP World Tour Masters 1000 is a series of nine tennis tournaments that are part of the Association of Tennis Professionals tour, held annually throughout the year in Europe, North America and Asia...
. He is one of the few players who has a winning record against Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal
Rafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera is a Spanish professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. , he is ranked No. 2 by the Association of Tennis Professionals...
.
Personal life
Years later, Davydenko explained his peripatetic youth, "I stayed four years in Russia. Eduard worked as a tennis coach for kids, and we practised together. He pushed me pretty hard. At 15 we left for Germany. A Russian who lived there convinced Eduard it would be better for me and help me to learn more about my game with better coaches. In Europe I could play more tournaments and earn more money than in Russia."Davydenko was granted Russian citizenship in 1999 at the age of 18, and has represented Russia ever since. In 2007, he applied for Austrian citizenship (so as to obtain dual citizenship) and has also previously applied for German citizenship.
Tennis fans have nicknamed Davydenko "Kolya", the Russian nickname for Nikolay. He has also been called "Iron Man" because he plays in more tournaments per year than any other player, just like fellow Russian and former World No. 1 Yevgeny Kafelnikov
Yevgeny Kafelnikov
Yevgeny Aleksandrovich Kafelnikov is a former World No. 1 tennis player from Russia. He won two Grand Slam singles titles , four Grand Slam doubles titles, and the men's singles gold medal at the Sydney Olympic Games. He also helped Russia win the Davis Cup in 2002...
. Another nickname is "The Machine" due to his aggressive, consistent style of play.
Davydenko's favourite players growing up were Ivan Lendl
Ivan Lendl
Ivan Lendl is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player. Originally from Czechoslovakia, Lendl became a United States citizen. He was one of the game's most dominant players in the 1980s and remained a top competitor into the early 1990s. He is considered to be one of the greatest tennis...
and Yannick Noah
Yannick Noah
Yannick Noah is a former professional tennis player from France. He is best remembered for being the last French man to win the French Open in 1983, and as a highly-successful captain of France's Davis Cup and Fed Cup teams...
. During his spare time he enjoys cycling, fishing, soccer, and hockey. He is also a Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band, formed in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, in 1985. The band has released six studio albums, three EPs, and one live album...
fan. He speaks Russian, German, and English.
Before the Davis Cup in 2006, Davydenko married his girlfriend Irina, who had been his traveling companion for three years. He currently resides in Volgograd, Russia.
Early career
Davydenko started playing at the age of seven with his brother, Eduard. During his junior tennis years, he moved to SalmtalSalmtal
Salmtal is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Bernkastel-Wittlich district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany...
, Germany with Eduard to further improve and participate in more tournaments.
Davydenko turned professional in 1999. In 2000, he played mainly on the Futures Tour, where he captured one title and reached three finals. He made his ATP
Association of Tennis Professionals
The Association of Tennis Professionals or ATP was formed in 1972 by Donald Dell, Jack Kramer, and Cliff Drysdale to protect the interests of male professional tennis players. Since 1990, the association has organized the worldwide tennis tour for men and linked the title of the tour with the...
debut at Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, reaching the semifinal. Later in August, he won his first Challenger title in Mönchengladbach
Mönchengladbach
Mönchengladbach , formerly known as Münchengladbach, is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located west of the Rhine half way between Düsseldorf and the Dutch border....
.
2001–2003
Davydenko made his Grand Slam debut in 2001 at the Australian OpenAustralian Open
The Australian Open is the only Grand Slam tennis tournament held in the southern hemisphere. The tournament was held for the first time in 1905 and was last contested on grass in 1987. Since 1972 the Australian Open has been held in Melbourne, Victoria. In 1988, the tournament became a hard court...
, where he made it to the second round before losing to former World No. 1, Patrick Rafter
Patrick Rafter
Patrick "Pat" Michael Rafter is an Australian former World No. 1 tennis player. He twice won the men's singles title at the US Open and was twice the runner-up at Wimbledon. Rafter was elected to the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2006. He was known for his natural serve-and-volley style of...
in four sets. This performance captured the public eye for his talent and ability. Later in February, he injured his lower back in Dallas and subsequently was out for six weeks. After the injury, he came back to win two Challenger titles in Ulm
Ulm
Ulm is a city in the federal German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the River Danube. The city, whose population is estimated at 120,000 , forms an urban district of its own and is the administrative seat of the Alb-Donau district. Ulm, founded around 850, is rich in history and...
and Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
. He finished the season with a quarterfinal in Basel
Basel
Basel or Basle In the national languages of Switzerland the city is also known as Bâle , Basilea and Basilea is Switzerland's third most populous city with about 166,000 inhabitants. Located where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, Basel also has suburbs in France and Germany...
.
In 2002, Davydenko continued to play on both the ATP Tour and in Challenger events. It was a steady year with quarterfinal appearances in Båstad
Båstad
Båstad is a locality and the seat of Båstad Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden with 4,793 inhabitants in 2005.-Geography:The town of Båstad is located in a sheltered bay with the Hallandian ridge stretching behind it...
and Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
. During the year, he captured his fourth Challenger title in Szczecin
Szczecin
Szczecin , is the capital city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in Poland. It is the country's seventh-largest city and the largest seaport in Poland on the Baltic Sea. As of June 2009 the population was 406,427....
.
Davydenko made huge strides on the ATP Tour in 2003. He opened the season with his first ATP title in Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
, defeating Kristof Vliegen
Kristof Vliegen
Kristof Vliegen is a former Belgian tennis player. He plays right-handed and he turned professional in 2001.He was a semi-finalist in Chennai in 2006 and in May of the same year, he reached the final of the ATP tournament in Munich, setting up the first ever all-Belgian men's singles final against...
in the final. A few months later, he captured his second tour title in Estoril
Estoril
Estoril is a seaside resort and civil parish of the Portuguese municipality of Cascais, Lisboa District. The Estoril coast is close to Lisbon, the capital of Portugal. It starts in Carcavelos, 15 kilometres from Lisbon, and stretches as far as Guincho, often known as Costa de Estoril-Sintra or...
on clay, beating Agustín Calleri
Agustín Calleri
Agustín Calleri Shaal is a retired professional male tennis player from Argentina. His nickname is Gordo which means Fat in Spanish. He is known as a hard-hitter and he prefers playing on clay....
. His season was backed up with solid performances on clay in Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
and St. Pölten, reaching the quarterfinal and final respectively. After a solid year, Davydenko finished in the top 50 for the first time in his career.
2004
His progress continued in 2004, capturing two more titles for the second consecutive year. After a slow start to season, a quarterfinal in the Monte Carlo Masters kicked off a 10–2 matches run. A week later, he won his third title in MunichMunich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
. He backed up his win by reaching the semifinal in Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
, losing to Guillermo Cañas
Guillermo Cañas
Guillermo Ignacio Cañas , often referred to as Willy Cañas, is a retired Argentine professional tennis player. He was born in Argentina's capital, Buenos Aires, and named after Argentine tennis star Guillermo Vilas. His highest singles ranking was 8th . After retirement Cañas took on coaching, he...
. In October, he captured his first home-soil victory in Moscow by winning both the singles and doubles (partnering Igor Andreev
Igor Andreev
Igor Valerievich Andreev is a Russian professional tennis player, born in Moscow.-2003:Andreev made his ATP debut in September 2003 at Bucharest, Romania as a qualifier and defeated top seed Nikolay Davydenko 7–5, 6–7, 6–0 in the first round, before losing in the next round to José Acasuso.At the...
). He finished the season in the top 30 for the first time.
2005
In 2005, he began the season by reaching the quarterfinal for the first time in a Grand SlamGrand Slam (tennis)
The four Major tennis tournaments, also called the Slams, are the most important tennis events of the year in terms of world tour ranking points, tradition, prize-money awarded, strength and size of player field, and public attention. They are the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon, and...
at the Australian Open. During the clay season, he captured his fifth career title in St. Pölten, beating home favourite, Jürgen Melzer
Jürgen Melzer
Jürgen Melzer is an Austrian tennis player. He reached a career-high ranking of no. 8 on 18 April 2011, and a doubles ranking of no. 6 on 13 September 2010. He is the only current player on the ATP Tour to be ranked in the top 10 in both singles and doubles. He is a left-handed tennis player, but...
. He continued his solid form by reaching the semifinals of the Hamburg Masters
Hamburg Masters
The German Open Hamburg, established in 1892, is an annual tennis tournament for male professional players held in Hamburg, Germany and part of the Association of Tennis Professionals Tour. Originally a Grand Prix Tennis Tour event between 1978 and 1989 it was part of the Grand Prix Championship...
and his first Grand Slam at the French Open. There was a controversy after the French Open because he lost to Mariano Puerta
Mariano Puerta
Mariano Ruben Puerta is a former Argentine professional male tennis player best known for making the final of the French Open in 2005, where he lost to Rafael Nadal in four sets.-Career:...
in five close sets 3–6, 7–5, 6–2, 4–6, 4–6. Puerta was later caught and banned for doping
Doping (sport)
The use of performance-enhancing drugs in sport is commonly referred to by the term "doping", particularly by those organizations that regulate competitions. The use of performance enhancing drugs is mostly done to improve athletic performance. This is why many sports ban the use of performance...
. Davydenko reached the top 10 for the first time after the French Open. He closed out the year by reaching the quarterfinals at the Cincinnati Masters
Cincinnati Masters
The Cincinnati Open is an annual outdoor hardcourts tennis event held in the Cincinnati suburb of Mason, Ohio, USA. The event started on September 18, 1899 and is the oldest tennis tournament in the United States played in its original city., Between...
and the Paris Masters
Paris Masters
The Paris Masters is an annual tennis tournament for male professional players held in Paris, France. It is played indoors at the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy. The event is part of the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 on the Association of Tennis Professionals Tour...
. After a great season, he qualified at the Tennis Masters Cup
Tennis Masters Cup
The Barclays ATP World Tour Finals is a tennis tournament played at the end of each year, involving the top eight players in the men's tennis world rankings....
in Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
for the first time and reached the semifinals, losing to David Nalbandian
David Nalbandian
David Pablo Nalbandian is an Argentine professional tennis player and former world no. 3. He was runner-up at the 2002 Wimbledon Championships and the winner of the Tennis Masters Cup in 2005.-Biography:...
. He finished the year as the no. 1 Russian and world no. 5.
2006–2007
After his rapid rise into the top 5 in 2005, Davydenko continued to stay in the top 5 for 2006. He repeated his quarterfinal appearance at the Australian Open, losing to Roger FedererRoger Federer
Roger Federer is a Swiss professional tennis player who held the ATP no. 1 position for a record 237 consecutive weeks, and 285 weeks overall. As of 28 November 2011, he is ranked World No. 3 by the Association of Tennis Professionals . Federer has won a men's record 16 Grand Slam singles titles...
in four tight sets 4–6, 6–3, 6–7, 6–7. He had another solid clay court season, reaching the final in Estoril and the quarterfinal at the Hamburg Masters. He defended his title in Pöertschach
Hypo Group Tennis International
The Hypo Group Tennis International was an annual tennis tournament held in Pörtschach, Austria. The event was part of the ATP Tour's ATP International Series. The tournament had been held since 1981, on clay courts.-List of singles winners:...
and reached the quarterfinal at the French Open for the second year. His form continued after an early loss at Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon , is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, considered by many to be the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London since 1877. It is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the other three Majors...
with wins in Sopot
Sopot
Sopot is a seaside town in Eastern Pomerania on the southern coast of the Baltic Sea in northern Poland, with a population of approximately 40,000....
and his first American win in New Haven. He reached his second Grand Slam semifinal at the U.S. Open
U.S. Open (tennis)
The US Open, formally the United States Open Tennis Championships, is a hardcourt tennis tournament which is the modern iteration of one of the oldest tennis championships in the world, the U.S. National Championship, which for men's singles was first contested in 1881...
, losing to Roger Federer. He finished the season with a win in Moscow and his first career TMS title in Paris. After getting married, Davydenko helped Russia win the Davis Cup
Davis Cup
The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. It is run by the International Tennis Federation and is contested between teams of players from competing countries in a knock-out format. The competition began in 1900 as a challenge between Britain and the United States. By...
against Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
. He reached a career-high ranking of no. 3 which he finished on for the year.
2007 started with another quarterfinal appearance at the Australian Open for the third consecutive year. He was slow to find his form in the clay court
Clay court
A clay court is one of the four different types of tennis court. Clay courts are made of crushed shale, stone or brick. The red clay is slower than the green, or Har-Tru "American" clay. The French Open uses clay courts, making it unique among the Grand Slam tournaments.Clay courts are more common...
season; but finally did at the Rome Masters
Rome Masters
The Italian Open is an annual tennis tournament held in Rome, Italy. It is the most prestigious red clay tennis tournament in the world after the French Open, with the men's competition being an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event on the Association of Tennis Professionals tour, and the women's...
, losing in the semifinal to Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal
Rafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera is a Spanish professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. , he is ranked No. 2 by the Association of Tennis Professionals...
in an enthralling match, 6–7, 7–6, 4–6. His good form continued, and he reached the semifinal for the second time at the French Open, losing to Roger Federer again 5–7, 6–7, 6–7. At Wimbledon, he surprised the tennis world by reaching the fourth round on his least preferred surface. Moving to the hard court season in the US, Davydenko had strong showings in the Canada Masters
Canada Masters
The Canada Masters , currently sponsored as the Rogers Cup, is an annual tennis tournament held in Canada. The men's competition is a Masters 1000 event on the Association of Tennis Professionals tour. The women's competition is a Premier 5 tournament on the Women's Tennis Association tour...
and the Cincinnati Masters
Cincinnati Masters
The Cincinnati Open is an annual outdoor hardcourts tennis event held in the Cincinnati suburb of Mason, Ohio, USA. The event started on September 18, 1899 and is the oldest tennis tournament in the United States played in its original city., Between...
, reaching the quarterfinal and semifinal respectively. Davydenko then reached the semifinal of the U.S. Open
U.S. Open (tennis)
The US Open, formally the United States Open Tennis Championships, is a hardcourt tennis tournament which is the modern iteration of one of the oldest tennis championships in the world, the U.S. National Championship, which for men's singles was first contested in 1881...
for the second consecutive year before losing to Roger Federer, 5–7, 1–6, 5–7. He won his eleventh career title in Moscow, defeating Paul-Henri Mathieu
Paul-Henri Mathieu
Paul-Henri Mathieu is a French tennis player.-Tennis career:Mathieu was born in Strasbourg, France. He first began playing tennis at age 3, with his older brother Pierre-Yves. Between 1997 and 2000 he trained at the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Bradenton, Florida...
. Davydenko ended the year ranked no. 4 and in the top 5 for the third straight year.
2008
Davydenko started 2008 at the Australian Open2008 Australian Open
The 2008 Australian Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 96th edition of the Australian Open, and the first Grand Slam event of the year. It took place at the Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia, from 14 through 27 January 2008.After twenty years of playing on...
, where he was seeded fourth. He won his first three matches in straight sets, but in the fourth round he lost to countryman Mikhail Youzhny
Mikhail Youzhny
Mikhail Mikhailovich Youzhny , is a professional Russian tennis player, noted for his consistency and all-court play style. He has been coached by Boris Sobkin for 17 years....
, 7–6, 6–3, 6–1. In Dubai, he reached the semifinals, losing to Feliciano López
Feliciano López
Feliciano López Diaz-Guerra is a Spanish professional male tennis player. He was born in Toledo and now lives in the Spanish capital Madrid....
in three sets. He then went on to win his biggest career title to date at the Miami Masters
Miami Masters
The Miami Masters is an annual tennis tournament for men and women held in Key Biscayne, Miami, Florida. It is an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event on the men's tour and a Premier Mandatory event on the women's tour and is played on hard courts at the Tennis Center at Crandon Park...
. On route to the win, he defeated Andy Roddick
Andy Roddick
Andrew Stephen "Andy" Roddick is an American professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. He is currently the second highest-ranked American player, behind Mardy Fish....
in the semifinal and Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal
Rafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera is a Spanish professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. , he is ranked No. 2 by the Association of Tennis Professionals...
, 6–4, 6–2, in the final to win his second ATP Masters Series title. His win over Roddick in the semifinal was his first victory in six matches, while his win over Nadal was his first in three matches.
Davydenko began the European clay court season with a finals appearance in his next tournament, the Estoril Open
Estoril Open
The Estoril Open is an ATP and WTA clay court tournament held in Jamor, Oeiras, Portugal . The men's tournament was created in 1990 and since its inception, every champion except 2004 champion Juan Ignacio Chela and 2009–2010 champion Albert Montañés has been in the Top 10 of the ATP rankings,...
in Portugal, where he met world no. 1, Roger Federer
Roger Federer
Roger Federer is a Swiss professional tennis player who held the ATP no. 1 position for a record 237 consecutive weeks, and 285 weeks overall. As of 28 November 2011, he is ranked World No. 3 by the Association of Tennis Professionals . Federer has won a men's record 16 Grand Slam singles titles...
in the final. In the second set of the final, while trailing Federer, 6-7, 2-1, Davydenko retired with a left leg injury. He then reached the semifinals of the Monte Carlo Masters. He won his thirteenth career title in Pöertschach, defeating Juan Mónaco
Juan Mónaco
Juan Mónaco , nicknamed "Pico", is a male tennis player from Argentina. He reached a career-high ranking of World No. 14 on February 4, 2008. He is sponsored by Adidas and Yonex.-Biography:...
, 6–2, 2–6, 6–2. After a disappointing French Open, Davydenko went on to win another title, this time in Warsaw, defeating Tommy Robredo, 6–3, 6–3, in the final. He did not win back-to-back matches until the US Open. At the Open, he lost in the fourth round to qualifier Gilles Müller
Gilles Müller
Gilles Müller is a Luxembourgish professional tennis player. He was a US Open junior champion and is the most successful male tennis player in the history of his country...
, 4–6, 6–4, 3–6, 6–7, breaking his streak of two straight semifinals.
Davydenko reached the semifinals at the Paris Masters, losing to David Nalbandian, 1–6, 7–5, 4–6. Davydenko qualified for the Tennis Masters Cup
Tennis Masters Cup
The Barclays ATP World Tour Finals is a tennis tournament played at the end of each year, involving the top eight players in the men's tennis world rankings....
for the fourth consecutive year. He beat Juan Martín del Potro
Juan Martin Del Potro
Juan Martín del Potro is an Argentine professional tennis player. Del Potro achieved a top-10 ranking by the Association of Tennis Professionals for the first time on October 6, 2008. In January 2010, he reached a career-high ranking of world no. 4...
and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the round-robin matches to progress to the semifinal, where he defeated Andy Murray, 7–5, 6–2, to reach the final. There he met Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic is a Serbian professional tennis player who has been ranked world no. 1 by the Association of Tennis Professionals since 4 July 2011. He has won four Grand Slam singles titles: the 2008 and 2011 Australian Open, the 2011 Wimbledon Championships, and the 2011 US Open...
, losing 1–6, 5–7. Davydenko finished the year ranked no. 5 in world and in the top 5 for the fourth consecutive year.
2009
Davydenko started the year at an exhibition in Abu Dhabi2009 Capitala World Tennis Championship
The 2009 Capitala World Tennis Championship was a non-ATP affiliated exhibition tournament. It was the first edition of the event held in Abu Dhabi, from January 1 through January 3 2009 and. Six of the world's top ten were competing in the knockout event, which had prize money of $250,000 to the...
, which featured six of the world's best players. Davydenko defeated Andy Roddick
Andy Roddick
Andrew Stephen "Andy" Roddick is an American professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. He is currently the second highest-ranked American player, behind Mardy Fish....
, 6–4, 6–4, before being defeated by top seed Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal
Rafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera is a Spanish professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. , he is ranked No. 2 by the Association of Tennis Professionals...
, 6–2, 6–3.
His first tour tournament was in Chennai
2009 Chennai Open - Singles
Mikhail Youzhny was the defending champion, but chose not to participate that year.Marin Čilić won in the final 6–4, 7–6, against Somdev Devvarman.-Seeds:# Nikolay Davydenko ...
, India, where he was the top seed. He defeated Daniel Köllerer
Daniel Köllerer
Daniel Köllerer is a former professional tennis player from Austria who turned professional in 2002. Nicknamed "Crazy Dani" for his controversial behaviour while on court, he achieved his career-high ranking of #55 on October 19, 2009. He is serving a lifetime ban from the sport for match-fixing...
in straight sets, but was forced to withdraw before his second round match against Lukáš Dlouhý
Lukáš Dlouhý
Lukáš Dlouhý is a professional Czech tennis player on the ATP Tour. A doubles specialist, Dlouhý reached a career-high ranking of World Number 5 on June 22, 2009.-2006-2008:...
because of a left heel injury. This injury subsequently forced Davydenko to withdraw from the Australian Open
2009 Australian Open
The 2009 Australian Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 97th edition of the Australian Open, and the first Grand Slam event of the year. It took place at the Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia, from 19 January through 1 February 2009. The 2009 men's...
. In Rotterdam
2009 ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament - Singles
Michaël Llodra was the defending champion, but lost in the second round to Gaël Monfils.-Seeds:# Rafael Nadal # Andy Murray # Nikolay Davydenko # Gilles Simon Gaël Monfils ...
, he was defeated in the second round by Julien Benneteau
Julien Benneteau
Julien Benneteau is a professional male tennis player from France. His career-best singles ranking is ATP world no. 32, which he reached in July 2010. He formerly resided in Boulogne Billancourt and now lives in Geneva...
. The injury he sustained in Chennai earlier in the year returned, forcing Davydenko to withdraw from the 1000 Series tournaments in Indian Wells and Miami. This caused his ranking to fall from no. 5 to no. 9 by April 6.
Davydenko returned to the tour after a two-month absence. In Monte Carlo
2009 Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters - Singles
Rafael Nadal was the defending champion, and won in the final 6–3, 2–6, 6–1, against Novak Djokovic.-Seeds:The top eight seeds receive a bye into the second round.# Rafael Nadal # Roger Federer ...
, he defeated Ivo Karlović
Ivo Karlovic
Ivo Karlović is a Croatian tennis player. He has won four ATP singles titles: three in 2007 and one in 2008. Karlović is the tallest player ever on the ATP Tour at 208 cm . He is a serve-and-volleyer, Karlovic holds the fastest serve recorded in professional tennis, measured at 251 km/h ...
and David Nalbandian
David Nalbandian
David Pablo Nalbandian is an Argentine professional tennis player and former world no. 3. He was runner-up at the 2002 Wimbledon Championships and the winner of the Tennis Masters Cup in 2005.-Biography:...
before being eliminated by Andy Murray in the quarterfinals, 7–6, 6–4. In Barcelona
2009 Barcelona Open Banco Sabadell - Singles
Rafael Nadal was the defending champion, and won in the final 6–2, 7–5, against David Ferrer.-Seeds:The top eight seeds receive a bye into the second round.# Rafael Nadal # Fernando Verdasco ...
, he posted back-to-back three-set wins over Feliciano López
Feliciano López
Feliciano López Diaz-Guerra is a Spanish professional male tennis player. He was born in Toledo and now lives in the Spanish capital Madrid....
and Radek Štěpánek
Radek Štepánek
Radek Štěpánek is a professional tennis player from the Czech Republic.-Career:Štěpánek turned professional in 1997. He started on tour as a doubles specialist, winning 12 ATP titles. Since 2002, Štěpánek has focused on being a better singles player while still playing top-level doubles...
. He was ousted by world no. 1 Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal
Rafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera is a Spanish professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. , he is ranked No. 2 by the Association of Tennis Professionals...
in the semifinals, 6–3, 6–2. Despite his run in Barcelona, his ranking slipped out of the top 10 for the first time since May 23, 2005.
Davydenko was upset in the early rounds in Rome
2009 Internazionali BNL d'Italia - Men's Singles
Novak Djokovic was the defending champion, but Rafael Nadal defeated him in the final, 7–6, 6–2.-Seeds:The top eight seeds receive a bye into the second round.# Rafael Nadal # Roger Federer ...
. Davydenko reached his second semifinal of the year in Estoril
2009 Estoril Open - Men's Singles
Roger Federer was the defending champion, but chose not to play that year.-Seeds:# Gilles Simon # Nikolay Davydenko # David Ferrer # James Blake David Nalbandian ...
by eliminating Juan Carlos Ferrero
Juan Carlos Ferrero
Juan Carlos Ferrero Donat is a professional tennis player, and a former world no. 1 player, from Spain. He captured the men's singles title at the 2003 French Open, and in September of that year, he became the 21st player to hold the world no. 1 ranking. He was also the runner-up at the 2002...
in the second round and Mardy Fish
Mardy Fish
Mardy Simpson Fish is an American professional tennis player, and Olympic silver medalist. He is a hardcourt specialist...
in the quarterfinals, but was stopped by American James Blake
James Blake
James Riley Blake is an American professional tennis player. Blake is known for his speed and powerful, flat forehand. As of August 2011, Blake is ranked no. 63 among active male players with 24 career finals appearances...
, 6–7, 7–6, 6–3. In his last tournament before the French Open, Nikolay advanced to the third round in Madrid
2009 Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open - Men's Singles
Andy Murray was the defending champion, but lost in the quarterfinals to Juan Martín del Potro.The semifinal match between Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic is the longest 3 set match in the open era history stretching for over 4 hours with Nadal prevailing 3-6, 7-6, 7-6.Roger Federer won in the...
before he was forced to withdraw before his match with Andy Roddick
Andy Roddick
Andrew Stephen "Andy" Roddick is an American professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. He is currently the second highest-ranked American player, behind Mardy Fish....
due to a leg injury. He was able to play at Roland Garros and convincingly advanced to the quarterfinals. He dropped a set apiece to Diego Junqueira
Diego Junqueira
Diego Junqueira is a professional tennis player who plays left-handed from Argentina...
and Stanislas Wawrinka
Stanislas Wawrinka
Stanislas Wawrinka is a Swiss professional tennis player. He also holds German citizenship as his father is German. His career ranking high is no. 9, achieved on 9 June 2008. He considers clay his best surface and his backhand his best shot...
and beat the no. 8 seed Fernando Verdasco
Fernando Verdasco
Fernando Verdasco Carmona is a professional tennis player. He is currently ranked no. 22 in the world. Verdasco started playing tennis at four years of age and had a full-time coach when he was eight...
, 6–2, 6–2, 6–4 en route. He fell to eventual runner-up Robin Söderling
Robin Söderling
Robin Bo Carl Söderling is a professional tennis player from Sweden who is currently ranked number 13 in the ATP rankings. Söderling reached successive French Open finals in 2009 and 2010...
, 6–1, 6–3, 6–1.
On grass, Davydenko advanced to the third round at Wimbledon before falling to Tomáš Berdych
Tomáš Berdych
Tomáš Berdych is a professional tennis player from the Czech Republic. His most notable achievements are reaching the final of the 2010 Wimbledon Championships, and the semifinals of the 2010 French Open. He defeated the Croatian player Ivan Ljubičić in five sets to win the Paris Masters in 2005...
, 6–2, 6–3, 6–2, for the first time. After Wimbledon, he competed in the 2009 MercedesCup
2009 MercedesCup
The 2009 MercedesCup is a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It is the 32nd edition of the MercedesCup,and was part of the ATP World Tour 250 series of the 2009 ATP World Tour...
as second seed, falling to Fabio Fognini
Fabio Fognini
Fabio Fognini is a professional tennis player.He is the current Italian No. 1. He achieved his career high rank of No. 32 in the world on 20 June 2011 as a result of his success at the 2011French Open...
in the quarterfinals. He then won two straight titles: the 2009 International German Open
2009 International German Open
The 2009 International German Open was a tennis tournament to played on outdoor red clay courts. It was the 102nd edition of the event known that year as the International German Open and was part of the ATP World Tour 500 series of the 2009 ATP World Tour...
, defeating Paul-Henri Mathieu
Paul-Henri Mathieu
Paul-Henri Mathieu is a French tennis player.-Tennis career:Mathieu was born in Strasbourg, France. He first began playing tennis at age 3, with his older brother Pierre-Yves. Between 1997 and 2000 he trained at the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Bradenton, Florida...
, 6–4, 6–2, and the 2009 ATP Studena Croatia Open Umag
2009 ATP Studena Croatia Open Umag
The 2009 ATP Studena Croatia Open Umag was a tennis tournament played on outdoor red clay courts. It was the 19th edition of the event known that year as the ATP Studena Croatia Open Umag and was part of the ATP World Tour 250 series of the 2009 ATP World Tour...
, defeating Juan Carlos Ferrero
Juan Carlos Ferrero
Juan Carlos Ferrero Donat is a professional tennis player, and a former world no. 1 player, from Spain. He captured the men's singles title at the 2003 French Open, and in September of that year, he became the 21st player to hold the world no. 1 ranking. He was also the runner-up at the 2002...
, 6–3, 6–0, dropping only one set in 10 matches. Davydenko then lost to Andy Murray in the quarterfinals of the Rogers Cup in Montreal, 6–2, 6–4, a loss which snapped a 12-match winning streak. He then lost in the third round of the 2009 Cincinnati Masters to Gilles Simon
Gilles Simon
Gilles Simon is a French professional tennis player and former world no. 6. He is a nine-time winner on the ATP World Tour...
, 7–6, 4–6, 4–6. Davydenko lost in the quarterfinals of the 2009 Pilot Pen Tennis
2009 Pilot Pen Tennis
The 2009 Pilot Pen Tennis was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 41st edition of the Pilot Pen Tennis, and was part of the ATP World Tour 250 Series of the 2009 ATP World Tour, and of the Premier Series of the 2009 WTA Tour. It took place at the Cullman-Heyman Tennis...
to Sam Querrey
Sam Querrey
Sam Austin Querrey is a professional American tennis player from Thousand Oaks, California currently living in Las Vegas, Nevada. As of August 2010, he is the fourth-highest ranked American. His career high rank was #17, achieved on January 31, 2011. His height allows him to play with a strong...
. At the US Open
2009 US Open - Men's Singles
Roger Federer was the defending champion, but was defeated by Juan Martín del Potro in the final, 6–3, 6–7, 6–4, 6–7, 2–6.-Seeds:# Roger Federer # Andy Murray # Rafael Nadal # Novak Djokovic ...
, he reached the fourth round before retiring against Robin Söderling
Robin Söderling
Robin Bo Carl Söderling is a professional tennis player from Sweden who is currently ranked number 13 in the ATP rankings. Söderling reached successive French Open finals in 2009 and 2010...
with a left thigh injury.
He won his third title of the year at the 2009 Malaysian Open by beating Gaël Monfils
Gaël Monfils
Gaël Sébastien Monfils is a French professional tennis player. he was the highest-ranked French tennis player, ranked no. 7 in the world ATP rankings. He was the runner-up at the Paris Masters in 2009 and 2010 and a semifinalist at the 2008 French Open.-2002:In 2002, Monfils finished 24th at the...
, 6–3, 6–3, in the quarterfinals, Robin Söderling
Robin Söderling
Robin Bo Carl Söderling is a professional tennis player from Sweden who is currently ranked number 13 in the ATP rankings. Söderling reached successive French Open finals in 2009 and 2010...
, 1–6, 7–6, 6–2, in the semifinals, and Fernando Verdasco
Fernando Verdasco
Fernando Verdasco Carmona is a professional tennis player. He is currently ranked no. 22 in the world. Verdasco started playing tennis at four years of age and had a full-time coach when he was eight...
, 6–4, 7–5, in the final. Following his triumph in Malaysia, he competed in the 2009 China Open
2009 China Open (tennis)
The 2009 China Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 11th edition of the China Open, and was part of the ATP 500 Series of the 2009 ATP Tour, and of the Premier Series of the 2009 WTA Tour...
, losing in the quarterfinals to eventual runner-up Marin Čilić
Marin Cilic
Marin Čilić , is a Croatian professional tennis player. His career high ATP ranking is no. 9, achieved on 22 February 2010, following his best-ever performance at a Grand Slam, reaching the semi-finals in the 2010 Australian Open...
, 6–4, 6–4. At the Shanghai Masters 1000 event, he defeated three seeded players en route to the final, tenth seed Fernando González
Fernando González
----Fernando Francisco González Ciuffardi is a professional tennis player from Chile. He is known for having one of the hardest forehands on the circuit. In Spanish he is called El Bombardero de La Reina and Mano de Piedra...
, thirteenth seed Radek Štěpánek
Radek Štepánek
Radek Štěpánek is a professional tennis player from the Czech Republic.-Career:Štěpánek turned professional in 1997. He started on tour as a doubles specialist, winning 12 ATP titles. Since 2002, Štěpánek has focused on being a better singles player while still playing top-level doubles...
, and second seed Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic is a Serbian professional tennis player who has been ranked world no. 1 by the Association of Tennis Professionals since 4 July 2011. He has won four Grand Slam singles titles: the 2008 and 2011 Australian Open, the 2011 Wimbledon Championships, and the 2011 US Open...
. He upset Djokovic in the semifinal, 4–6, 6–4, 7–6. In the final, he played Rafael Nadal and again won in an upset, 7–6, 6–3.
At the ATP World Tour Finals in London, Davydenko won four of his five matches. He lost his first round-robin match to Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic is a Serbian professional tennis player who has been ranked world no. 1 by the Association of Tennis Professionals since 4 July 2011. He has won four Grand Slam singles titles: the 2008 and 2011 Australian Open, the 2011 Wimbledon Championships, and the 2011 US Open...
, 6–3, 4–6, 5–7, but he beat Nadal in his second match, 6–1, 7–6. He also went on to beat the odds, defeating his group leader, Robin Söderling
Robin Söderling
Robin Bo Carl Söderling is a professional tennis player from Sweden who is currently ranked number 13 in the ATP rankings. Söderling reached successive French Open finals in 2009 and 2010...
, 7–6, 4–6, 6–3 to reach the semifinals. He recorded his first win over Roger Federer
Roger Federer
Roger Federer is a Swiss professional tennis player who held the ATP no. 1 position for a record 237 consecutive weeks, and 285 weeks overall. As of 28 November 2011, he is ranked World No. 3 by the Association of Tennis Professionals . Federer has won a men's record 16 Grand Slam singles titles...
in 13 tries in the semifinals with a 6–2, 4–6, 7–5 win. With the win, Davydenko advanced to his second consecutive ATP World Tour Finals final. He won by defeating Juan Martín del Potro
Juan Martin Del Potro
Juan Martín del Potro is an Argentine professional tennis player. Del Potro achieved a top-10 ranking by the Association of Tennis Professionals for the first time on October 6, 2008. In January 2010, he reached a career-high ranking of world no. 4...
in the final, 6–3, 6–4. This victory meant that he became the first Russian to win the event. The straight-set victory also meant that the winner won the event in straight sets for the fourth year in a row.
Davydenko finished the year ranked no. 6 in world and in the top 10 for the fifth consecutive year.
2010
Davydenko started the year at the exhibition event in Abu DhabiAbu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi , literally Father of Gazelle, is the capital and the second largest city of the United Arab Emirates in terms of population and the largest of the seven member emirates of the United Arab Emirates. Abu Dhabi lies on a T-shaped island jutting into the Persian Gulf from the central western...
, but was defeated in the first round by David Ferrer
David Ferrer
David Ferrer Ern is a Spanish professional tennis player who lives in Valencia, Spain who is currently no. 5 in the ATP Rankings and the second-highest ranked Spaniard behind world no. 2 Rafael Nadal. He turned professional in 2000...
. A week later at the 2010 Qatar ExxonMobil Open
2010 Qatar ExxonMobil Open
The 2010 Qatar Open, known as the 2010 Qatar ExxonMobil Open for sponsorship reasons, was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was be the 18th edition of the Qatar ExxonMobil Open, and part of the ATP World Tour 250 series of the 2010 ATP World Tour...
, Davydenko defeated Roger Federer
Roger Federer
Roger Federer is a Swiss professional tennis player who held the ATP no. 1 position for a record 237 consecutive weeks, and 285 weeks overall. As of 28 November 2011, he is ranked World No. 3 by the Association of Tennis Professionals . Federer has won a men's record 16 Grand Slam singles titles...
, 6–4, 6–4, in the semifinal and Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal
Rafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera is a Spanish professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. , he is ranked No. 2 by the Association of Tennis Professionals...
, 0–6, 7–6, 6–4, in the final to claim his twenthieth ATP World Tour title. With this victory in 2010, Davydenko became the second player to beat both Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in the same tournament on separate occasions. At the Australian Open
Australian Open
The Australian Open is the only Grand Slam tennis tournament held in the southern hemisphere. The tournament was held for the first time in 1905 and was last contested on grass in 1987. Since 1972 the Australian Open has been held in Melbourne, Victoria. In 1988, the tournament became a hard court...
, Davydenko won his first three rounds without dropping a set, before beating Spain's Fernando Verdasco
Fernando Verdasco
Fernando Verdasco Carmona is a professional tennis player. He is currently ranked no. 22 in the world. Verdasco started playing tennis at four years of age and had a full-time coach when he was eight...
in five sets. He eventually lost to Federer in the quarterfinal, 6–2, 3–6, 0–6, 5–7.
Davydenko then went to Rotterdam to play in the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament
ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament
The ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament is a professional tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It is currently part of the 500 series of the ATP Tour...
. He was the second seed but, in the semifinal against Sweden's Robin Söderling
Robin Söderling
Robin Bo Carl Söderling is a professional tennis player from Sweden who is currently ranked number 13 in the ATP rankings. Söderling reached successive French Open finals in 2009 and 2010...
Davydenko landed on his wrist, and injured it. He continued to play and lost to the eventual champion, 7–6, 6–4. Davydenko next appeared in the Dubai Tennis Championships
Dubai Tennis Championships
The Dubai Tennis Championships is a professional tennis tournament owned and organized by Dubai Duty Free and held annually in Dubai, United Arab...
.
At the 2010 BNP Paribas Open
2010 BNP Paribas Open
The 2010 BNP Paribas Open was a tennis tournament played at Indian Wells, California in March 2010. It was the 36th edition of the event, known this year as the BNP Paribas Open, and is classified as an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event on the 2010 ATP World Tour and a Premier Mandatory event on...
at Indian Wells, Davydenko defeated Latvia's Ernests Gulbis
Ernests Gulbis
Ernests Gulbis is a Latvian professional tennis player. In 2008, Gulbis won his first ATP Tour doubles title at the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships, teaming with Rainer Schüttler, and in 2010 won his first ATP Tour singles title in the Delray Beach, defeating Ivo Karlović in the final...
. Before his third-round match with Viktor Troicki
Viktor Troicki
Viktor Troicki is a Serbian professional tennis player. He has Serb and Russian ethnic roots. His paternal grandparents emigrated from Tver and Rostov-on-Don to Serbia in 1917. His career-high ranking is no. 12, achieved on 6 June 2011. He won his first ATP singles title at the 2010 Kremlin Cup,...
of Serbia, he withdrew due to a fractured wrist. Davydenko returned to the grass court in Halle
2010 Gerry Weber Open – Singles
Tommy Haas was the defending champion, but did not participate as he was recovering from hip surgery.Lleyton Hewitt won 3–6, 7–6, 6–4 against Roger Federer to claim the title.-Seeds:# Roger Federer # Nikolay Davydenko ...
, after missing the 2010 French Open
2010 French Open
The 2010 French Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 109th edition of the French Open, and the second Grand Slam event of the year...
. In his first match back he beat local player Simon Greul
Simon Greul
Simon Greul is a German male tennis player born April 13, 1981. He is 6'1" tall and weighs 176 lbs . His career high rank was #55, achieved on March 22, 2010.-Career:...
, 7–6, 6–0. He played despite his doctor's advising him against playing the tournament. However, he lost in the next round to Benjamin Becker
Benjamin Becker
Benjamin Becker is a German professional tennis player. Becker's primary weapon is a very big serve that he can hit at up to 220km/h, along with powerful groundstrokes....
, 6–3, 6–4.
He then fell in the second round of 2010 Wimbledon to Daniel Brands
Daniel Brands
Daniel Brands is a German professional tennis player. His career high rank was No. 66, achieved on July 5, 2010.- 2008 :...
, 6–1, 6–7, 6–7, 1–6. He then failed to win back-to-back matches in his next four tournaments until the 2010 Western & Southern Financial Group Masters, where he defeated Robby Ginepri
Robby Ginepri
Robert Louis Ginepri is an American professional tennis player.-Early life:Robby Ginepri is of Luxembourgish ancestry....
and David Ferrer
David Ferrer
David Ferrer Ern is a Spanish professional tennis player who lives in Valencia, Spain who is currently no. 5 in the ATP Rankings and the second-highest ranked Spaniard behind world no. 2 Rafael Nadal. He turned professional in 2000...
, both in three sets before falling to Roger Federer
Roger Federer
Roger Federer is a Swiss professional tennis player who held the ATP no. 1 position for a record 237 consecutive weeks, and 285 weeks overall. As of 28 November 2011, he is ranked World No. 3 by the Association of Tennis Professionals . Federer has won a men's record 16 Grand Slam singles titles...
in the quarterfinals, 6–4, 7–5. He also reached the quarterfinals of the 2010 China Open
2010 China Open (tennis)
The 2010 China Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 12th edition of the China Open, and is part of the ATP 500 Series of the 2010 ATP World Tour, and of the Premier Series of the 2010 WTA Tour...
, but failed to defend his title in the Shanghai Rolex Masters and fell out the top 10 for the first time in over a year. He then reached three consecutive quarterfinals in the 2010 Open Sud de France
2010 Open Sud de France
The 2010 Open Sud de France was a tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It is the 24th edition of the Open Sud de France, and is part of the ATP World Tour 250 Series of the 2010 ATP World Tour. It was held at the Arena Montpellier in Montpellier, France, from October 25 through 31, 2010...
, 2010 Valencia Open 500
2010 Valencia Open 500
The 2010 Valencia Open 500 was a tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It was the 16th edition of the Open de Tenis Comunidad Valenciana, and was part of the 500 Series of the 2010 ATP World Tour...
, and 2010 BNP Paribas Masters
2010 BNP Paribas Masters
The 2010 BNP Paribas Masters was a tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It was the 36th edition of the tournament known that year as the BNP Paribas Masters after the sponsor BNP Paribas. It was part of the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 of the 2010 ATP World Tour. It was held at the Palais...
. Davydenko did not qualify for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. This is the first time he did not qualify since qualifying for the first time in 2005. He also dropped out of the top 20 for the first time in over 5 1/2 years.
2011
Davydenko's first appearance in 2011 was in the Qatar Open2011 Qatar Open – Singles
Nikolay Davydenko was the defending champion, but lost to Roger Federer 6–3, 6–4 in the final.-Seeds:# Rafael Nadal # Roger Federer # Jo-Wilfried Tsonga # Nikolay Davydenko ...
, where he defeated Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal
Rafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera is a Spanish professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. , he is ranked No. 2 by the Association of Tennis Professionals...
in the semifinal, but he fell in the final to Roger Federer
Roger Federer
Roger Federer is a Swiss professional tennis player who held the ATP no. 1 position for a record 237 consecutive weeks, and 285 weeks overall. As of 28 November 2011, he is ranked World No. 3 by the Association of Tennis Professionals . Federer has won a men's record 16 Grand Slam singles titles...
, 3–6, 4–6.
His next tournament was the 2011 Australian Open
2011 Australian Open – Men's Singles
Roger Federer was the defending champion, but lost in the semifinals to Novak Djokovic, who went on to win the tournament by defeating Andy Murray 6–4, 6–2, 6–3 in the final. It was Djokovic's 2nd title at the Australian Open, with this title bearing many resemblances to his title in 2008. Djokovic...
, but he was defeated by unseeded Florian Mayer
Florian Mayer
Florian Mayer is a German professional tennis player. He plays on both the ATP Tour and the Challenger Tour. He has won nine Challenger events, which has helped him stay in the top 50 on the rankings....
in four sets, 6–3, 4–6, 7–6, 6–4.
He then fell in the opening rounds of 2011 ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament
2011 ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament
The 2011 ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament was a tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It was the 38th edition of the event known as the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament, and was part of the ATP World Tour 500 series of the 2011 ATP World Tour...
and 2011 Open 13
2011 Open 13
The 2011 Open 13 was a tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It was the 18th edition of the Open 13, and was part of the International Series of the 2011 ATP World Tour...
to Frenchmen Michaël Llodra
Michaël Llodra
Michaël Llodra is a French professional tennis player. He is a prolific doubles player with three Grand Slam championships, and has also had success in singles.-Life and career:...
and Gilles Simon
Gilles Simon
Gilles Simon is a French professional tennis player and former world no. 6. He is a nine-time winner on the ATP World Tour...
, respectively.
In the 2011 Dubai Tennis Championships
2011 Dubai Tennis Championships
The 2011 Dubai Tennis Championships was a 500 Series event on the 2011 ATP World Tour and a Premier 5 event on the 2011 WTA Tour. The tournament was known as the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships for sponsorship reasons...
and 2011 BNP Paribas Open
2011 BNP Paribas Open
The 2011 BNP Paribas Open was a tennis tournament played at Indian Wells, California in March 2011. It was the 36th edition of the event, known as the BNP Paribas Open, and was classified as an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event on the 2011 ATP World Tour and a Premier Mandatory event on the 2011...
he fell in the opening and second rounds to Tomáš Berdych
Tomáš Berdych
Tomáš Berdych is a professional tennis player from the Czech Republic. His most notable achievements are reaching the final of the 2010 Wimbledon Championships, and the semifinals of the 2010 French Open. He defeated the Croatian player Ivan Ljubičić in five sets to win the Paris Masters in 2005...
and Stanislas Wawrinka
Stanislas Wawrinka
Stanislas Wawrinka is a Swiss professional tennis player. He also holds German citizenship as his father is German. His career ranking high is no. 9, achieved on 9 June 2008. He considers clay his best surface and his backhand his best shot...
respectively.
In the next two Masters 1000, he fell in the first round of the 2011 Sony Ericsson Open
2011 Sony Ericsson Open
The 2011 Sony Ericsson Open , a men's and women's tennis tournament, was held from March 21 to April 3, 2011. It was the 27th edition of the Miami Masters event and played on outdoor hard courts at the Tennis Center at Crandon Park in Miami...
and 2011 Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters
2011 Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters
The 2011 Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters, a tennis tournament for male professional players, was played from April 9 through April 17, 2011, on outdoor clay courts. It was the 105th edition of the annual Monte Carlo Masters tournament, which was sponsored by Rolex for the third time...
.
He then earned his first back-to-back win since Doha in the 2011 Barcelona Open Banco Sabadell
2011 Barcelona Open Banco Sabadell
The 2011 Barcelona Open Banco Sabadell was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 59th edition of the event known this year as the Barcelona Open Banco Sabadell, and was part of the ATP World Tour 500 series of the 2011 ATP World Tour...
, but fell in the third round to Nicolás Almagro
Nicolás Almagro
Nicolas Almagro Sanchez Rolle is a professional Spanish tennis player, ranked 10 on the ATP World Tour.-2005:...
6–7, 3–6.
Then, at the 2011 BMW Open
2011 BMW Open
The 2011 BMW Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 96th edition of the event. It was part of the ATP World Tour 250 series of the 2011 ATP World Tour. It took place at the MTTC Iphitos complex in München, Germany, from April 23 through May 1...
tournament, he started slowly but progressively found some good form which allowed him to eventually win the final, 6–3, 3–6, 6–1, against Florian Mayer
Florian Mayer
Florian Mayer is a German professional tennis player. He plays on both the ATP Tour and the Challenger Tour. He has won nine Challenger events, which has helped him stay in the top 50 on the rankings....
. This was his 21st ATP title, and it meant that he had won at least one ATP-tour title for nine straight years and returned him back into the top 30 in the rankings.
At Wimbledon
2011 Wimbledon Championships
The 2011 Wimbledon Championships took place at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, London, England, from 20 June to 3 July 2011. It was the 125th edition of the championships, and the third Grand Slam tournament of the year. It was played on grass courts and was part of the...
, Davydenko lost in the first round to unseeded Bernard Tomic
Bernard Tomic
Bernard Tomic is an Australian professional tennis player. As of 24 October 2011, Tomic is ranked the World No. 41, making him the highest ranked Australian male tennis player and the youngest player in the top 100...
, who continued on to the quarterfinals before losing to Novak Djokovic in four sets.
At the US Open
2011 US Open (tennis)
The 2011 US Open was a tennis tournament played on the outdoor hard courts at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows Park, of Queens, New York City, United States...
, he lost in the third round to Djokovic, 6–3, 6–4, 6–2 after victories in the first two rounds against Ivan Dodig
Ivan Dodig
Ivan Dodig is a Croatian tennis player. His career-high rank ATP singles ranking is No. 32 and his best doubles rank is No. 129.-2010:...
and Potito Starace
Potito Starace
Potito Starace is an Italian professional tennis player on the ATP Tour. He achieved his career-high ranking of 27th on October 15, 2007 and prefers to play on red clay...
.
Playing style
Davydenko employs an offensive baseline game, using hard, penetrating groundstrokes on both wings. His groundstrokes are technically efficient on both forehand and backhand. His tremendous footspeed and anticipation enables him to hit the ball early which catches opponents out of position and allows him to dictate the play, somewhat similar to former World No. 1 Andre AgassiAndre Agassi
Andre Kirk Agassi is a retired American professional tennis player and former world no. 1. Generally considered by critics and fellow players to be one of the greatest tennis players of all time, Agassi has been called the best service returner in the history of the game...
. Davydenko's best shot is his backhand which he can hit down the line, cross court or with extreme angles. He is known for his running shots which he takes early and often turn into winners. Davydenko's style makes him a good player on any surface, especially hardcourts and clay, although he is yet to make a breakthrough on grass.
Davydenko's main weaknesses are his volleys, serve, and inability to close matches. His volleys are not as consistent as his groundstrokes, though he does have one of the best swinging volleys on tour. Many tennis analysts have also criticised Davydenko for lacking variation in his game due to the fact that he mainly plays from the baseline with his consistent groundstrokes. In recent years, he has varied his game by employing the slice and moving into the net more often. His serve is technically correct. Davydenko's difficulty closing matches has lost numerous important matches after holding the lead. This was evident during the 2006 Tennis Masters Cup
Tennis Masters Cup
The Barclays ATP World Tour Finals is a tennis tournament played at the end of each year, involving the top eight players in the men's tennis world rankings....
against James Blake
James Blake
James Riley Blake is an American professional tennis player. Blake is known for his speed and powerful, flat forehand. As of August 2011, Blake is ranked no. 63 among active male players with 24 career finals appearances...
and Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal
Rafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera is a Spanish professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. , he is ranked No. 2 by the Association of Tennis Professionals...
where he won the first sets and had leads in the second but lost. Against Roger Federer
Roger Federer
Roger Federer is a Swiss professional tennis player who held the ATP no. 1 position for a record 237 consecutive weeks, and 285 weeks overall. As of 28 November 2011, he is ranked World No. 3 by the Association of Tennis Professionals . Federer has won a men's record 16 Grand Slam singles titles...
he blew a lead at the 2006 and 2010 Australian Opens and the 2007 French Open. In the 2006 Australian Open, he had three set points in the third to go up 2 sets to 1, but lost the set and eventually the match.
Equipment
Beginning mid-2010, he began using Dunlop SportDunlop Sport
Dunlop Sport is a tennis, squash, golf, badminton, clothing, travel and bicycle equipment brand, that specializes in sporting goods.After Dunlop Holdings was acquired by BTR plc in 1985, Dunlop Sport was combined with the Slazenger brand which Dunlop had acquired in 1959 to form Dunlop Slazenger...
racquets and clothing, and is currently using the Dunlop Biomimetic 200 Plus.
Controversies
The ATP launched a match fixingMatch fixing
In organised sports, match fixing, game fixing, race fixing, or sports fixing occurs as a match is played to a completely or partially pre-determined result, violating the rules of the game and often the law. Where the sporting competition in question is a race then the incident is referred to as...
investigation of Davydenko's match against Martín Vassallo Argüello
Martín Vassallo Argüello
Martin Miguel Vassallo Argüello is a professional male tennis player from Argentina. His career-high ATP entry ranking is #47 .He turned pro in 1999...
in Sopot
Sopot
Sopot is a seaside town in Eastern Pomerania on the southern coast of the Baltic Sea in northern Poland, with a population of approximately 40,000....
of 2 August 2007, after several large bets were placed at an online British gambling company, Betfair
Betfair
Betfair is the world's largest Internet betting exchange. The company is based in Hammersmith in West London, England. Since Betfair was launched in June 2000 it has become the largest online betting company in the UK and the largest betting exchange in the world. Betfair claim to have over 3...
, in Argüello's favour after Davydenko had won the first set 6–2. Davydenko withdrew from the match during the third set with a foot injury. Although Davydenko had suffered three first-round defeats in his last three tournaments, was injured in an earlier-round match, and showed signs of injury in the second set, it did not make sense to Betfair that such a heavy betting volume would go in Argüello's direction at that point of time in the match. Per its agreement with the ATP, Betfair
Betfair
Betfair is the world's largest Internet betting exchange. The company is based in Hammersmith in West London, England. Since Betfair was launched in June 2000 it has become the largest online betting company in the UK and the largest betting exchange in the world. Betfair claim to have over 3...
notified the Tour. It has since been revealed that nine people based in Russia had bet US$1.5M on Davydenko losing while two unknown people would gain US$6M from the loss. A total of $7M was wagered on the match, ten times the usual amount. Due to these irregularities, all bets were voided. On September 11, 2008, Davydenko, along with Arguello, was cleared of any involvement in match-fixing. The inquiry, which lasted over a year, was the longest ever held into match-fixing in tennis. However, Betfair did not return money to those who won their bets.
Further controversy also surrounded Davydenko after one of his matches at St. Petersburg Open
St. Petersburg Open
The St. Petersburg Open is a professional tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It is currently part of the ATP World Tour 250 series of the Association of Tennis Professionals World Tour. It has been held annually at the Petersburg Sports and Concert Complex in St. Petersburg, Russia,...
in October 2007. During his 1–6, 7–5, 6–1 defeat by Marin Čilić, he was given a code violation by umpire Jean-Philippe Dercq for not giving his best effort. He was later fined $2000 (£987) by the ATP, but the fine was rescinded upon appeal. The following week, he lost 6–2, 6–2 to Marcos Baghdatis
Marcos Baghdatis
At the French Open, Baghdatis lost in the second round in five sets to Frenchman Julien Benneteau, 6-3, 4-6, 3-6, 7-6, 4-6.At Wimbledon, Baghdatis defeated British player Andy Murray in the fourth round in straight sets. In the quarterfinals, Baghdatis beat the 2002 champion and former world no. 1...
at the Paris Masters
Paris Masters
The Paris Masters is an annual tennis tournament for male professional players held in Paris, France. It is played indoors at the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy. The event is part of the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 on the Association of Tennis Professionals Tour...
. This generated some controversy, as Davydenko was cautioned by the umpire to do his best during the match.