US OPEN

September 6, 2006

Nikolay Davydenko

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. You play almost every single week. How do you do that?
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: Okay, how I do? I can prepare before preparation before big tournament. Yeah, for me, important to play some small tournament like New Haven, or Sydney or something like in Australia before Grand Slam. If I play good there, I come into. Like, it's happening.
Like this year I play Sydney semifinal. Come into Australian Open, play quarters. That's was. Play Roland Garros. Win tournament before Roland Garros, play good Roland Garros. It was winning New Haven, feeling good here, it was playing good here.
Because, like, I think confidence for winning tournament or play good. You come in for the next tournament, you have the same ball, same surface that was. And, okay, it was important to win first round in Grand Slam. That's where you play better and better.

Q. The momentum is important from week to week for you. But at the same time, do you ever feel, I need a rest, I have to stop and let the body get fresh?
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: Sometimes, but...

Q. Not often?
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: Sometimes take rest if I play many matches, you know. How you say, many matches, if I win tournament or like in the next I come in to semis or finals. But I don't make so much winners like Federer, yeah? Like, he come into tournament, win tournament. And then next week, that's when he take off, like Nadal.
I play quarters, play semis. It's not enough, I would say. It's only three, four matches in a week. That's was come in for the next week, also I have time, I get rest few days, play next tournament.

Q. It's not like you play short points. Your points are long.
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: Yeah, depends where you play. Depends which surface. Depends which balls. Everything is different.
Yeah, I try to play my game, and my game is longer, yeah.

Q. You have a title in New Haven, but in Toronto and Cincinnati, you didn't play so well. Why?
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: Why? It's only one reason like why I didn't play. After, like, say change from hard court to clay court, also I losing three weeks in a row first round coming from a hard court and prepare for the clay court. I need I think some weeks, like two weeks should be was enough.
Like after winning Sopot on clay, coming to Toronto, losing first round. And Cincinnati was also first round. It was two weeks practicing of hard court and come in already to New Haven feeling better and better.
Moving. Movement very important of hard court. Because from slicing of clay, and good to run of hard, is completely different.
And change games. Change everything was important also.

Q. So are you concerned about the change of surface for the Davis Cup going on to the clay? That clay is going to be pretty thick and indoors and all that.
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: Yeah, we get a clay court and indoor. That was for us important because against Americans, we need to play of clay. Because Blake and Roddick should be like is for sure of hard court get play better because faster, and Roddick get good serve.
For Blake, I think for us, everybody how you say Safin, me, play good of clay court. That was should be different game.
But for us, also difficult changing from hard court to clay.

Q. Are you surprised how easy it was this morning?
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: How I say surprising? It was not surprising because I was just because every point was difficult, really. Because we play, he can win also many games because was breakpoints. He get chance also to win game. It was try to have concentration every point. That's was all time was close. It was 6 Love. It, like, was game.

Q. What's your evaluation of Murray as a player?
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: I was surprising. Normally, I think I should be play faster. I think he was go some big serve and coming to the net. That's was he still from baseline play really slow. And running from baseline of hard court it's was I was surprising because hard court I think make some winners or something, play faster. He just play some try to make long rally. For me, was okay. For me, was great.

Q. December of 1995, one of the great moments in U.S. Davis Cup history. Pete Sampras on clay.
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: Uh hmm.

Q. Beating the Russian Davis Cup team. Where were you when that Davis Cup tie was held? Did you watch on TV?
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: No. '95, I don't remember. For me, was I don't care about Davis Cup Russian.

Q. Is there in Russia with Russian tennis fans a feeling that this is the moment for revenge for that particular time?
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: Is different time. I would say was Sampras, was Agassi. It was great player. No. 1 in the world, No. 2. It was completely different. Coming to Russia, okay, we get doesn't matter which surface, because Agassi win like Roland Garros of clay. It's you never know what's happen, you know.
Okay, for us also tough now on clay to play at home, because we play at home. That's was maybe for us easy to play in America because you don't think about you need to win; you just play like easy. Like, for sure, like team we get already. Safin, me, any team should be we play matches there.
Like, yeah how you say? you never know what's happen before matches, yeah? That's was I cannot tell you now ahead of time.

Q. Because of the rain and the schedule here at the Open, we're in a situation where you might play four matches in five days. What's your thinking on that? Do you think it's something that should be changed? Like the other Slams have a day off between the semis and the final.
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: You know, I never come to the semis or the final. That's was why I don't care about changing. I play now normal. Like I play, I get day off. I play, say like play Wednesday, and then I play Friday matches. So always I have one day off normally. Today was only finish set. Should be I play tomorrow match, yeah?
It's okay. It's tough. Guys play, Safin and Haas, yeah, play all match today and should be tomorrow already play match. Recovery is not so great.
But how you say? like it's weather, you know. What we can change here in a Grand Slam? Because we get two weeks, and still rules. You play, you have one day off. Is still rain. You need to play every day. That was we can't do anything.

Q. Which is your best shot, here (pointing to head), here (pointing to heart)?
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: I think it's more important movement in the court. I think if you move good in the court, running good. And good control from the baseline I think is best what I get now.

Q. There is a large number, a high number of Russian people living in this city. Do you feel their presence when you come to the US Open?
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: I never see so much Russian here at US Open. I think Russian don't care about US Open in Brooklyn (smiling).

Q. Andy Murray was just in here. He's coming off of a very successful hard court season. Yet in his press conference, just having gone out 6 0 to you in the final set, he said he played, he thought, one of his best matches in the season, and that the reason you took him was you were just simply too good. He had no regrets with the way he played. Again, he said you were simply too good. Just assess the way that you feel you are playing right now having made it to the quarterfinals.
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: Yesterday was different match. Yesterday we play both good, yeah? Today was completely different. I think we was both nervous because from beginning match he makes start from double faults. Because he never did before, yeah?
We play more slowly today. Not like some winners. He try to keep ball back. I try something to do. But this was different. It was because for me important to win last set. For him, coming like back, he need to win two sets. That's why today was tough.
But I try to play good. I try to do no mistake in the court. That's was fight every ball. Concentration, every ball.
But say it was good match, but not good enough, I would say. I think yesterday was better.

Q. What do you think he needs to do to improve his game?
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: For who?

Q. Murray. What does Murray need to do?
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: I don't know. I am not coaching for Murray. That's why he get Gilbert. Gilbert need to improve him for the next season.

Q. Last year was the first year you made the Tennis Masters Cup. Can you talk about how special it was to actually make it and to be there for the first time, what you felt.
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: You know, it's like in your career, like you feeling you reach Masters in Shanghai. It doesn't matter where. It's like last tournament of year. You come for top eight players, to best play in the world. You come in there. It's something different. You feeling you are good player with this moment.

Q. You feel like you really arrive, or made it?
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: Yeah, yeah, make it for all season, for all years. End of the year, you coming to Masters, it's very good.

Q. In previous round you beat the Polish guy Lukasz Kubot. What can you say about his potential, his weak points.
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: How what I can say? I can't explain anybody like players. Just say he was reach third round in US Open. It's good for him, because he good. He make good points. He could become top, top hundred player. It's good for him.
I cannot tell like now. Because I see him in Sopot, he losing first round. What I can say? He need to play good, improve every week to play good. Then I can say he was good player.

Q. Do you have the game, do you think, at this point and the maturity to see yourself going to the finals and maybe even taking this tournament?
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: You know, I don't want to go to the final. I need to prepare to quarters. I don't know who's coming, Safin or Haas. Because Safin, I lose already in hard court two times, but three sets. Haas, I beat, but in clay court. That was different game. Different match should be tomorrow.
Both guy play faster. It should be completely different. Both guy, good serve. I think it should be already tough to returning service. You never know.

Q. Are you as confident as you've ever been?
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: Confidence is good for me. I feeling okay.

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