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DAVIS CUP FINALS: ARGENTINA v RUSSIA

December 1, 2006

Nikolay Davydenko

MOSCOW, RUSSIA

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. What happened in the third set?
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: Well, the thing is, if you saw me playing other matches on the tour, you were not there in Shanghai, other matches, but you would see that I would be playing well the first set, then I'd be slowing down in the second set, losing my speed, my concentration. It's hard for me then to get back into the match after I'm losing my speed and concentration.
In the first two sets, I was playing well here against Chela, then I lost my speed and concentration. I was making more errors. I lost the third set. That's the reason why I lost it.

Q. How difficult was it for you, losing in the head-to-heads 0-5 to Chela, to play the first Davis Cup rubber? How does it feel?
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: Well, the thing is, I never thought about the five losses against Chela. The important thing for me was to never think about my opponent but rather focus on my game.
I was nervous at the beginning, but unexpectedly I won easily the first two sets. Then I got tired, I got nervous. How can you not be nervous when you're playing at home with the support of the home crowd?

Q. What do you think of the enthusiastic support of the Argentinian crowd here in Moscow? At some points it seemed you were not playing in Moscow, but a different city. What do you think about it?
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: The thing is, at the very beginning when I stepped out on the court, I didn't pay much attention, but I realized there were more Argentinians in the stands. Then in the fourth when I was getting tired, I took a little break. I looked in the stands. I realized there were quite a few Russian supporters, as well.

Q. What was the role of the medical break taken by Chela, if any?
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: Well, it was all about psychology. But, again, I want to remind you I was playing, taking many risks. In the fourth set, we were playing, it was the third hour of our game. It's not like I felt too relaxed because of his medical break. He just took three minutes for himself. But I also took advantage of the break, just got some air to breathe.
I lost my serve, but I wouldn't say I lost my serve because of the medical break taken by Chela.

Q. Your brother who is coaching you said you were having problems changing racquets. You changed two times your racquets, then there were the new balls. Why did you change your racquet so often?
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: The thing is, after I lost the third set I changed the racquets again. I played actually with it at the beginning. I felt like in the fourth set, the racquet I was playing with helped me to get a better feel of the ball, a better sense of the ball, better control.
I will just put it down and keep it. That's the racquet I played with in the first and fourth sets.

Q. What is the recipe to keep your cool? You were serving so well, so cold-bloodedly in the final game on your serve. You had two incredible serves, 30-Love, then 40-15. You also had a match point on Chela's serve, but you couldn't convert the match point because the Argentinian crowd was making so much noise. What is the recipe to stay cool?
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: Well, time was I would lose the decisive game on my serve. But lately, I've been doing it quite well. I'm finishing off well the match on my serve. I don't know why, but I somehow managed to stay focused a hundred percent. I just served well. I feel better. I feel really relaxed on the decisive games on my serve.

Q. You mentioned that you got tired in the second set and the third. You'll be playing Nalbandian eventually. Maybe it will be a five-setter. How ready are you to play an eventual five-set match?
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: Well, I'll be having Saturday to recuperate and everything will -- a lot will depend on the doctors. I would confess that Nalbandian really plays well. Right now he's showing good tennis.
Playing against him, I will have to run much more than today against Chela. It will depend on the specific tennis that is being played on this specific day.

Q. What exactly was the big difference between your match today and the previous meetings with Chela? It's hard to believe you had a 5-Love losing record against him.
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: He got lucky. In all these five matches he won, he just got lucky. I was really close, but I was in worse shape than today. I was losing in three sets to him. I wasn't in the right form.
As to Chela, he was playing the same kind of tennis during these five previous matches and today. Didn't change.

Q. Could you talk about the way you prepared for this match? Were you in your mind imagining you would play Chela all week? Last changeover before you served for the match, what did you and Tarpischev talk about?
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: Well, the thing is I still had that confidence in me. I'm finishing the year ranked 3rd in the world. I still have the confidence. Maybe I was not playing as well as in Paris, at the Masters. In Shanghai, I was playing a bit worse, but still I felt I had this confidence in myself. I knew that I couldn't play any worse than I play now.
As to the second question, well, Tarpischev just told me, Look, go and finish off the match.

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