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INTERNAZIONALI BNL D'ITALIA (MEN)

May 12, 2007

Nikolay Davydenko

ROME, ITALY

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Is there anything you could have done better today?
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: For me, yeah, like today was I think from my opinion was good, like start to play tennis of clay court season and to prove something against Nadal.
How against him I need to play most, you know, because I need to play like against -- like against another guy like different players you need to play different games, you need to play different tennis.
So that's was today was a little bit different. And it was, yeah, Nadal fighting every ball to try the same to do. But I see he have always trouble. It was good way what I did in play against him.

Q. What do you think about the difference at the end?
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: I think like after 4-3 it's like, you know, it was already tough match. It's was like pretty tough to running, right, left, and he start -- you know, like my brother say I start to play, right, left and he move already with, you know, like starting to play a little bit harder from backhand and from one hand.
Forehand he start to make more quick to me to the backhand cross. After three hours it's pretty tough running there and hitting ball from the backhand. I need to good control also to play long line or very good cross, because before I was playing like control ball and hitting ball always.
Get top spin, good to the backhand or long line across. And already in the third set you just try to hit back ball and just control, no mistake. That's pretty tough. And he just see already I have tired and he try to move like to make more kick, more top spin. Move me more and more, and that's why I was completely cannot -- he makes winners in this point.

Q. You must feel a lot more confident about beating him next time you play.
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: It's good. Today was good match. Like every match for me like most of two hours and today was three hours. I don't know, maybe next time play against him five hours.
But it's good like practicing, because I hit so many balls from forehand and backhand, you know, like good confidence. Like already I play already many matches and play long matches and, okay, physically maybe it's pretty tough because always you need to be for the next day.
But it's good I did good fitness here for every day and I help my confidence and everything be okay, recovery for the Hamburg.
I try to be there already physically and mentally good to prepare and also important to Roland Garros.

Q. Compared to last year, 2006 when you lost to Roger in the Australian Open, it was a very, very good match. How are your feelings now losing to a very good player, same as Rafa and Roger last year?
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: I think it's like -- for me, most -- I losing not to tennis, more physically because I'm tired, and then I losing concentration.
This point if I start to play like some point and I do mistake because you already tired and you cannot so good concentration with ball and you try to hit ball to the line and you do mistake or you do out.
That's was my body was, like my shoulder is already tired to hit the same like before, like first set or last set. It's pretty tough. And like not like Nadal physically strong, that's was -- I need to improve I think more physically. If I have more good physically I can finishing better and better.
My tennis right now I have not so bad because today against Nadal I play good. That's was only was problem I think was not mental, it's for physically. Because sometimes I'm already like tired and losing concentration and do mistake only for this reason.

Q. You feel he was not tired? Do you feel that he was not tired?
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: I don't know. Like it's tough to say because he running so far and always I make like -- he try to run to every ball. That's was in three hours or three hours and thirty minutes we play already. In the first set I do dropshot volley and he try to run to come back and I was surprising.
For me I don't want to run already for his ball and he try to come back. He try to, you know, every ball to catch. It's amazing. I don't know of I think he's physically, you know, great.

Q. Did you notice that the public, the Italian people here, have a special feeling with you, especially after the second set?
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: Yeah, it was great. I was smile and they support me in the second set, like in the tiebreak. That's was nice. It was like maybe like soccer match, maybe.

Q. Set point in the first set, the dropshot, was that just --
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: Yeah, that's was also terrible for me. It was not tough. I was running and I have control with the ball, but I don't know why I put the net. But normally if I put in the court Nadal can run and I have no chance to do something.
Because I'm already -- I need to make winners with last ball. It was only last chance what I need to, but I try to make dropshot cross, and net. But bad luck. I have already set point there, but...
And how many set point I have in the tiebreak or before in the second set?

Q. Can you imagine Nadal not losing a single match on clay this year?
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: We'll see. It's coming more tournaments: Roland Garros still. He's, yeah, I don't know if -- it's no like -- I don't know how to say. He's physically strong, yeah. If like he running like today three hours and like in Roland Garros it's five-set match. We just play three sets. If he running five sets like this in five hours, yeah, then I don't know.
But I never see some guy running five hours like first set and last set. But tennis, I don't think he's the best because I was playing now and I was surprising. From baseline I also play better, and he just he have good forehand from one hand. He play very good kick and make winners from only one side.
But from the backhand he's normal. That's was always I try to do to play there and just to change some games. He was in trouble in this time.

Q. How would you have felt if you had to play tomorrow against González? And how do you think Rafa will feel after such a tough match?
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: It's like how will González play tomorrow, because Nadal do the same game always. So I don't know. If González play fast I think for Nadal most easy. Because against Nadal, like how you say, if I try to play faster he running more faster and to bring ball back fast. And you know, it's difficult then to control.
If you play against a little bit slow and easy he cannot push ball from the backhand. He try to do something and he can't. Then I have time to prepare for the next ball and I know what I need to do then.
If I try to make some winners, fast to play, he running fast and make great top spin today for the baseline, and I have no chance to the next time prepare. That's why I know what González play. He stay also behind, like far from the baseline and hitting balls pretty fast.
We'll see tomorrow.

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