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ROGERS MASTERSAugust 8, 2007Nikolay DavydenkoMONTREAL, QUEBEC THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. How was your foot today? NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: It's better because we get good protection here for the match. Q. What kind of thing? NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: It's like I make before match physio, ATP physio, make like don't feel so much pressure of the - how you say - finger -- toes, yeah. Q. Is it a blister, a cut, a bruise? NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: No, I have stress factory (sic). Make MRI in the clinic. Q. How close were you to not playing today? NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: It's was should be decide ATP doctor and here ATP physio after like, say, the examination. Q. How does it feel now after the match? NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: Winning match feel good. Q. Is it an injury that will need you to take some time off at some stage? NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: Normally I don't know how is it bad because doctor don't say me anything if I can or not play. If I have no pain, I can play. If I have pain, I need to examine again to be more like go to the doctors, see again. Q. What is your reaction to the whole thing that came out last week? NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: Disappointment, because like I'm top player and, like, people talking not only like, say, in Russia, in my country, is talking everywhere in the world. Is pretty tough for me, get more pressure now for this tournament. Mentally, it's pretty tough. Q. What has the reaction been from other players? Have they been supportive towards you? NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: I don't know. I come here and, like, is still the same by the other players. I don't see any different between what's before and now. Q. How did you first hear about it? How did it come to your ears? NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: Next day, Friday, I come to Germany to do examination for my foot, and that's what I was surprising. Q. You read it in the newspaper or somebody called you? NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: My manager call me for next day. Q. Have you been interviewed by anybody from the ATP or from the betting agency about the situation? NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: No, not yet. Q. How has it affected your preparation for this tournament? NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: Uhm, normally after my injury I didn't know how I can good preparation for here, for Montréal, because for me was first very important to be examination my injury and then to play. I just was don't think about winning today or not, just try to play. If I can finish match, it's good. If not, okay. Just was testing for first match. Q. You said it was disappointing for this story to break. Did it affect your preparation at all? Was it a distraction? NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: Yes. Like say, like you feeling already like coming for this week, you know you have little bit pressure from press like, you know, try somebody to find you, try to make some question about what's happening there. That's was for me pretty tough in this moment. Q. Have these last couple months been probably the most stressful in your career, the most trying period? NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: I think yes. After Wimbledon I didn't win no match. Every week I try to win matches. I try to make result. And like losing three weeks in a row first round is also pretty tough for me. That's was I losing my confidence also. Q. What is your reaction in general to the idea that somebody would throw a match? NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: Normally I don't know. I was before already injury before my match. But normally I was -- it's so surprising. Like who can know I can be injury and I can retired in my match? Q. Not just you yourself. But in general, in the sport, is it a surprise to you to hear that people might be making money from players with injuries, losing deliberately? NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: I think now tennis is most popular because you have singles player. It's not like team, like soccer or basketball, something different. But I know like maybe it's different business to make easy money. That's was tough to say something about this. Q. Some players have said they've received phone calls from people offering money to throw a match. Have you ever received a phone call like that? NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: Nobody know my numbers. Also normally ATP call only to my manager or to my brother. Nobody from Russian Federation know my numbers also. Because numbers have only private people, like my family or my manager, my brother. That's it. Before my number get many press. That's what I really change in last year like this. I don't want to be somebody call to me and make some questions about match or something like this. Try to get in hotel, just calling me in my room, but my wife always by phone (smiling). Q. You've never been in contact with anyone like this? NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: Normally, no. Q. How would you explain it? NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: Explain? Q. There seemed to be a lot of betting right during the match, so it was very unusual. Do you know how or why that would happen? NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: Normally who knows if like injury to be? Only me and my wife already before tournament. That's was I already didn't know if I can finish first match there and how I get my painful there, that's it. I start to play. If I feel okay, if I can finish match, is good for me. I try to win. If I cannot finish match, if I losing match already, I cannot finish, I am retired. That's was I don't know how can people know about, you know, my injury. Okay, maybe by practicing see or, you know, physio know. But I don't know who know else I was injury in this moment. THE MODERATOR: Do we have further questions about today's match or his next round? Q. Along that line, considering what you've gone through, what does that say about yourself, that you were able to get through a pretty difficult match? NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: I would say I'm professional player. I try to preparation for every match. Doesn't matter what's happening in, you know, my life. Normally it's pretty tough. You know, it's something in your inside happening. But for me now in this moment, try to make some result here in Montréal because I need to get points for Shanghai. If I do some well result, I can finish also top 10 this year. It's for me very important. Q. Did you find it at all unusual you were playing on such a small court, being that you're a high-ranked player, considering everything that's gone on? NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: That's was is changing. I was lucky, like Blake retired, changing courts. My brother come to ATP say, Please changing from 5 to 9, because court is little bit different between 5 and 9. It was we have time for like finishing second set. We spoke with Nieminen. Okay, we can play Court 9. But lot of matches of center court, Court 1. I don't know, maybe tomorrow play Court 1 (smiling). Q. Did you have to get a lawyer just to help you? NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: Normally nobody tell about me, you know. That's was with company don't say I person who did this thing. If this company, you know, Betfair or something like this, say I'm person who did this, then I do lawyers, then I do against this company. But I don't see with reason now somebody get against me something. That's was for this reason I don't need lawyers. Q. Is there any way that you can think of to stop this kind of thing happening? NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: Now we spoke about ATP and we try for in the future to protect me, you know, about this reason. Last year I losing many tournaments also first round. Now also happening because I play 30 tournaments in a year. Last year I lose 10 tournaments first round, and also sometimes I'm injury, I'm retired in the match. That's what in the future I would like, you know, somebody to protect me from all these reasons or something like this that's happening. Q. What's the difference in the courts, from 5 to 9? Why did your brother say the court was different? NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: Because I was practicing in Court 2, 6 and 5. 5 was for me like two times practicing. I say, This is different, like pretty fast court. Ball spring very fast. I say I feel is different between Court 2 or Court 6 and 5. I say is pretty tough to play rally. And then I know for next day, I play Court 5, I was laughing. I say, Only this court is pretty tough for me, very bad for me, and I play of Court 5 (laughter). Then it's changing of Court 9. Was pretty lucky. Q. Is it a lot different? NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: Yes, it's different. Q. Slower? NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: A little bit slower. THE MODERATOR: Thank you. End of FastScripts |
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