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SONY ERICSSON OPEN

April 4, 2008

Nikolay Davydenko

MIAMI, FLORIDA

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Have you ever played as well as that before?
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: Umm, hmm, against Roddick? No. But yes, I was really surprising. You know, it was coming and play very well from baseline and good serve.
But in first set I didn't know if I can win this match, because I have no chance returning. He had good serve, you know, like amazing. I had no chance to returning. And, like, I feeling if he break me once, I cannot to win, you know, set.
That's was it's good I was coming to tiebreak, and, you know, tiebreak was, like, say, maybe lucky tiebreak. Maybe. It was important tiebreak. After tiebreak I won and, you know, win in second set.
But, yes, for me today was good baseline rally.

Q. You were returning very, very well, though, in the second set. Were you starting to see the ball better?
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: Umm, no. If you see, he get -- I think he start to slow it. I think he get more top spin and I see like in the miles he already get maybe 120, 130. But before, always 135, 140. That's was I have like really -- I see the ball, but I cannot, you know, running to the ball.
And so many he kick in slicing to the forehand, and I try to run. It's not possible. It's was in the second set he just try to do the same and I have more chance. He was slowly.
I think because of already both tired, and, you know, I feeling also really tired in the second set and I play also slowly.

Q. You didn't start that well. Why are you playing so well here? Because against Tipsarevic you also played well.
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: Because I change racquets here after Indian Wells. I have the same racquet, Prince, just -- I have before 16 string; now 18 string. Now I have more control. That's was is surprising I have only one racquet. I play all five matches just with one racquet. I didn't change any racquets.
I have not any one racquets. It should be coming, you know, next week to my home, but with one racquet I play three sets. I didn't change, you know, like, and I was surprising myself, you know?

Q. What is the racquet? What kind of racquet?
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: Prince. It's the same Prince, just only 18 string. Little bit more string and I have more control.

Q. Do you remember the match point against Gulbis? It was very difficult for him, and now you are here.
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: No, beginning I am -- I didn't play very well. I was like fighting. This was important to fighting, you know, first match and second match. I didn't play very well against, also Bolelli. Also was three sets.
But then I was surprising. I played much better against Ancic, and yesterday I play very well. Yeah, today I play also good.

Q. What were your tactics tonight?
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: Really, I don't want to, you know, say. Like, some changing tactic. Just hitting balls very good, you know. I think I have -- with new racquets I have much better control from forehand and backhand cross.
It's just short cross and go very low, and I think it's good for me. I feeling I can hitting balls and I can control ball, like, good. I really feel good.

Q. What are you going to do if those strings break?
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: Umm, I have another racquet. (laughter.) I have two racquets, but second racquet is not so great. Like first one, I play all matches. So I don't know what I do. I give to stringer and I try to know how possible, you know, keep in my match longer, come in all my racquets again.

Q. Andy beat Roger last night, and you know what it feels like to be frustrated against Roger. You can probably imagine how important and emotional that was for him. Did you think maybe that would give you a little bit of an advantage tonight?
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: Umm, I really -- I was just lucky. You know, I lost already five times against Roddick. First time to beat him I think for me it's important, you know, in my career. It's very good. Because only for three years, four years against him in finals, and clay court I lost, and Shanghai I lost three sets.
And mostly I come and play against him not so great. Before I play not very good, and if I play against Roddick I don't feel some comfortable. Today I played very good, that's was important for me. Just play good and winning match.

Q. If I could ask it again, since Andy was able to beat Roger, which is something he had waited a long time for, and you also haven't beaten Roger, did you think maybe he would be a bit tired emotionally?
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: I don't know.

Q. Psychologically because of this?
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: I don't know. He's American. You play in America. I think he try to do best, tried to win here in American tournament.
But I didn't see any change, you know. Maybe he didn't play very well baseline, but I never saw from him very good, you know, baseline game. I know he can serve, I know he can return, I know he can hit fast ball. But what he play today, I think he played good, but I don't know. I don't know.

Q. Obviously you're playing at the very top of your form. You're peaking just at the right moment. If you carry this good form into the final against Nadal, do you feel you have a very good chance there?
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: I don't know anymore. I really -- like, he's physically so fit. It's amazing, because I saw he play in 1:00, you know, like super hot. And for him I think he don't care, you know, playing night session or day session.
He running so much. You know, he fighting. I don't know what I can do.
I remember against him in Rome played three sets three hours, and I was completely dead. (laughter.)
He was also tired, but in last points, you know, last game, I don't know how he find, you know, his power, hitting his balls. You know, I have no chance already. Then this time -- that's was I was thinking how Djokovic beat him in Indian Wells so easy.
Maybe I need to ask Djokovic how he can beat Nadal.

Q. Can you share what Andy said to you at the net? It seemed to make you crack up laughing.
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: Just say, I play very well, you know, just, you know, nothing special.

Q. Okay. I thought it was funny.
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: Yeah, he had no chance how to beat me.

Q. That's what he said?
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: (Nodding.)

Q. You have no racquet. Isn't a professional tennis player supposed to change racquets every seven games or something like that?
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: Before, yes. Indian Wells I have seven racquets. I changing like if I have new balls I changing another racquets. But I have no racquets. I cannot change. I just -- I have only one, I concentration on one.
And, you know, string holding all three sets, that's what's so surprising.

Q. One of your countrymen, Marat Safin has quite a reputation for breaking racquets when he gets a little bit angry. You're not that sort of guy, obviously.
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: Umm, not so. (laughter.) But sometimes I broke racquets, but not so many. Maybe just two, three in all year in the matches, but...

Q. When was the last time you broke a racquet, do you remember?
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: I think I -- where I broke? I think in Paris Bercy or something. Cincinnati I broke one. I just -- I'm scared for warning, you know. I don't know why. Just if I broke racquets, referee say, Warning, Davydenko. I'm already scared.
I don't like, you know -- just I can broke, but if they say no warning, it would be nice.

Q. What you just mentioned about Rafa shows how humble you are. I remember we had a interview in New York and you said the same about Roger. You were looking up to him. Don't you think by now you feel confident being up there?
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: I try to be slowly. I don't want to say now I beat now everyone. I beat Roddick. It's good for me. Nadal is good for me. He is No. 2. He's good player. I don't want to say about my final, you know. Just concentration, and, you know, for the match and try my best, you know. But I don't want to say now anything about match.

Q. I wasn't really talking about your final, but...
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: About Nadal, I tell, already. What I can tell again?

Q. Are your powers of recovery normally good?
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: Umm, I like, you know, recovery more, because, like, say, I'm not so -- I can't recover in 24 hours really. I need to have longer. I need to have time longer. It's good I have Sunday for final and should be day off tomorrow. Is good for me.

Q. Did you feel a turning point of the match came, Andy made great return of your dropshot, held serve, and then he broke you at Love and then you came and broke him right back. How important was that in the match?
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: Umm, it's like every point, it's important. It's like -- I don't want to say just only I lost my serve and -- because my brother say, You are the best returning players in the world. He know I can, you know, come back, if I try to return and if I returning ball, you know, I can win also, you know.
That's was maybe helping me: More concentration. And maybe Roddick was not so good serving this time and I was broke him back.

Q. You've obviously had a lot of problems, a lot of very much chronic problems. Is this the most content you've felt since all those problems began?
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: You know, I feel good now. I just -- I forget really everything. Just it's like still investigation, but, you know, everything what they do, it's like my lawyer doing with ATP something.
And I just -- I don't hear anything about something, you know, this time already long time, this year. I don't know anything. That's was just feel great, just play tennis, and I hope I can play much better and better.

Q. But at the end of last year you were very, very down. You struggled big time. Now you seem so happy.
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: Yeah. It's like starting from zero, really. I like -- I was like -- I waiting for end of the year, you know, because one month with no press, nobody write about you, and, like, you feeling so happy.
And then, you know, okay, maybe need to feel open a little bit. But then forget everything already, don't write anything about you, something bad, and you feel much better and maybe like confidence coming back and you start to be happy.

Q. In your matches against Roddick, have you been always standing two meters from the baseline to receive his serve? Because today you returned so well, and in previous matches you didn't return that well.
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: Really, I think if I come little bit, you know, how I say, before for baseline to start to returning, I have no chance. It's too fast, you know. He good top spin and returning, and I think percentage less.
And that's was I come back, you know, three meters from baseline. You know, just -- it's important just returning in the court. Doesn't matter what's happening. Doesn't matter how you return. Just in the court, and then you try your best, and next ball hitting, you know, back.
And then already see how is it possible from baseline control.

Q. I'm glad you're happy in your mind, but don't you think this thing has carried on too long?
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: You know, every cases can be long. I can wait. No problem. Because I still play tennis. I don't know. I can -- how long I can play. Maybe three, four years. I can wait, no problem.
If I, like, press don't write against me anything bad, it would be good.

End of FastScripts

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