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SHANGHAI ATP MASTERS 1000

October 15, 2009

Nikolay Davydenko

SHANGHAI, CHINA

N. DAVYDENKO/F. GonzÃ¡les
6-3, 7-5

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. You have defeated Fernando six straight times, and you just lost one set. People always talk about how powerful his forehand is, so why so easy for you to handle?
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: Because how fast I am. (laughter.)
Really, I know he have very good forehand, and he just hitting first two, three balls winners. If I can reach always three balls, then I have chance to win point. That's was I think the most important for me.
I know he get very big serve, very good serve. In beginning I have no chance. Only one break. Then he losing rhythm. I see starting to do something and losing more and more points. That's was also important.
I know if he can break you back, like, say, if he can may win in return, then it starting more difficult. That's was I did today. I have very bad serve today, first serve. That's was I starting just make first topspin from, you know, like second-serve topspin and play baseline, because I know I have very good control baseline and I can win points. That's was thinking about waiting when I have chance to break him.

Q. Is that a strategy when you guys play against a guy like GonzÃ¡lez to make him lose his mind? Because you know that this can happen with him?
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: Not always, but sometimes yes, like six times, yeah. (laughter.)

Q. What do you need to do to make him go a little crazy?
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: Returning very important, because I know if he -- he always stay under pressure. If he have second serve, I know I have like 90% I can win point. That's was I start to play from baseline and he losing, you know, this motivation, because he have also good motivation make first serve and make winners from the forehand.
If you have a little bit chance to make good return and like keep it still play control from baseline, then you can win, you know, game and match.
And the same in my serve, all make topspin to the backhand and then make really forehand, backhand, doesn't matter, because he cannot already hitting first balls. I know he always hitting like after serve first point and maybe return, second-serve return forehand.
But then he start to play really just -- it's not so fast, because he like stay maybe one, two meters after baseline, you know, and he's already not so easy hitting ball from there so fast.
It's like some tactic here. It's for sure I'm baseline playing. For me, it's important keep it good concentration from baseline.

Q. A lot of the players this week are saying that the year is too long, there's too many tournaments, whatever, but you're a guy who actually likes to play a lot. I was wondering what you think about that. Is the season too long? Should there be more of an offseason?
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: I lost three months. I cannot talk about this one.

Q. Just in general. Forget this year.
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: Because I remember, yes, in the same time if I play also Australian Open and the whole tournament, I say, Wow, it's like you have three weeks and you would enjoy holiday, maybe, maybe.
But for me it now looks like I'm in middle season, and for me, last three tournaments, you know, finish ill-feeling. That's was -- I don't think about. I feel good.
It's depends how you're feeling, also, how many matches you played. Guys, like, say we have long tournament, but how many matches you play? 50? I already play 60, and, you know, that's was depends not like how many tournaments you play. It's depends how much results you did in every tournament.
If you losing first round every tournament, you can play like 40 tournaments in a row. There's no problem, yeah? (laughter.)
But semifinal coming, final, winning. Like Federer for sure he try always play 20 tournaments a year and all try always winning. And made final, semis final. That's was this year, difficult situation. You can be also injury, you're tired, concentration. You cannot be any good concentration for all season, for all tournament. For sure you're losing your concentration some tournament. You're tired.
But that's was, say, we have -- maybe because we have difficult situation for the Masters Series tournament, because we have last tournament Paris. This is the most people think about. We are tired, and in Bercy we are like -- people are already thinking, wow, it's like last tournament, really happy to holiday and don't think about so much concentration.
And some guys like Nalbandian just starting, you know, winning this tournament, and just losing weight and starting, you know, like finishing winning, can come again top 10 again.
I don't think it's everybody can say long. Also depends how prize money results. If end of the year you have high prize money, why not? Everybody happy and say, Okay, we play long. We play in more tournaments. It's also not a problem to me.

Q. You're right now ranked No. 8 in the world, but you have lots of points defend before the season end including the 800 points you got from Shanghai last year. So can you share some thoughts about qualifying for London?
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: Um, you know, like my wife say already, you already top 15 in this year. What you want? You know, what you want to think about London? Take rest. Enjoy holiday if I not reach London.
It's like situation, same under pressure, you know. You feeling I can reach, you know, coming to London and think about, yes, I can try and then you losing your mind and you can losing all tournament first round, it's for sure, because it's very difficult to thinking about London.
I'm really happy, you know. Not be injury now from April. Play every week and make good result, winning tournaments. It's okay.
If I don't reach London, it's good. I have more time, you know, spend with my family and then already go to preparation for the next season, because, you know, London, you need to be ready like before, prepare for this tournament like one week before and it's finishing end of November.
It's also -- it's a long season. Like I say guys, yeah, we play London and it's the end of November, and, yeah, for sure it's long. But guys who finishing last tournament Paris/Bercy it's okay. For us, it's not so long.

Q. Speaking of this tournament, Djokovic said it's one of the best tournaments put on for the players. What do they do special that makes it, you know, good for you guys?
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: Um, I say -- I was surprising. I was now we changing like calendar for this year. We have three tournaments in Asia. Like I play Kuala Lumpur and other guys play Bangkok and then Tokyo and Beijing. That's was what I played, always three tournaments.
Like, say, I play Kuala Lumpur, Beijing and Shanghai, I like it. I like it more, not like -- I enjoy more here to play, because maybe it's was first tournament this year like organization, yeah? It's Kuala Lumpur was first tournament, Beijing was new stadium, here new tournament for Masters Series. Everybody try to make perfect organization, and that's what's surprising we enjoy here. It's for sure all three weeks I was enjoy here to play.
I don't know what's going to happen next year, yeah, I cannot tell about, but if it's still the same like always three tournaments, maybe in five years I think is the best, you know, tour, you know, in the year, because really some guys say, go to America, say, Wow, it's too long, you know, like be four weeks, five weeks, six weeks, because some tournaments better organization, some is good organization, yeah?
But, you know, here three weeks really enjoy. You know, Asia is not so far away fly. It's like, okay, Kuala Lumpur to Beijing like six hours, but you stay here, you have the same time, and I think it's very good, you know. Three, four weeks in Asia to stay, it's -- I think it's great.

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