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AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 19, 2010

Nikolay Davydenko

MELBOURNE, VICTORIA

N. DAVYDENKO/D. Kindlmann
6-1, 6-0, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. You are one of the favorites of the tournament. How do you deal with this? This year many players like Nadal or Murray thought Davydenko can win.
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: Oh, really? Surprising, you know, these guys start to talking about me, because maybe now. Before, if nobody talking, then nobody scare. Now it's everyone scare. That's what's is start to talking about me and favorites and everything.
But it's interesting feeling. Now I feel like I can beat everyone. That's was these guys now, you know, something feel different. Before no because I know I can win, but mostly I losing against these guys. But now I can beat everyone. It's good feeling.

Q. Your confidence is 200%, 400%?
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: No, maybe about these guys, yes. But, you know, if I play against top 10, it's coming quarterfinals, semifinal. But before I need to reach this level. I need to win second, third round, you know, to become this level, to become this level of 200%.

Q. Do you enjoy scaring people?
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: Enjoy which people?

Q. Scaring everybody that you're scaring now.
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: Oh, you mean... Yes, why not? Really, you know, if somebody scare of me, if I go on the court, it's very good. You know, then I have more confidence. If I don't feel by self good, I know everybody scare play against me, and I still have something, you know, feel I can win this match.

Q. This is a new feeling then?
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: Why new feeling? I have always the same feeling, but now little bit better. Little better feeling.

Q. Do you feel the attitudes of the other players, the top players, have really changed towards you?
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: I don't know. It's like, say, we play London like two months ago. You know, I don't know how is changed now in these two months. I know it's top guys have every tournaments very high level.
But every week, every tournament's different. You know, some guys play better there. Like, say, Federer play better in Wimbledon. But, like, say in Roland Garros different, or in other Grand Slam is different.
Is not these guys, like all top 5 guys have the same level in all tournaments. I see in some tournaments it's different level, and I know it's playing not so good and they are play much better.
That's was now it's just Grand Slam. I really don't know who is this guy who get now the hundred percent now play very well here and who is the favorite here. It's just begin first week, and we will see what's can happen the second week already.

Q. Your win in the Masters, what has it changed for you?
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: Really nothing. Just I won $1 million. It's okay. Nothing special (laughter.)

Q. What did you do with all this money? Did you buy a house in Russia?
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: Not yet. Not yet. Some invest money. You know, if you win money, you need to make more money. That's what's I try to do. Not only with tennis make money. Something else. Some business also to do. Because with tennis you can't do this so much money.
That's was is very important after tennis what you can do and how you invest your money in what you do after.

Q. Did you buy something for your wife?
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: Look, if I buy everything to my wife, how I can invest money?
Yes, for sure I buy something. But not so much, you know, what people think about this.

Q. What did you buy for her?
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: You know, I was after like London was two weeks in Maldives. I spent all this money there because we have good holiday. I don't think about how much I spend there. It's was good vacation. Was very enjoy.

Q. Do you notice anything about yourself, that you're playing better, anything that is better now?
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: I think start to play little bit much better volley to play. You know, if you see my match against Nadal in final in Doha, I start to go to the net. I start to make some points volley, make so many winners volley. Maybe a little bit better serve sometimes.
But try, try to do different. It's not only I just think about only baseline. For sure baseline. I want to be fast. I want to running fast. Like Del Potro tell me now I am like PlayStation 3 in London. Now I try to come level PlayStation 4, to be faster and faster. I hope I can do this. It's very important to me.

Q. Has Del Potro taught you to play PlayStation?
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: Yes. Like in London, everyone just start to talking about me like I'm like PlayStation player. Like if you play against me in PlayStation, the same level. I'm moving fast, play fast.
That's what is good. Everybody thinking I am very fast on the court. And I want to practicing like this. I want to keep this level, like PlayStation.

Q. Who won at PlayStation?
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: No, like say Del Potro play against me in PlayStation. He lost in London. You understand, yeah?

Q. Since you won the Masters, are you more recognized in the street? Do you sign more autographs?
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: I hope not. Then is not so many like say celebrity guys. I am not Paris Hilton. I don't want to be like this. I don't want to be like Nadal, Federer. These guys I never see by breakfast. They stay in the room and take room service.
For me better go downstairs, you know, take breakfast, or dinner to go somewhere, not to be so much famous.

Q. Are you a celebrity in Russia?
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: No. Also not. Russia's big country. Really big country. And some part, like in some place, yes, but not everywhere.

Q. Do you think players like Federer and Nadal have an advantage here because you have to win three sets? They always do well in Grand Slams. Do you think it can change something?
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: I don't know. It's always talk about Federer, Nadal, Federer, Nadal. Yeah, these guys always come in the final, play against guys both in finals in every Grand Slam.
But who knows now. If you see Wimbledon was Roddick, Del Potro was US Open. Game is change now. Have top 10 guys is pretty hard. If you see Soderling was in the final of Paris. It's not always Federer and Nadal in finals. It start to change in tennis.
I hope not to be anymore only Nadal-Federer.

Q. You say the Masters didn't change a lot. Except for the money of course, is it going to change something if you win this tournament?
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: I don't know. Is here 50% tax. Cannot make millions here. Really is change only in your career, in your feeling, in your like, say, life because you won Grand Slam.
Yes, it's just titles. It's not only money. It's already some titles. I have already 20 titles. Yes, every tournament I win is my life is my title.
It's for sure if I continue, in tennis I feel I have so many titles and memories still feeling, yes. And some memories, some tournaments, like London, Shanghai, Miami, Paris. It's really big tournaments for me. For sure if I'm winning Grand Slam tournaments, it's still my memory.

Q. How much time did you spend in Maldives?
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: Two weeks. I start to teach diving. Now I am professional diving. Something you need to teach, something you need to learn, something different, not think about tennis.

Q. How deep did you go in diving?
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: Beginning 18 meters. Second step 40 meters. Next step, end of this year, I want to go 40 meters down.

Q. Do you talk to your wife a lot about tennis? Is she the one you confide in?
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: Sometimes if I feel -- no, if she -- like -- if I play bad or feel like something wrong, she start to talk to me about tennis. If everything okay, no. Is no question.

End of FastScripts

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