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DUBAI DUTY FREE TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS MEN

February 23, 2011

Nikolay Davydenko

DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

T. BERDYCH/N. Davydenko
6-3, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. You really came back in the second set. Seemed like the first one was lopsided, but the second one was much more tight and you probably could have won it.
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: Yes, for me, it's really difficult now situation just because I losing first round Australian Open and Rotterdam, Marseilles. That's was confidence is very low.
For me, it's important now to find my game. And for sure I saw today I have find my baseline control and I see I can play really much better and I winning more points. Just I know I lose like some easy points. I do some couple mistake. But I have second set points. I can relax; I didn't.
But I know I'm already play better and better. For sure, by the next tournaments I will improve my game. For sure I need like couple of things to do, make like better serve, more confidence on serve, first serve. And for sure volley. Couple volley I did mistake, maybe it's also was for me very important points. If you see like in tiebreak it's also, you know.
For sure Berdych play very well. He's top 10, but I know I can beat him. For me, like doesn't matter what he say, I feel like much more, you know, like confidence against him and I can beat him.
But today, you know, was difficult, because after Marseilles I change racquet again. I come back in my old racquet, and I want to, you know, just change some games. I see my improvement is much better and my baseline control is much better. That's what I hope, you know.
With my old racquets I didn't play five months, and now I need to come back and start to feeling, you know, new feeling and new confidence. For sure I think it's be better.
I have no points to defend in clay court season. That's was I have enough time prepare and maybe, you know, coming back to keep or like say make couple more points.

Q. You were saying you were off for five months. Was it illness or injury?
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: No. No, five months I was change racquets, you know. After US Open I start to play with another racquet. Yes, I didn't make any good result. Maybe just quarterfinal Paris Bercy, and for sure Doha final.
But most like last time I losing everything first round, and I saw like I losing my baseline control, like normally what I do before and always I did. I know it's my game, my key, is baseline.
And with new racquet what I played, I don't know what I need to do. Because I start to play faster, I start to have better serve, but if I have very important point, I losing from baseline.
For me start to be difficult to think about what I need to do. It's not my game, and I cannot improve this game. Yes, I start to think about I need to change something again, try to come back what I did before, play five years, you know, with my old racquets to be, you know, top 10. Maybe it's give me again this confidence.
I start from zero, start to play with old one, and maybe I start to play better. Why not?

Q. Just a broader question, when you look at the Grand Slams, we keep hearing two or three names. You were a former No. 3. How do you look at it now? Is the fact that only two or three people are winning Grand Slams, is this good for the game? As someone whose trying to break back in and win a Grand Slam...
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: Why are you asking me? You need to ask the fans. We are player. We are try to win every tournament. But if it's good or bad, you need to ask person who is watching us, you know, people who support us. We don't know is good or not good.

Q. For you as a player, compared to when you started out, is it more difficult to reach a Grand Slam final now? Now you're trying to get back up and hopefully win a Grand Slam. Is it possible with the players at the top, or do you think that's not a goal you can achieve?
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: No, why if you never beat one guy in top 10 or like some players who you know you always losing, maybe like confidence, or like say before the match you are like feeling, Okay I will try my best, but you don't know. Normally it's always happen like this.
I know I beat everyone. If I have good game, for sure I can fight. If I have good control, why not? I beat Federer; I beat Nadal. It's just how I feel myself. It's like also the same other guys.
Like Roddick also be No. 1; he can beat also everyone. Maybe it's not -- it's difficult to find on Grand Slam. Like say Roddick can play very good in America, but he travels -- he win US Open -- but always be Federer or Nadal and other guys. It's maybe pressure, maybe something, but I don't know yet.

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