Alexandros
Professional
This was pointed on in Jon Wertheim's column and a good point was made that Serena gets all sorts of grief for going on about Henin making lucky shots yet Davydenko gets missed out. So let's give him some grief about his unsportsmanship:
Q. What's the one thing that makes Roger Federer so tough?
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: Lucky. He's lucky sometimes. You know, like if he gets a chance in the third set, I think everybody see like I try winning by 5‑4 and double set point, okay, one returning bad. But play from baseline, you know, hitting like, like happening not first time against him already. Like happening Australian Open. I have set point and I hitting, play from baseline rally, and like try, you know, move him, and you know, make some little bit mistake like today. But by 5‑4, I was just try, you know, concentration like hundred percent. Just keep all my power, you know, winning third set. And then like I losing 5‑5, and I lose game and set.
Q. Is luck something just happens or is luck something that you make?
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: I don't know. I think Federer's always lucky. Really, like some many points, like I was surprising how hitting. Like sometimes he make some great slice, you know, from cross. Because I try to push. Sometimes I try to make moving him like from right and left, and then just some points he just play like so good. You know, I don't understand how you can. You know, guys running right, left, you get not so great control from baseline. He just keeping balls back. But he like sometimes plays so well and then you losing points. You like surprising because you don't know how is possible. That's was okay, but, you know, he's play well. He try always to play very good, but, you know, today was windy. It's pretty tough to play very good from baseline.
Q. On the second set point, how difficult was it for you to watch the ball miss by so little?
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: You know, like it's was ‑‑ challenge was stupid to make because I like see it was out. I was sometimes surprising was windy from one side, and I hitting along line and wind like take this ball to the right. You have no chance. You don't know what you need to do. Sometimes you just hitting, you know, not just in the middle because you don't know how is be wind and how is the wind be coming, right or left. That's was is pretty tough, you know, to play control. You don't know how you need to play. Play to the line or just play in the middle.
Q. Do you think if you had won that set the day may have turned around for you?
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: I don't know. Like I see Federer was also tired in the third set. Yeah, I would say I was also for me is pretty tough. You know, winning first set, physically we don't know. Like depends, how still to how play how he serve. But I saw, okay, if he make good serve, it's tough, you know, to break him. And my serve he was winning always, you know. I don't know.
Q. How frustrating was that third set when you had the break ahead all the way through the set and just couldn't hold on?
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: You know, like against Federer is tough to say, because this guy losing serve and then concentration to return and try to come back and winning match. And then he come back and already I think he just now winning, you know, serve back. And then I fighting from ‑‑ and then, you know, like for everything I most like winning from baseline. I have very good control from baseline. I play very well today, you know, like, say, play backhand. Because him always try to mix slice and topspin from backhand, and is pretty tough to get control. Moving him to the right and left, that's was I always need to play to the backhand and sometimes to hit to the forehand. But like my coach say I play well. May play better and better. That's was we'll see.
Q. Losing always hurts. Some people think he's the greatest of all time. Does it hurt less to lose to Federer than somebody else because you know he has this talent that is beyond almost anybody?
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: Yeah, against Federer to lose is ‑‑ I think just losing is ‑‑ doesn't matter against who you lose, just is disappointing. You know, like feeling I have chance, I play well, and you losing some points. Bad luck. You know, all the match you just concentration every point to winning. Sometimes you have bad luck. Mentally you can be crazy. Like in the second set, I losing like straight 6‑1. I be nervous. Just already start concentration in first set.
Q. What do you think of tomorrow's final?
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: It's like Djokovic play very well from baseline and he beat him already in Montréal. But it's five set match. I don't know who be physically better, Djokovic or Federer. It's like because I saw Federer was really tired in the first set. If he play long rally and moving right‑left, it's for him also tough. That's was if Djokovic can physically very well, like Nadal, just hitting baseline long rally, can get chance, good chance, to beat him.
Q. What's the one thing that makes Roger Federer so tough?
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: Lucky. He's lucky sometimes. You know, like if he gets a chance in the third set, I think everybody see like I try winning by 5‑4 and double set point, okay, one returning bad. But play from baseline, you know, hitting like, like happening not first time against him already. Like happening Australian Open. I have set point and I hitting, play from baseline rally, and like try, you know, move him, and you know, make some little bit mistake like today. But by 5‑4, I was just try, you know, concentration like hundred percent. Just keep all my power, you know, winning third set. And then like I losing 5‑5, and I lose game and set.
Q. Is luck something just happens or is luck something that you make?
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: I don't know. I think Federer's always lucky. Really, like some many points, like I was surprising how hitting. Like sometimes he make some great slice, you know, from cross. Because I try to push. Sometimes I try to make moving him like from right and left, and then just some points he just play like so good. You know, I don't understand how you can. You know, guys running right, left, you get not so great control from baseline. He just keeping balls back. But he like sometimes plays so well and then you losing points. You like surprising because you don't know how is possible. That's was okay, but, you know, he's play well. He try always to play very good, but, you know, today was windy. It's pretty tough to play very good from baseline.
Q. On the second set point, how difficult was it for you to watch the ball miss by so little?
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: You know, like it's was ‑‑ challenge was stupid to make because I like see it was out. I was sometimes surprising was windy from one side, and I hitting along line and wind like take this ball to the right. You have no chance. You don't know what you need to do. Sometimes you just hitting, you know, not just in the middle because you don't know how is be wind and how is the wind be coming, right or left. That's was is pretty tough, you know, to play control. You don't know how you need to play. Play to the line or just play in the middle.
Q. Do you think if you had won that set the day may have turned around for you?
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: I don't know. Like I see Federer was also tired in the third set. Yeah, I would say I was also for me is pretty tough. You know, winning first set, physically we don't know. Like depends, how still to how play how he serve. But I saw, okay, if he make good serve, it's tough, you know, to break him. And my serve he was winning always, you know. I don't know.
Q. How frustrating was that third set when you had the break ahead all the way through the set and just couldn't hold on?
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: You know, like against Federer is tough to say, because this guy losing serve and then concentration to return and try to come back and winning match. And then he come back and already I think he just now winning, you know, serve back. And then I fighting from ‑‑ and then, you know, like for everything I most like winning from baseline. I have very good control from baseline. I play very well today, you know, like, say, play backhand. Because him always try to mix slice and topspin from backhand, and is pretty tough to get control. Moving him to the right and left, that's was I always need to play to the backhand and sometimes to hit to the forehand. But like my coach say I play well. May play better and better. That's was we'll see.
Q. Losing always hurts. Some people think he's the greatest of all time. Does it hurt less to lose to Federer than somebody else because you know he has this talent that is beyond almost anybody?
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: Yeah, against Federer to lose is ‑‑ I think just losing is ‑‑ doesn't matter against who you lose, just is disappointing. You know, like feeling I have chance, I play well, and you losing some points. Bad luck. You know, all the match you just concentration every point to winning. Sometimes you have bad luck. Mentally you can be crazy. Like in the second set, I losing like straight 6‑1. I be nervous. Just already start concentration in first set.
Q. What do you think of tomorrow's final?
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: It's like Djokovic play very well from baseline and he beat him already in Montréal. But it's five set match. I don't know who be physically better, Djokovic or Federer. It's like because I saw Federer was really tired in the first set. If he play long rally and moving right‑left, it's for him also tough. That's was if Djokovic can physically very well, like Nadal, just hitting baseline long rally, can get chance, good chance, to beat him.
