Day 2 - An interview with Nikolay Davydenko - Monday, May 28, 2007

Q. What is your reaction to the idea that you are the most dangerous opponent for Federer and Nadal in this tournament and on clay?

NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: I'll wait, because like we just started tournament. You know, you talk about Federer and Nadal because it's just they in first round, okay? I meet Federer like ‑‑ last is like semifinal normally, yeah, or quarterfinal, but before I need to come there. And just I need to win a lot of matches.

It's not like, say, a pretty tough. It's if I beat them by semifinal, I'm already good preparation here for clay court for these ball. Everything feeling great. Then already you see, I'm already like 100 percent fit.

Now it's just starting first match and good prepare for the second match. This was ‑‑ I like it to more concentration now for the second round; not think about Federer now.

Q. I'm not thinking that you will reach it for sure. But everyone says, if there is one who can beat Federer or maybe Nadal, it's Davydenko. This is the question. What is your reaction? Then forget, maybe you never play. But if ‑‑ what do you think about this?

NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: I try to win. My reaction ‑‑ it's interesting, like feeling, I'm not bad player. It's already something interesting from my side, like I'm good player. If Nadal and Federer scared of me, it's really ‑‑ it's nice.

THE MODERATOR: Any other English questions?

Q. Were you and your opponent, looked as though you were sort of laughing there at the end. Did you talk about what it was like to play in the rain there?

NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: What do you mean?

Q. Did you and your opponent talk about what it was like out there in the rain at the end? Were you surprised you kept playing?

NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: Yes, I was. I would say I come in for warm‑up and not ‑‑ like I was, before morning starting 11:00 o'clock, I go in to warm up clay court. But this was pretty far from here, like 20 minutes. And I called to the club and say, I start at 11:00 o'clock, and I come in like five minutes before 11:00 to the stadium. I must have been nervous because there was traffic here and it was surprising to start at 11:00. And it was ‑‑ I enjoy just warm up and take rest till 2:00 o'clock and starting at 2:00 and finish now. I'm lucky, this was.

I have day off tomorrow. I need to wait and I just prepare for tomorrow for Wednesday. It's I think is good way finishing today and feeling great. I don't know if playing second round is finished or not. It's just ‑‑ we'll see.

Q. Were you watching the weather as you were playing at the same time?

NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: Last game. Like, it was ‑‑ what we say ‑‑ it was like 4‑1, now I need to break, break, break or play faster because coming rain. I don't want to stop waiting for one game more, and this was starting rain and my serve, I was finish faster, faster.

Q. Besides Federer and Nadal a lot of people have talked about Novak Djokovic, as a great talent. What are your thoughts on him?

NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: He's good player. Really, I was practicing him a few times of clay here because I don't speak about hard court because he won already Master's in Miami and final. And yeah, like he have tennis the same like hard court, and he play good off clay court, also here and most here because it's very fast in Paris. And I think he can play very good here also.

Q. A chance to win?

NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: I don't know about win, because Nadal running fast. This was ‑‑ you know, you can hit two, three, four balls to the line, but then Nadal try to kick back fifth, tenth, twentieth. You know, this pretty tough to play all match concentration to hit to all lines. We'll see, because Novak, yeah, play pretty good in this moment, no.

Q. So you showed up five minutes before 11:00 o'clock here?

NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: Yeah.

Q. And what if your match would have started at 11:00?

NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: No, actually I was ‑‑ it was like ‑‑ it's like just, was 11:15, but I was surprising. I was come 11:00 o'clock, just straight go to the court and I was nervous. This time I was thinking, I didn't take shower, I didn't just change clothes and go straight to the court. It's pretty tough, really. It's like you have traffic, and you have like already match, and you're feeling, yeah, you can disqualify, you know, in Roland Garros. It's tough.

Q. You played very tough match against Nadal in Rome. What did you do to give him such a hard time? What was your game?

NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: It was tactic game played against Nadal this moment in Rome, because I saw everybody play against him and hitting hard and try to make winners. And that for him was easy, because every match what he play, he play 6‑2, 6‑3 or 6‑2, 6‑2. I think about if I change tactic and conditions, I play a little bit different, not try to win against like everybody, tried to win every point. Just complete different changing, and mentally changing the game.

And once I saw Nadal have pretty tough time in this moment.

Q. You just say that Nadal is very quick, very fast. Who are the fastest players in your opinion, just quickness? Who is the quickest? Who are the quickest?

NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: Before was Hewitt. Now he's older. Moving already not so fast. But I think it's Nadal running, yeah, still Nadal, because ‑‑ or Robredo is good running because, right, left, I was play also in Rome. He running first set unbelievable. But then he retired already, but not Nadal running three sets. That was surprising in the first set here. He have enough power to finish match.

Q. Are you in the top 5 of the runners, as quick?

NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: I don't know. For 100 meters maybe I lose to everybody. But if you're right, left, maybe I'm fast.

Q. You changed your racquet many times in the third set because of the weather or what?

NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: No, no. I was ‑‑ I played two racquets, and then I try ‑‑ I take for new balls, third racquet, and I was, like, I don't know. I didn't have control for serve and baseline. This was ‑‑ I losing my serve and straight change to old one, what I play before many games, and start to win. This was maybe something problem with one racquet.

Now I have time, just for tomorrow, just try to ‑‑ I know which racquet I have now. Two racquets I have, but not enough for five sets. I need to see another racquet, how I feeling. Because always you change. You feel the same and then you're losing first game, and you don't know, surprising complete different, you know, feeling, and this was tough. I need to win match and I need to get everything perfect.

Q. You have a very high speed on serve. You have high speed but very often you choose not to have high speed, just to pick zone and why don't you use often your speed on the serve?

NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: Which mean? Serve? 200, I think I was serving, no?

Q. But you can serve very fast.

NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: Yes.

Q. But you don't choose to serve very fast very often because you prefer to serve slowly. Why?

NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: Why? Because not to be tired in five sets. It's like, it's tennis. Sometimes I try to serve fast. Sometimes you don't need to serve fast. Just you need make keep your first serve and just play control from baseline. I'm not like Karlovich or Ljubicic. Only thing concentration only in first serve, just hitting winners. Because sometimes it's my serve is good. Sometimes it's bad. And if I'm concentration is serve, I can lose baseline also. That for me is important to play everything and most important concentration from baseline.