Celebrity Nicolay?‘Who is Davydenko? What is your name?’

Celebrity Nicolay?‘Who is Davydenko? What is your name?’


By Matthew Cronin, TennisReporters.net
Russian tennis player Nikolay Davydenko
Star Nikolay Davydenko outlasted hot Andy Murray.

FROM THE PACIFIC LIFE OPEN IN INDIAN WELLS – Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Andy Roddick, Andre Agassi and Marat Safin all won their matches on a star-studded Sunday. So did fifth ranked Nicolay Davydenko.

Does anyone in Coachella Valley care? Apparently so. He’s more recognized in the US than in his native Ukraine or in his adopted Russia. At least on Paseo Drive in Palm Desert, Davydenko is no longer the Invisible Man.

“It was surprising in America “ he said. “I come to the shopping, sports. They coming to me like, “Are you Davydenko. Before, never many. Because I lose here. I was No. 12 already. [Fans come to my matches and ask] and say, 'Who is Davydenko? Who is playing this one?' Like coming to me, I'll turn around, 'What is your name?' Now it's like guys coming to me know whom I am. They say, 'Come on, Davydenko, give me autograph.' So, it was surprising for me here.”

We will take his word for it, even if we are still in shock.

Davydenko has made himself into the tour’s steadiest player. He’s not creative as Fed, fast as Nadal, powerful as Roddick or as directed as Agassi. But, after he beat Andy Murray 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, the Scot bowed down. "He has some of the best groundstrokes in the game. He doesn't give away any cheap points."

The platinum blonde Davydenko played 30 tournaments last year. He lives on the ATP Tour. He loves to play and doesn’t need breaks. He’s a machine, with much more personality off court than on.

“Some guys try to play, go home, go to the family, maybe like to play not so many tournaments. My parents live in Russia. I cannot, go to the Russia and sometimes parents come to the tournaments. Like, my girlfriend is by me all the time on the tour, why I need to go home? I don't know where my home is, and the tour is for me like home.”

More on Russia’s top player on Monday, but a quick aside: He doesn’t care that’s he’s Russia’s No. 1 because he’s almost never there, except for Davis Cup and a tournament or two in the fall. He trained in Germany since he was 14 and is more of an internationalist.

“I don't feel anything [about being the Russian No. 1],” he said. “It's like still the same, everything like it was in 2001 or 2005. Like normally I'm No. 5 and No. 1. I don't know maybe the Russian country. it's not so easy. Tennis is not important in Russia because it's soccer and ice hockey. In Russia, the people know maybe just Safin, because he win already Grand Slam. He was No. 1. Me, people who know tennis, know Davydenko. But normally if I go in the street or normally moving, nobody knows who I am.”

http://www.tennisreporters.net/davydenko_031306.html