Nikolay Davydenko burst onto the ATP circuit at the age of 20 with a combative playing style that quickly saw him climb the rankings. However, unfortunately for him, during his peak years, he found himself facing rivals like Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and a young Novak Djokovic. What seemed like a career destined for success started to falter, and then came injuries, followed by a complete burnout from the sport, which took him several years to return to after his retirement.
The 43-year-old man was born in Ukraine, trained in Germany, and always represented Russia, despite having gained Austrian citizenship. A mix of nationalities and schools that led him to become a fierce opponent for anyone from 2001 onwards, when he made his mark at major tournaments and showed what he was capable of achieving.
The best period of Davydenko’s career came between 2005 and 2009, when he remained firmly in the Top 10 and reached the Top 3 for a few weeks, a time when he often gave Rafael Nadal major headaches. “For me, playing against Nadal was like playing against any other opponent. I won all our matches on hard courts, and he won all on clay,” he said in an interview with Punto de Break in 2022.
“My game suited Rafa’s on hard courts, so I didn’t have much trouble against him. On the other hand, I never managed to beat James Blake in those conditions; he hit the ball so hard and finished points quickly. Against clay court specialists, Spaniards, and Argentinians, those were the easiest matches for me on hard courts because they played long rallies with a lot of spin.”
Davydenko was even dubbed the “bogeyman” of Nadal by Spanish media, having beaten the Spaniard 6 times out of 11 encounters. Those duels led the Russian to tease Nadal: “Without physical strength, he can’t do anything. He doesn’t have a serve or a volley. His strategy is to stay at the back of the court, run, and pass balls until you get tired and miss.“