Date:08/01/2009 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2009/01/08/stories/2009010860402300.htm

Sport

Injured heel lets Nikolay Davydenko down

Nandita Sridhar

Rain washes out third day’s play at Chennai Open

— Photo: R. Ragu

OUT OF ACTION: Nikolay Davydenko announces his withdrawal from the Chennai Open on Wednesday.

Chennai: Persistent rain made sure Nikolay Davydenko’s left heel enjoyed undivided attention at the Nungambakkam Stadium on Wednesday. The top-seed’s decision to pull out of the tournament left fans with a depleted field, even as the weather ensured a large pile of matches for Thursday. No matches were possible on the third day of the Chennai Open ATP tennis tournament.

Nikolay Davydenko’s left heel injury from last year forced him into his decision to pull out of the Chennai Open and the Australia Open. The top-seed made the announcement a day after his first-round match, when he was scheduled to play Lukas Dlouhy of the Czech Republic in the second round.

Old injury

“I felt it before Abu Dhabi. It was actually there from last year, but I’ve been in quite a bit of pain mainly for the last two months. I had the same problem in Shanghai as well. It was a lot more painful last week. I haven’t taken an MRI as yet, so I don’t have exact details. I played my first match yesterday, but when I woke up today morning, I couldn’t walk, and couldn’t play. It was painful. I will go home and check. There will be no chance of playing here or at the Australian Open,” said the Russian.

Davydenko’s workhorse methods that earned him the ‘Iron Man’ tag seemed in no danger despite the injury. When asked if his packed schedule would suffer in the future, he said, “It’s not really about playing a lot of matches or less. If you are fit and are feeling fresh, why not play? If I travel to Australia, it might worsen. I will first try and understand what’s happening and then decide when to make a comeback. I might try and make it for Rotterdam after the Australian Open. I will get a clearer picture next week.”

Not much to defend

The Russian was confident the break wouldn’t affect his rankings significantly. “I don’t have too many points to defend so there is no danger of going out of the top-10. I’ll probably be six or seven or eight. There will still be three Grand Slams after this, and the Masters. I want to play them all. I will focus on my fitness and look for better results this year.”

The length of the season, he explained, wasn’t a subject of concern, but an issue to be dealt with independently by individuals. “Some say it’s too long. Some say it’s too short. The player has to decide how much he wants to play. If he wants to play just the Slams and the Masters, he can. If he’s fit and wants to play other tournaments as well, then why not? It depends on each player.”