LONDON — Gazing at the big trophy beside him, Nikolai Davydenko was awed by the etching of his name next to the greats of the game: Roger Federer, Pete Sampras, Bjorn Borg.
Yet the Russian's name was there, and he deserves it after beating all three Grand Slam champions of 2009 on the way to winning the season-ending ATP World Tour Finals.
"In 2009, stay name Davydenko for, like, forever," the 28-year-old Davydenko said, struggling to get the right words in English after beating U.S. Open champion Juan Martin del Potro 6-3, 6-4 in Sunday's final at the O2 arena.
"I think it's amazing. I know, like, [in the] history of the Masters Cup, my name will be there."
In only one week, Davydenko beat reigning Grand Slam winners Rafael Nadal, Federer and Del Potro and all but one of the finalists. The only player to escape him was Andy Roddick, who withdrew from the tournament with an injury.
Just for good measure, Davydenko overtook Roddick in the rankings, moving from No. 7 to No. 6 in the world.
"All four, five matches, what I did here, first it was very good concentration. Physically, I don't know what I can explain," said Davydenko, who practiced for only three days heading into the tournament. "Step by step, from first match against [Novak] Djokovic, maybe first match give me more chance, more confidence, maybe everything."
The tournament, renamed the ATP World Tour Finals but still referred to as the Masters Cup by the players, was played at the O2 Arena for the first time, and it drew near capacity crowds of about 18,000 per session.
Davydenko opened play in Group B with a loss to Djokovic — the same man he lost to in last year's final, which was played in Shanghai. But he rebounded by beating Australian Open champion Nadal and then French Open finalist Robin Soderling.
In the semifinals, the ever-energetic Russian downed Federer, the man who completed a career Grand Slam by winning the French Open and then broke Sampras' major record by winning his 15th at Wimbledon.
"He did well," said Federer, who lost to Davydenko for the first time in 13 career meetings but still managed to claim the year-end No. 1 ranking for a fifth time. "I thought he played strong throughout, even though I don't think it was our best match we ever played against each other."
Before winning the title Sunday, Davydenko may have been best known for being linked to a betting scandal, but the four-time Grand Slam semifinalist has been cleared of any wrongdoing. And now that he has a big trophy to put on his mantle, the pressure will be on Davydenko to win his first Grand Slam title in 2010.
"If Grand Slams come best-of-three sets, yes," said Davydenko, who admitted that the matches at majors can be tough on his body. "I need to have very good physical preparation for the five-set matches in Australia.
"You need to run not like two hours, you need to run for four hours."
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.