Starting on December 7—the 25th day left in 2010—TENNIS.com will countdown from the year-end No. 25 on both tours with "The Last Word," a look back at the year that was and a look ahead at the season to come. Here's who we've looked at so far.
Best of 2010
Empowered by his 2009 ATP World Tour Finals victory, Davydenko opened the year on a tear, winning nine consecutive matches, including back-to-back wins over Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in Doha. The Russian took the title and joined David Nalbandian as only men to beat Federer and Nadal in the same tournament on two different occasions.
Worst of 2010
Davydenko was sidelined for 11 weeks after breaking his left wrist in Indian Wells and struggled to regain his form and confidence upon his return. He wasn’t overly successful in either endeavor as his 12-2 start degenerated into an 18-17 finish, including post-U.S. Open losses to No. 102 Igor Andreev, No. 118 Mischa Zverev and No. 71 Pablo Cuevas—opponents Davydenko can carve up when playing well.
Year in Review
Typically one of the leaders in matches played, Davydenko’s injury-induced break limited him to 49 contests, his lowest total since 2002. The two-time French Open semifinalist missed the entire clay-court season, and though he returned for the grass-court stretch in June, he never came close to the high level of play he produced at the beginning of the year. Following his straight-sets loss to Richard Gasquet at the U.S. Open, a candid Davydenko conceded he had no clue where his shots were going at times and made the switch from a Prince racquet to Dunlop’s new Biomimetic 200 Plus frame.
See for Yourself
Though the Russian is so slight that some ball boys could bench press him (154 lbs), watch Davydenko employ his quickness, ability to take the ball on the rise and fast, flat shots to save match points, negate a 34-pound weight disparity and subdue Nadal in the Doha final:
The Last Word
At his best, the 29-year-old Davydenko can crack the ball so cleanly you might find yourself wondering if his strings have been disinfected with Lysol. Only three men in the Top 25—Nadal, Federer and Andy Roddick—have claimed more career titles than Davydenko, who has won at least one tournament for eight straight years. Though advancing age, mounting match mileage and his desire to have children may suggest an impending slide, Davydenko’s textbook groundstrokes allow him to dictate play from the center of the court and make even the game’s heaviest hitters take a step back (he has won five of his last six hard-court meetings with Nadal). If he can stay healthy—and find the range with the new frame—a Top 10 return is possible.
—Richard Pagliaro