Davydenko lashes out at new tournament structure

Plus: Nadal struggles against 17-year-old

FROM THE ABN AMRO MASTERS 500 IN ROTTERDAM – Just over two years ago, Nikolay Davydenko was fined $10,000 for saying ‘nobody cared about the tournament’ in Sydney, as in his view the players were all just playing the event to warm up for the Australian Open (which of course is pretty much how it is). In Rotterdam, the 27-year-old Russian threw out similar comments about the new tournament structure, in which the ATP-events are divided into Masters 1000s (the old Masters Series), Masters 500s and 250s. The number stands for the amount of points the tournament winner banks for his ranking.

Top-50 players are inclined to show up at eight out of the nine 1000-events. Only Monte-Carlo is not a mandatory tournament. They need to play four from the eleven 500s, free of choice. Adding the four Grand Slams, this makes up for 16 tournaments that count towards a player’s ‘Best 18 Ranking’. That leaves room for two more tournaments of the lower tier, the so-called 250s. Davydenko, tennis’ iron man who has played up to 30 tournaments a season in the past, is none too pleased about the diminishing of the minor events. He referred to it as a ‘strange rule’ in a press conference after his 6-3 6-2 first round win over compatriot Igor Andreev.

“If I win four tournaments in the 250, only two are coming in the ranking,” he said. “If I play all 500s losing in first and second round it’s also coming in the ranking. Now you need to make very good results in Masters Series and Grand Slams. All the other tournaments really doesn’t matter. For your ranking, for your position, you don’t care. Because if you win two tournaments in 250, then really, you don’t care. You already have made your ranking, so for what reason do I need to play this tournament? So I think it was not so good make by ATP.”

Davydenko, who has meanwhile crashed out in round two against Frenchman Julien Benneteau, said he prefers the old system, without four new mandatory 500-events counting towards his ranking. “I think yes, because everybody have chance then,” the number five said. “You can’t only have concentration in 500-tournaments. You can win ten tournaments in 250 and you’re still number 50 in the world. It can happen because you didn’t make so good result in the Grand Slams, the [Masters 1000 and 500s]. What about this other tournaments? What about this 250s? Because everybody will say [they don’t] care about this tournament then. Because nobody will play, if you have only two of these tournaments in the ranking.”

“Tournament directors want to have some top player coming. But then you say, ‘yeah but I need to concentrate for the 500 tournaments, I can not come to the 250’. And then these tournaments can be very bad. Because the last time last year I played very good in the small tournaments. Now I need concentration for Rotterdam, Dubai and what’s coming in the 500s.”

Davydenko missed the Australian Open in january due to a heel injury. It was the first time since Wimbledon 2001 that the Russian was missing from a major. “It was surprising because I never [withdrew] from a Grand Slam before,” he said. “All guys already played Australia and for me it’s really tough now to comeback. I never take rest in the beginning of the season or middle of the season. I wanna comeback and hope I starting play well because really December really practicing and then three weeks after Chennai didn’t touch racket. Say like two months no match, no tournament you play. It’s confidence, very low, you know. Feeling not so good.”

17-YEAR-OLD DIMITROV PUSHES NADAL TO THE LIMITS

Rafael Nadal has booked his spot in the quarterfinals in Rotterdam, but things went all but smoothly so far for the world number one. Nadal posted a marathon 4-6, 6-2, 7-5 first round win over Simone Bolelli, in which the Italian was hammering forehands similar to the way Verdasco was blasting winners past the Spaniard in the Australian Open semis. In his second round, Nadal was forced to play another tough three-setter against young wildcard Grigor Dimitrov. The Aussie Open champion prevailed after a two-hour-and-26-minute struggle against the 17-year-old Bulgarian: 7-5, 3-6, 6-2. Nadal faced double break point at 2-all in the final set, before taking control of the match. Dimitrov struggled with a left leg injury towards the end.

Dimitrov, ranked 478th, is playing in his second ATP tournament, after making his tour debut as a wildcard at another Dutch event in ‘s-Hertogenbosch last year. His signature shot is undoubtedly his beautiful one-handed backhand, with which he also manages to hit some outstanding aggressive slices. Dimitrov came back from a set down to defeat Tomas Berdych in the first round, and was not impressed by the status of his opponent today. He lost his opening service game but hung tough with Nadal, playing aggressively and hitting out on his shots throughout the match. Rafa meanwhile was having a hard time finding his rhythm, regularly missing routine forehands.

“I expected a tough match,” Nadal said. “He won against Berdych so he must be playing well, no. Anyway I didn’t play my best, that’s true. I think I made it a little bit easier for him to play well, no. Anyway, sure, he’s very good. He’s young, and he has unbelievable potential for be good player, no, but I didn’t play very well today.”

If Nadal doesn’t manage to up his level, he’ll be hard pressed to reach the final in Rotterdam, the event in which he posted his worst result of 2008, by losing to Andreas Seppi in the second round. Nadal will face Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the quarterfinals and is scheduled to meet Gael Monfils, who beat him in straight sets in Doha earlier this year, in the semis.

The court plays fast in the Dutch harbour city and the US Open balls that are used stay low, so the conditions will favour Tsonga in his fourth career meeting with the world number one (Nadal has won two out of their three meetings, with his one loss coming in the Aussie Open semis in 2008). However, the big-serving, power-hitting Frenchman is coming off a title run in Johannesburg straight after the Australian Open and has his country’s event in Marseille coming up next week as well. It raises the question if he completely wants to commit to performing at his best here in Rotterdam. Of course, a match against the world number one is not a bad incentive for that.

Andy Murray, the second seed, is the big favorite to reach the final in the bottom half. After a disappointing fourth round exit to Australian Open sensation Fernando Verdasco in Melbourne, Murray beat Andreas Seppi in the second round on Thursday to set up a meeting with French lucky loser Marc Gicquel in the quarterfinals. The resurgent Mikhail Youzhny, a winner in Rotterdam in 2007, or Mario Ancic, could be his semifinal opponent. Ancic upset an underperforming Gilles Simon in three sets.