If Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer or Novak Djokovic took a peek at the outside courts at the Paris Masters today, they might have found themselves issuing a collective "Phew!" Nikolay Davydenko has no shot at qualifying for the upcoming ATP World Tour Finals, but against Thomaz "my middle name is 'Talent'" Bellucci, Davydenko performed like a guy primed for London—the place where he bagged the biggest title of his career almost a year ago.
Bellucci did his part in making the Ukraine's Mr. November look good, playing like he's been rode hard and put away wet. Paris is the last big ATP tour event of the year. Those players like Bellucci, or Ivan Ljubicic (who went down to Stan Wawrinka in a blizzard of forehand errors) or others who have no chance to qualify for London are clearly tempted to mail it in. But not Davydenko, who was bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, playing as if has a point to prove—that he ought to be heading for London to defend his title, and only his injury-marred year has prevented him from entering the O2 Arena like an emperor returning home.
Davydenko's enthusiasm and focus were that much more impressive under the prevailing conditions on Court 1. I don't know about you, but I can think of better ways to spend my time than watching a broadcast in which there's a giant fishnet between the lens of the camera and the court, where cheesy French pop music blares out a benumbing, de facto soundtrack, and a scattering of fans so sparse that I'm hard pressed to describe them as "they." This, folks, was single-elimination, indoor tennis at its absolute worst.
But Davydenko didn't seem to mind, or even notice. His bald palate gleaming in the harsh, artificial lights, he yanked his reluctant opponent all over the court, which is signature Davydenko. You could almost hear Davydenko thinking, "Run, sucker!"
The final score, 6-3, 6-0, makes the match appear closer than it really was. The serve is one of the emerging Bellucci's biggest weapons, and his 55 percent conversion rate wasn't abysmal. But he converted just 33 percent of his second serves—a testament to Davydenko's willingness to
pounce on any opportunity, as well as the general quality of his return. Bellucci likes to volley and feels comfortable attacking, but while the relatively fast surface in Paris may encourage aggressive tennis, it also rewards the bold counter-puncher. Davydenko handles the racket like a hockey player uses his stick, firing bullets into the corners just to see who's going to dig them out.
Davydenko served an impressive 71 per cent, and would have smacked more than a dozen winners had Bellucci not beaten him to the punch, tagging 20 unforced errors. It was an utterly forgettable match made memorable for me by the way it provided Davydenko with a chance to give us a glimpse of his game—a game that's going to be dangerous for anyone he plays the rest of the week.
When it comes to London, Davydenko may be all dressed up with no place to go. ATP Tour Final contender Fernando Verdasco can count himself lucky to be on the opposite side of the draw from the defending champ, but that other wannabe, Jurgen Melzer, has to win the event to qualify for London.
—Pete Bodo