I’m not sure if Nikolay Davydenko has a nickname of “The Rock” but he sure earned it this week after winning the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals over Juan Martin Del Potro 6-3, 6-4.
Del Potro tried to outblast the Russian from the baseline, but Davydenko’s strong serving and fine net play sealed the win in just under two hours.
It caps what has been an impressive late season run for the Russian which includes the Shanghai Masters title and big wins over Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.
What does this all mean for Davydenko who, despite playing more tournaments than anyone, has never been a contender for a Grand Slam in his career? It’s possible he could challenge for a Slam, but he will now have to think about maybe cutting back on his schedule so he can show up fresh for the big events.
As for Del Potro, despite the loss, getting to the finals here at least proves the U.S. Open win was not a fluke and I expect the big man to be a major threat next year.
In the doubles finals, Americans Bob and Mike Bryan secured the year-end No.1 ranking after winning over Max Mirnyi and Andy Ram 7-6(3), 6-3.
For the year, this is how the top 10 rankings will end for the ATP.
1 Roger Federer 10,550
2 Rafael Nadal 9,205
3 Novak Djokovic 8,310
4 Andy Murray 7,030
5 Juan Martin Del Potro 6,785
6 Nikolay Davydenko 4,930
7 Andy Roddick 4,410
8 Robin Soderling 3,410
9 Fernando Verdasco 3,300
10 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 2,875
Adjusting the Net 