E2032DC5-D508-4270-9994-7DAAE2258DD8
By Richard Pagliaro
© Natasha Peterson/Corleve
(September 2, 2010) Sixth-seeded Nikolay Davydenko became the highest-seeded man to fall from the US Open field in suffering a 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 second-round setback to Richard Gasquet on the Grandstand court. The two-time US Open semifinalist had a visceral response to his loss — Davydenko is prepared to get trashed.
Actually, the 29-year-old Russian is ready to toss his racquets in the trash. Davydenko, who endorses Dunlop and wears Dunlop apparel has been playing with his old, unmarked Prince frame, but vowed to throw those in the garbage and actually begin playing with Dunlop in his next tournament.
"I talked to my brother and I will change all my racquets," Davydenko said after the match. "I will completely change to Dunlop and throw all of my (old) racquets in the garbage."
While the frames will take the fall for the lose, Davydenko, who missed 11 weeks after breaking his left wrist in Indian Wells and has won back-to-back matches just once since launching his comeback in June in Halle, concedes his issues may be more mental than physical or technical.
"I don't know if it's a wrist problem or a head problem," Davydenko said, stretching his legs out before him and staring down at his shoelaces for a moment. "After my injury, I play everything bad. I change from 18-string Prince to play 16-string during hard courts to try to get more control and top spin, but I have no confidence, no baseline game."
In addition to an equipment change, he's contemplating a head change.
"Maybe I need to go somewhere to change my brain," Davydenko deadpanned.
It was the first meeting between the pair in five years and while Davydenko hugs the baseline, takes the ball earlier and theoretically should be able to take the first strike in rallies it was Gasquet who took control in the baseline rallies in registering his second top 10 win of the season and first since he claimed his sixth career title beating Fernando Verdasco in Nice.
The 38th-ranked Frenchman has top 10 talent, who reached the US Open round of 16 in both 2005 and 2006, will play either No. 26 seed Thomaz Bellucci or big-serving Kevin Anderson for a place in the fourth round.
Asked to assess Gasquet's level of play, Davydenko sounded stumped.
"It's tough for me to say because I cannot return first serve. He was just pushing me back in the middle with high balls and I was destroying myself."