Davydenko Qualifies for Tennis Masters Cup
© Getty Images Shanghai, China – Nikolay Davydenko has clinched a berth at the Tennis Masters Cup and will be making his third straight appearance at the prestigious circuit finale, to be held at Shanghai’s Qi Zhong Stadium from November 11-18. The Russian, currently No. 4 in the ATP 2007 Race, joins Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic as singles players to have secured their places in the elite eight-man field with three weeks remaining in the regular ATP season.
Davydenko claimed his first title of 2007, also his 11th career ATP title, by successfully defending the Kremlin Cup on Sunday in Moscow. Though it marked his first appearance in an ATP final this season, the 26-year-old is on course to finish in the Top 5 for the third consecutive year after posting stellar results at Grand Slam and ATP Masters Series events. He opened his Grand Slam campaign by reaching the Australian Open quarterfinals, and followed with semifinal finishes at Roland Garros and the US Open. Davydenko also advanced to the semifinals at the ATP Masters Series events at Rome and Cincinnati and the quarterfinals in Canada.
“I’m really happy to qualify for the Tennis Masters Cup Shanghai for the third consecutive year,” said Davydenko. “It’s important for me to know that I’m one of the eight best tennis players in the world for the third year. This is very important for me and my career. I want to finish in the Top 5. I think that if I get lucky and play well, I can win this year.”
Davydenko reached the semifinals in his Tennis Masters Cup debut in 2005, falling to eventual champion David Nalbandian. Last year, he went 1-2 in round robin play.
He said: “I really love to play in China. The organization and the crowd at Shanghai are so good.”
The top seven players in the ATP 2007 Race and the top seven teams in the Stanford ATP Doubles Race following the BNP Paribas Masters qualify for the Tennis Masters Cup, with one spot reserved for Grand Slam champions finishing within the Top 20.
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