Tennis Update: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Nikolay Davydenko choose Doha event as season opener
With top players choosing one of the three season openers for their return, the Doha event is not without its stars. Played at the Khalifa International Tennis Complex, the Qatar ExxonMobil Open is an ATP 250 event and a precursor
to the Australian Open.
With the top two, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, already confirmed for the event, the addition of more top players in the main draw only increases the popularity of the event.
Plagued by injuries for the most part of 2010, Nikolay Davydenko and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga announced their return to tennis in 2011 at the Doha event.
Davydenko will make his sixth appearance at the event, having debuted in 2005. After enjoying semi-final and quarterfinals runs from 2005-2008, Davydenko finally caught a break in 2010. It was at this very event that Davydenko
became the only player other than David Nalbandian in the ATP to have defeated Nadal and Federer in the same event. Doing away with the Swiss maestro in the semis and then the Spaniard in the final, Davydenko lifted his first crown of 2010 at Doha. His run
at the Australian Open was cut short after three rounds by Fernando Verdasco.
Playing at the ATP 500 event at Rotterdam, Davydenko injured his wrist in a semi-final match against Robin Soderling. This injury continued to plague him throughout the season, forcing him to pull out of the 2010 Roland Garros
(the French Open) and denying him any title win for the season. He was ousted of Wimbledon in only the second round.
Following his defeat at the New Haven event, Davydenko dropped out of the top ten. Although he did make quarterfinal runs at the Montpellier, Valencia and Paris, Davydenko failed to qualify for the season finale event. This was
a first for the Russian since 2005.
Hoping to make it back into the top ten in 2011, Davydenko hopes to begin his resurgence with a title defence at Doha.
Joining him in Doha after an injury plagued 2010 is the Frenchman Tsonga. Finishing 2010 ranked thirteenth in the world, Tsonga enjoyed no title wins or any final appearances for the season. Tsonga did, however, help France against
Germany in the 2010 Davis Cup by winning his deciding match against Benjamin Becker.
His only praiseworthy performance at the Grand Slams came at the Australian Open when he moved past Sergiy Stakhovsky, Taylor Dent, Tommy Haas, Nicolas Almagro and Novak Djokovic to secure a spot for himself in the semis. His ill
health cost him the title as he fell to Federer in the semis. At the Roland Garros, Tsonga had to withdraw in the fourth round due to back pains during a match against Mikhail Youzhny. He fell to local Andy Murray at Wimbledon in the quarterfinals. A heavy
knee injury after Wimbledon caused Tsonga to pull out of the Olympus US Open series including the 2010 United States Open.
Although Tsonga somewhat returned to form during the Shanghai Masters and the Kremlin Cup, he aggravated his knee during the Montpellier week. Tsonga failed to defend his title at the event, failing to compatriot Gael Monfils.
His knee injury forced him to retire for the rest of the season, not only falling out of the race to the season finale but also failing to play for France in the 2010 Davis Cup final.
Having recovered from his knee problem, Tsonga returns to tennis in 2011 making his debut at the Doha event. Pitted against the likes of Nadal and Federer, the Doha event is going to be a good test run for Tsonga.
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