Work machine Davydenko gets his reward

It was fitting that Nikolay Davydenko should get his biggest win of the year on Sunday at a Shanghai Masters tournament dominated by injury retirements and a debate over the length of the season.

The 28-year-old Russian, who beat Spanish World No 2 Rafa Nadal 7-6, 6-3 in the final, has long had a reputation as one of the hardest working players in the game.

Andy Roddick, who said on Monday that the careers of top players could be shortened if the season was not reduced in length, was one of nine players who subsequently failed to complete their matches at the tournament.

"It's good for me if everybody gets injured at the end of the year, because I didn't play the first three months of the year and everybody played already," said Davydenko, who now has a good shot at making the World Tour finals in London next month.

"Maybe I have more chance coming to London. Maybe everybody will retire in London and I can win London," he joked. Whippet-thin with a bald pate and an unflamboyant style of play, the 28-year-old baseliner is under no illusion that he is one of the sport's stars.

"I want to finish top 10 in this year, just this thing, for me, it's important. Everything else is not so important," said the current number eight.

"I don't want to have more fans. Okay, more money is always good. But I'm not the sort of person who wants to be famous.

"Nobody expects me to win a tournament. And so I have no pressure. If I win, it's good. If I lose, also it's okay. I just play and I do my job."

He is no journeyman either, racking up more than $10 million in prize money in a decade on the tour and finishing in the top five at the end of each season since 2004.

If Davydenko is known for anything, though, it is for the number of tournaments he plays.

Despite missing three months with a heel injury, Shanghai was the Russian's 19th tournament of the year. Last year he played 22 tour events, three Davis Cup ties and the Olympics.

"Some guys say (the season) is too long. Some guys say it's too short. Really, it depends how many tournaments you play and how many matches you play," he said.

"For sure if I get to the final every week then, yes, I'd say I want to finish in three months."

Davydenko has won at least one title in each of the last seven years but, despite his consistent success, has never been beyond the semi-finals at a grand slam.

"Today was a two-set match," he explained. "In a grand slam, I need to play one more set against Nadal. I don't know if I can beat him in a third set, and a fourth and a fifth.

"It's difficult. Maybe if you change the grand slam to three sets I can win some."

Meanwhile, Rafa Nadal is convinced he will start winning titles again soon, despite coming up short in the Shanghai Masters final.

On the comeback trail after knee and abdominal injuries, the 23-year-old Spaniard reached the semi-finals in Beijing last week and lost Davydenko.

"I just can say I am going to work hard to be at my best as soon as possible and I am not seeing myself very far off that," said Nadal, who plays the Paris Masters and World Tour Finals in London before rounding off his season with the Davis Cup final.

"I would love to have a title, but if I am still playing like this in Paris and London, it's difficult, sure," he added.

"The best players are there. But in Paris I expect to have another chance to play a good tournament. And if you are there all the time semi-finals, final, you're going to win.

"I don't know when, but you're going to win."

Nadal started the year by winning five of the first 10 tournaments, including his sixth grand slam title at the Australian Open.

After his win at the Madrid Masters in early May, however, he has failed to clinch another as the injuries took their toll.

Nadal said Sunday was the first time since his return that he had competed with a top player at 100 percent.