Roger Federer takes on old foe Nikolay Davydenko in a repeat of last year's final at the Qatar Open in Doha.
Federer won his third Doha title last year, beating Davydenko 6-3, 6-4 in the final and the Swiss admitted it felt a little strange to be facing the world number three so early on.
"It’s strange to have played him in the final last year and now the first round this year,” Federer said. “Knowing Davydenko’s potential, that he’s been a very consistent Top 4 player for many years, it makes him dangerous. But other players also have tough draws.”
Federer knows he'll have to step up a notch after a disappointing showing at the Mubadala World Tennis exhibition last week in Abu Dhabi. Federer looked decidedly undercooked as he was trounced 6-2, 6-1 by Novak Djokovic and then 6-1, 7-5 by Rafa Nadal. However Federer insisted that he's not paying any attention to those results.
“I am feeling good. I had a great end to the season last year and I usually have a good start to the next season as well,” he said. "There is a bit of pressure on my shoulders being the defending champion. But I’ve been in this situation many times before, so I hope it goes well."
Federer leads Davydenko 15-2 on the head-to-head though the Russian will take heart from his 6-4, 6-4 in the semi-finals here two years ago. That year Davydenko won the title beating Federer and Nadal back-to-back.
