Nikolay Davydenko takes on France's Stephane Robert today in the first round of the Open Sud de France in Montpellier.
The tough times continue for the former world number three. It's amazing what a difference a wrist injury can make. Back at the end of 2009, Davydenko had won the ATP World Tour Finals and if he had managed to edge a desperately close quarter-final with Roger Federer at the Australian Open two months later, he may well have won his first Grand Slam title.
Back then, Davydenko was beating Federer, Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray, all of them. However in the March he suffered a hairline wrist fracture and he's never been the same player since.
Federer destroyed him in the first round of Doha this year and he subsequently crashed out in the first round in Melbourne.
The indoor swing has often been profitable for Davydenko and he'll be hoping to find some confidence this week. He beat Robert 6-1, 6-2 when they met on clay two years ago and the Frenchman (ranked 106 in the world) should pose little threat today.
Robert lost in qualifying for Chennai and Sydney so he hasn't been exactly shining so far this year. However, competing in front of home fans in the evening session may help push him to another level.
