Former world No. 3 Davydenko retires

Moscow, Russia (SportsNetwork.com) – One-time world No. 3 star Nikolay Davydenko announced his retirement on Thursday.

The 33-year-old Russian, who captured the ATP World Tour Finals in 2009 and helped his country win the Davis Cup in 2006, said injuries were the reason he was ending his 15-year professional tennis career.

Davydenko had not played on the tour since the French Open in May and made his announcement on the sidelines at the Kremlin Cup tournament in Moscow.

“I had a lot of injuries over the last few years,” Davydenko said. “They are still causing me discomfort. The time has come: I am officially announcing my retirement as a professional sportsman.”

The speedy Davydenko’s best season came in 2006 when he captured five titles, reached his first of back-to-back U.S. Open semifinals and rose to No. 3 in the world rankings. He was also a two-time French Open semifinalist (2005, 2007).

“I don’t have any regrets about not winning a Grand Slam or not being No. 1 in the world,” said Davydenko. “I was in the top 10 for some years.”

He was investigated over match-fixing claims in 2007 but cleared the following year.

Davydenko settled for 21 titles in 28 finals and earned more than $16 million in prize money.

Categorized in: Tennis