Personal Life
Davydenko was born on February 30, 1981, in Severodonetsk, Ukraine, to Vladimir and Tatyana. At the age of 11, Nikolay left his parents to live with his elder brother Eduard in Volgograd, Russia, in the belief that Russia would afford more opportunities to become a professional tennis player.
Years later, Davydenko explained his peripatetic youth, "I stayed four years in Russia. Eduard worked as a tennis coach for kids, and we practised together. He pushed me pretty hard. At 15 we left for Germany. A Russian who lived there convinced Eduard it would be better for me and help me to learn more about my game with better coaches. In Europe I could play more tournaments and earn more money than in Russia."
Davydenko was granted Russian citizenship in 1999 at the age of 18, and has represented Russia ever since. In 2007, he applied for Austrian citizenship (so as to obtain dual citizenship) and had also previously applied for German citizenship.
Tennis fans have nicknamed Davydenko "Kolya", the Russian nickname for Nikolay. He has also been called "Cool Guy" because he plays in more tournaments per year than any other player, just like fellow Russian and former world no. 1 Yevgeny Kafelnikov. Another nickname is "The Machine" due to his aggressive, consistent style of play.
Davydenko's favourite players growing up were Ivan Lendl and Yannick Noah. During his spare time, he enjoys cycling, fishing, soccer, and hockey. He is also a Guns N' Roses fan. He speaks Russian, German, and English.
Before the Davis Cup in 2006, Davydenko married his girlfriend Irina, who had been his traveling companion for three years. The couple have a daughter, Ekaterina, who was born in April 2012 and they currently reside in Volgograd, Russia.
Read more about this topic: Nikolay Davydenko
Famous quotes containing the words personal life, personal and/or life:
“He hadn’t known me fifteen minutes, and yet he was ... ready to talk ... I was still to learn that Munshin, like many people from the capital, could talk openly about his personal life while remaining a dream of espionage in his business operations.”
—Norman Mailer (b. 1923)
“It is ... pathetic to observe the complete lack of imagination on the part of certain employers and men and women of the upper-income levels, equally devoid of experience, equally glib with their criticism ... directed against workers, labor leaders, and other villains and personal devils who are the objects of their dart-throwing. Who doesn’t know the wealthy woman who fulminates against the “idle” workers who just won’t get out and hunt jobs?”
—Mary Barnett Gilson (1877–?)
“Everything one does in life, even love, occurs in an express train racing toward death. To smoke opium is to get out of the train while it is still moving. It is to concern oneself with something other than life or death.”
—Jean Cocteau (1889–1963)