Iron Man

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Nikolay Davydenko of Russia celebrates with the trophy following 0-6, 7-6(8), 6-4 victory over Rafael Nadal of Spain in the Final match of the ATP Qatar ExxonMobil Open at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex on January 9, 2010 in Doha, Qatar.

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It took every atom of his being to fight off a bagel, two match points, and a resurgent bullfighter. Exhausted from his previous round and playing on vapor, when it mattered most, his bigger balls were on full display.

Facing 1-3, 15-40 in the final set, he left the stadium and produced a stunning passage of tennis from another world.

And Rafael Nadal let him do it. Just when it looked as though he was back on track, controlling the entire court in the opening set and winning 100% of his second serve points, the former world No. 1 simply couldn't muster the confidence to play aggressively enough on any of the big points, including the two match points on his own serve, to convert them into victory.

When you forget how to win, it's terribly hard to remember.

Nikolay Davydenko becomes the second man to defeat Rafa and Raja in the same event on two separate occasions. But he does it back-to-back.

Impressive.

Match Highlights