Karen Khachanov To Team Up With Russian ATP Veteran

The second seed at Citi Open 2019, Karen Khachanov turned out to be an upset in Wahington D.C. as he lost to the French veteran, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in three sets. Before losing his opening match 6-4, 2-6, 7-5 in the American capital, Khachanov was spotted practicing with the four-time Grand Slam semi-finalist, Nikolay Davydenko.

Speculatively, the former Russian professional, Davydenko has signed an alliance with his compatriot, Karen Khachanov. World Number eight made, Khachanov made a statement that they haven’t made their coalescing official, perhaps Davydenko might join his squad anytime in the future. 

“We started to train in Moscow, so that’s the preparation I’ve had with him. It’s was for 10, 11 days and then I asked him to come here (to Washington) as well,” Karen Khachanov said. “We just started with him. I don’t want to make any official announcement yet, but he started to help me two weeks ago. Hopefully, he can join the team.”

However, in the first week of July, Nikolay Davydenko denied Russia’s present ATP face from training him, but thereafter, Davydenko has changed his perspective of helping out the 23-year-old ATP player.

“He (Khachanov) told me so, the offer is open. But I am busy now and I can’t stop to help him.” Davydenko said. “This (coaching) is very hard work. It seems to me even harder than being a player. The coach is much more worried. The coach controls every little detail: when to eat, pass the rackets to the stringers, take the balls. It seems like little things, but who does everything? Trainer. And if you lost, who is to blame? Trainer.”

This year, Karen Khachanov delivered his career-best performance in Grand Slams, as he reached the quarterfinals at French Open 2019 after defeating the eighth-seed, Juan Martin del Potro. The victory in Paris assisted his ingress in ATP’s first-ten bracket for the very first time in his career, and last year, he was declared the champion at Paris Masters after he defeated Novak Djokovic in the finals.

For the first time in nine years, there are two Russian players in the top-ten ATP rankings Khachanov takes the eight spot and Daniil Medvedev on the tenth.