Davydenko: he’s not retiring yet

Russian veteran Nikolay Davydenko on Wednesday said he had no plans to quit tennis despite dropping down the rankings and drastically reducing his schedule. The 31-year-old, who won the inaugural Malaysian Open in 2009, was speaking after reaching the second round of this year’s tournament with a 7-5, 6-4 win over India’s Sanam Singh. Davydenko rose to world number three on the back of a hectic schedule which saw him play nearly 100 matches in 2006. But Davydenko, now ranked 44, said he was now content just stay in the top 50. He has lost half of his 40 matches this year. “I don’t want to push myself any more. I am happy to maintain my top 50 ranking and enjoy tennis,” he said in Kuala Lumpur. “My wrist injury (suffered in 2010) has fully recovered, but at this age it is not easy staying fit throughout the entire year.” Davydenko will meet next Denis Istomin after the Uzbek upset sixth seed Pablo Andujar of Spain.