TENNIS in DEPTH.

Nikolay Davydenko could miss Russia’s Davis Cup tie with India after being forced to pull out of the Dubai Championships with a wrist injury.

The Russian struggled through Tuesday’s first-round match before pulling out of his second-round match with Michael Berrer after losing the first set 6-3.

“I thought about quitting before the match, but in practice I was OK. A match is different though,” he said.

“It was too much for me, it gets too risky now, and it’s better to retire.”

Second seed Novak Djokovic survived a minor scare before seeing off fellow Serb Viktor Troicki 3-6 6-4 6-2, but it was the exit of ATP World Tour champion Davydenko that really grabbed the headlines.

Davydenko had complained of discomfort after his three-set win over Florent Serra on Tuesday, but was clearly in more pain against Berrer.

He frequently over-hit the ball, suffered an early break of serve to go 3-1 down and was unable to break back against the powerful left-hander.

When Davydenko netted a high backhand volley, it was clear he was struggling and was not fit to carry on.

“I thought I could win anyway,” said world number 56 Berrer.

“At the moment I am self-confident. My way of playing hurts a lot of guys.”

In the last eight, the German will play former Australian Open finalist Marcos Baghdatis, after he beat Indian qualifier Somdev Devvarman 6-3 3-6 6-1.

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