Sep 3, 2008, 0:05 GMT
New York - Nikolay Davydenko smashed all four of his match rackets in frustration as the fifth seed fell to number 130 Gilles Muller to exit the US Open fourth round on Tuesday.
But Davydenko's gesture may have been an empty one with reports circulating that the under-fire Russian is set to be exonerated by the ATP after a 14-month probe into alleged match-fixing.
But by now, Davydenko often seems too spent to care.
'I just have trouble with racquet, that's why I broke them all,' he said after going down to outsider Muller. 'I've never done that in my career.'
'Last year I broke maybe one,' said the man who won the Miami title in March using the same weapon for nine days. 'I didn't have for (a possible) fifth set anymore.'
Davydenko, who has always proclaimed his innocence after he lost an August 2007 match later deemed suspicious by the ATP due to a massive internet gambling take - betting was later annulled - has surely been worn down by the continuing and unsubstantiated drama in his life.
'I was really tired just this year. I just played tennis and tried to prepare. I didn't practice so much really didn't make a special effort.
'I can beat everyone, and I can lose to everyone. Today he was playing good. I normally would have had a chance to win, but I didn't.
'It's not about the investigation. I wanted to win, but I didn't.'
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