Davydenko claims ATP World Tour Final title

By James Toney, Sportsbeat, at the o2 Arena

NIKOLAY Davydenko arrived in London as a largely anonymous member of an all-star sporting cast, destined for a supporting role.

POWERFUL PERFORMANCE: Nikolay Davydenko wins the biggest title of his career - claiming the ATP World Tour Final in London (Getty Images)

But he leaves having introduced himself as a true champion - beating Juan Martin Del Potro to claim the ATP World Tour Final title.

Only those who follow the game closely can claim to truly know all about the Russian world number seven, who was beaten by Novak Djokovic in the final of this event 12 months ago.

To say he came of age at the o2 this week but be unfair on the 28 year old but this was certainly his finest hour, eclipsing his three Masters 1000 titles and two appearances in Grand Slam semi-finals.

In the space of less than 48 hours he has beaten Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and the US Open champion - the quiet man has been making some very big noises in this cavernous dome.

It's not often the 6ft 6in Del Potro fails to impose himself on his rivals but he was simply bullied off court 6-3, 6-4 - the third successive time the final of the season-ending tournament has been decided in straight sets.

Davydenko has always been a consistent striker of the ball - hence his nickname of The Machine - but he has often been criticised for lacking variation in his game.

But he got his tactics spot on here, performances he hopes will lay the foundation to improve his Grand Slam record in Melbourne early next year.