Nikolay Davydenko, at 28 years of age, is the oldest player in the ATP top ten, two months older than world No.1 Roger Federer.

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The Russian's performance in the ATP World Tour Finals in London however saw him rewind the clock to produce a scintillating display of tennis more associated with the young brigade of Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and Juan Martin Del Potro.

After beating Federer for the first time in 13 meetings in the semi-finals, Davydenko could have been forgiven for producing a lean showing the following evening against reigning US Open champion Del Potro.

The world No.6 arguably played the match of his life against Federer to seal a passage to a second consecutive final appearance at the end-of-year Masters tournament.

Coming up against a player seven years his junior in the final, Davydenko faced the ominous task of reproducing his semi-final effort against a young Argentine who looked on course to end his breakthrough 2009 season on a high.

Age proved to be no barrier for the Russian however, as Davydenko powered his way past Del Potro to record a convincing 6-3 6-4 victory for his maiden ATP World Tour Finals title.

Davydenko was in control for most of the match, producing an array of shots that managed to suck the energy out of Del Potro's power game.

Indeed, the Russian found himself in control of almost every rally from the baseline - an area of the court where Del Potro has become accustomed to dominating.

The world No.5 however could not maintain any sort of rhythm against an opponent who was playing at his peak from all corners of the court.

Davydenko simply had all the answers to the few questions Del Potro managed to raise during an encounter that proved that the Russian is far from a spent force on the men's tour.

At full fitness, the former French and US Open semi-finalist is still capable of perhaps challenging for a maiden Grand Slam title next season.

In just over a week of action, Davydenko proved that his status as the oldest player in the ATP top ten was never a hindrance against opponents who are in their early or mid twenties.

Despite Del Potro's early career success, the US Open champion is yet to master the ability to back up his solid performances on a day-to-day basis.

Davydenko, on the other hand, managed to keep enough petrol in the tank to overcome an early loss against Djokovic, to win his next four matches and emerge victorious.

He has now proved that whilst his body may be ageing, his form with the racquet certainly isn’t.

The Russian may actually be hitting his career peak in a period where most players his age tend to start losing their early career spark.

If Davydenko can hold his purple patch of form until January then he may just find himself with a strong chance of lifting an overdue maiden Grand Slam title at the Australian Open.