French Open - EXCLUSIVE! Nikolay Davydenko says that his epic semi-final loss to Rafael Nadal in Rome last month has given him a psychological edge.

Davydenko, who eased into the second-round at Roland Garros with a 7-5 6-3 6-1 humbling of Austrian Werner Eschauer, became the first man to take a set off of Nadal on clay earlier this year losing to the claycourt king 6-7 (3) 7-6 (8) 4-6 in a three hour and forty minute classic.

"I think it's good for me. I did a good result, because Nadal next time knows who he's playing against," the fourth seeded Russian told eurosport.yahoo.com.

"He knows I play good, I can fight at every ball. He needs to think about 'this guy fights until the end and I need to play very good.'"

"He has a little bit more pressure. For another guy he knows, 'I'll beat him 6-2 6-2 and I'll beat him easy,' he has more confidence."

Asked if the Rome battle will give him a psychological edge if he has to face the twice-defending champion, Davydenko replied, "Yes, maybe."

"This match gives me some chance to know how I need to beat Nadal on clay."

The world number four reached the quarter-finals at the French Open last year and made it to the semi-finals at Roland Garros the year before.

Davydenko says that though his top-two grand slams have proven to be the French Open and the Australian Open - where he has reached three-straight quarter-finals - Roland Garros is the one slam he would prefer to win.

"Australia, there aren't so many people there and there's not so much pressure from anyone."

Though Davydenko would rather win a title on the clay of Paris than the hard-courts of Melbourne, he enjoys playing at Roland Garros less because of the pressure he receives from playing on his home continent.

"It's pretty tough to play in Europe. I never have pressure in the US Open, I never have pressure at the Australian Open.

"You're alone there, there's nobody there. I only have my wife and coach there and a few guys who support me and here it's like so much people."

"You have pressure to get good results, because everybody wants to see you play good and if you're feeling not so great, you have pressure.

"It's less enjoyable, the pressure is not so nice."

All pressure aside, Davydenko has impressed on the slow dirt dominating his first two opponents easing past Eschauer and dominating Stefano Galvani 6-3 6-1 6-1 in his rain-effected opener.

In the third round Davydenko faces home-favourite Michaël Llodra, who beat Spanish dirt-baller Nicolas Almagro.

Being in the top-half of the draw the Russian would not have a possible match-up with Rafa until the final and would likely have to face top seed Roger Federer in the semis to reach the last round.

Davydenko challenged the world number one in a grand slam before, pushing Federer to two tie-breaks after taking the second set from the Swiss at last year's Australian Open.

He ultimately lost the match, but took heart from the 4-6 6-3 6-7 (7) 6-7 (5) score-line.

"Federer also, you need to know how to play against him," Davydenko said. "You need to know what you need to do on a court to play against him."

"That's what is very important firstly. Secondly, you need to be 100 percent fit to do something. If you're in bad condition and you're feeling not so good, you have no chance."

"I played against him in the US Open semi-final [Davydenko lost 1-6 5-7 4-6], I didn't play well, I had no chance to win."

"You need to be in good control, you need to know how you need to play, and if you can do each one you have a chance to beat him."

As the next highest seed still in the tournament Davydenko rightly feels he can contest against the world numbers one and two should he make it that far.

No matter what happens at Roland Garros, Davydenko thinks that the two men who have dominated the ATP rankings for the past few years will be safely in one and two for some time to come.

"I think these guys are still in good position, I don't think there's someone else who can beat these guys. Not yet."