David Nalbandian

It’s not often one would look at a player whose highest ATP singles ranking peaked at number 3 and would then say their potential was never truly fulfilled. Yet that is exactly what can be said about David Nalbandian. The Argentine player was as good as anyone on his day and could beat the best of them. Indeed, at one point he had a notable rivalry with Roger Federer against whom he won 5 straight matches between 2002 and 2003. Yet injuries, inconsistent form and a lack of proper application denied him a chance of ever truly fulfilling his potential.

He amazingly never managed to win a Grand Slam, despite at one point being seen as one of the potential breakout stars of his generation. However, he did taste some success in his career. He won 11 singles titles and also competed in the doubles events on occasion. He was also a key part of Argentina’s Davis Cup teams.

He won a total of 11 singles titles. The first of his titles came in the year 2002, when he won the ATP Tour Challenger event at Estoril as well as the ATP 500 event in Basel. However, he would have to wait nearly three years after that to win his next ATP titles. In 2005, he clinched the ATP title at Munich but perhaps his crowning glory came in the year-ending Tennis Masters Cup, known today as the ATP Finals.

He faced Roger Federer in the final, with the Swiss maestro the favourite to retain his title. However, Nalbandian took a thrilling five-setter having lost the first two sets on tie-breakers. From that point on, he won at least 1 title a year all the way until 2010. 2006 saw him at Estoril again whereas in 2007, he won ATP Masters 1000 events at Paris and Madrid.

2008 brought two more titles in Stockholm and Buenos Aires, the latter of which went down well with the local crowds. In 2009 he won at Sydney and the final of his singles titles came the following year when he triumphed at Washington.

He also won a number of titles at junior levels, which understandably raised hopes that he would be a serious player in his professional career.

Nalbandian was a player whose very powerfully hit groundstrokes formed the basis for his game. He struck the ball well and his style was well suited to all surfaces, meaning he was a threat regardless of what tournament he was playing. His services were good, although they did not stand out as being either supremely powerful or accurate.

He had two signature shots on his arsenal: one was the wide drive that would swing out of the court. This shot was effective either as a winner or as one that would force an error or a weak return from the opponent. There was also the double-hand backhand down the line. When struck with precision, it was a shot that few if any felt they could return properly.

Besides that, he also possessed plenty of anticipation and could end points well at the nets. He also occasionally employed a chip and charge technique when his opponent was serving in a bid to surprise them.

Australian Open – semi-finalist in 2006
French Open – semi-finalist in 2004 and 2006
Wimbledon – runner-up in 2002
US Open – semi-finalist in 2002