Nalbandian Notches a Memorable Victory
What a difference one tournament can make! Argentine tennis star, David Nalbandian, was ranked as high as 3rd in the world a couple years ago, but his ranking had plummeted and he had had a horrible 2007 until last week. Nalbandian won the ATP Madrid Masters tournament beating the second-ranked, Rafael Nadal, third-ranked, Novak Djokovic, and top-ranked, Roger Federer, in succession in the quarters, semis and
finals. It’s quite an accomplishment for a player and has only been done two other times since 1994, i.e. Boris Becker in 1994 and Novak Djokovic in 2007. Given Nalbandian’s talent and past ranking, it’s not so much a surprise, but almost more a sigh of relief… “he’s back!” Just in time for the end of the 2007 season, Nalbandian has finally found his confidence and his fitness. Surprisingly, Nalbandian has a 6-7 record in finals although he has now won his last four finals. In addition, Nalbandian is 7-8 versus Federer lifetime although this was only his second victory against Federer in their last ten meetings. This is not just great news for Nalbandian fans, but also for all tennis fans. David Nalbandian is one of those few tennis players who can play successfully on all surfaces. The challenge for Nalbandian will be to ride this victory through the end of 2007 and more importantly into the 2008 Australian Open. In January, Nalbandian will turn 26 and is potentially ready to capitalize on his Wimbledon final round appearance from 2002. Nalbandian’s tennis talent warrants a return to the finals of a Grand Slam… but will he actually come through and win one in 2008?
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