David Nalbandian

Born: January 1, 1982 in Unquillo (Córdoba)
Height: 1.79 m
Plays: Right-handed (two-handed backhand)

Alongside Andre Agassi(an) Աղասյան and Sargis Sargsian Սարգսյան, David Nalbandian Նալբանդյան belongs to a small group of prominent tennis players with Armenian roots (his grandfather came to Argentina, and built a cement court in his backyard, little David started his tennis adventure on this court) – his surname means “one who makes horseshoes”; Agassian comes from ‘Aghasi’, meaning “noble,” while Sargsian (b. 1973, the best Armenian in history) derives from ‘Sarkis’, meaning “protector.” They all three faced each other, unexpectedly Sargsian won his only meeting against Nalbandian.
I don’t think of Nalbandian as “the best player of the Open Era without a major title,” but it’s legitimate to call him that when comparing players born in the 80s by their skill set. At the twilight of the Pete Sampras/Agassi era, I even thought that one day he’d become the best player in the world, but at the time it was tough to expect Roger Federer‘s cosmic ascendancy, and other great players were either too young (Rafael Nadal) or unknown (Novak Đoković, Andy Murray).
Distinctive & bold competitor anyway – no doubt about it. As a smart tactician he could afford to play on every surface on his own terms. It’s a domain of exceptionally gifted players, who possess all shots in their repertoires – he was one of them. Obviously, he will be remembered as someone with a terrific two-handed backhand, but I’d like to pay close attention to his one-handed skills; usually, “two-handed guys” don’t play slice backhands and volleys with Nalbandian’s finesse. His first serve was never a serious weapon, but his second serve, often neglected in analysis, was very efficient, giving him the edge during baseline rallies.
I wish he had won the Davis Cup at least once – I think he deserved it, leading the team to the 2006, 2008 & 2011 finals, defeating very good players in those finals (especially the 2008 final was very unfortunate for the Argentinians). On the other hand, he was the only guy besides two players (Àlex Corretja & Nikolay Davydenko) with comparable achievements to his, capturing the ‘Masters’ (2005) without having a major title under his belt – I consider his triumph in Shanghai as some kind of compensation for unsuccessful Davis Cup finals, a miracle, given the progress of that final and the man he had overcame there…
A crucial match in Nalbandian’s career, in my opinion, came at the Australian Open ’04. The Argentine, having advanced to the Wimbledon ’02 final (which he lost quickly) two years earlier, and the dramatic US Open semifinal a few months before, had the required experience to realistically think about winning a major in 2004. Then came a quarterfinal meeting against Federer, whom Nalbandian had recently defeated in the US Open 4th round – the Swiss avenged that loss in four sets, presenting a completely different game-style, improving their H2H to 2:5 (eventually won it 11-8). You never know what would have happened if something in the past had been slightly changed. My casual thought is that it was the key match for the paths of both players…
Three times in his career, Nalbandian had moments of tremendous glory. For the first time at the aforementioned Wimbledon ’02, when, as an unseeded player, he advanced to the final with actually non-existent grass-court familiarity as a pro; then in Shanghai ’05, when he triumphed in the year-end championships, defeating Federer, who was on a 35-match winning streak and on the verge of a magnificent comeback to notch his 36th win in a row; and for the third time in autumn 2007, when he claimed the two biggest indoor events of the regular season (Madrid & Paris), defeating in both events the best players at the time Federer & Nadal, as well as a younger Đoković (in Spain).
From 2008 onwards, he played below expectations – perhaps it made an impact on his nervousness, which manifested itself in a rare Queen’s Club ’12 final featuring a disqualification: Nalbandian unintentionally kicked the linesman, causing his bleeding. Following that incident, Nalbandian played only ten more events, the last one in Florida, where he had begun his main-level journey thirteen years earlier – where, being ranked 473, as a qualifier he almost defeated the former No. 1 Jim Courier (for whom it was the last victory of his career)… In 2021, Nalbandian briefly returned to the tour as a coach, working with Miomir Kecmanović, but was unable to turn the Serb into a “first league player.”

Career record: 383–192 [ 193 events ]
Career titles: 11
Highest ranking: No. 3
Best GS results:
Australian Open (semifinal 2006; quarterfinal 2003-05)
Roland Garros (semifinal 2004 & 2006)
Wimbledon (runner-up 2002; quarterfinal 2005)
US Open (semifinal 2003; quarterfinal 2005)
Masters champion 2005