Nalbandian back from injury, impresses at Legg Mason
Argentinian David Nalbandian came back to the ATP tour after a prolonged absence due to injury, defeating Rajeev Ram with a score of 6-4, 6-0 at the Washington Classic. Nalbandian has formerly held the world number three ranking, and due to a hamstring injury on his left leg, was forced to sit out from on-court play since April.
The South American has been plagued by injuries this year, undergoing surgery on his right hip in May 2009, and having to miss close to nine months of the tour. After coming back into the game earlier this February, Nalbandian tore the abductor muscle on his right leg, which caused even more down-time for the Argentinian. Only a few months later, he was to face yet another injury, having to put hold on his career for another two months, as he awaited recovery of his hamstring.
Due to successive injuries, Nalbandian was absent from the tour following his quarter-final defeat in Monte Carlo. He was nevertheless able to come back to the Davis Cup, winning on two occasions to take Argentina into the quarter-finals, eventually tying Russia.
"Since the Davis Cup, I'm feeling a little better," Nalbandian admitted. "I feel great. I need to play more matches. I feel fit. Results are going to come."
Impressive return to hardcourt
Nalbandian has seen success on grass as a runner up at Wimbledon in 2002, and earlier yesterday the Argentinian was able to advance to the second-round, where he will face Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland. The 28-year-old Nalbandian, who is a wild card at the Legg Mason Classic, is making the most of smaller hard-court play as a preparatory lead up for the US Open at the end of August.
Although it’s customary to prepare for the hard-court Grand Slam by participating in smaller lead up tournaments, Nalbandian’s injuries have kept him seated courtside.
"I haven't played a lot of matches. That's not good," Nalbandian said. "It's tough when you are out of the tournaments for a long time. It's not easy to get here and be competitive. You have to pay attention to every little thing."
Having held the world number three spot, Nalbandian must cringe at his current raking as world 117th. Despite his drop in the rankings, the Argentinian has a winning record of 12-3 on the ATP tour this season. Yet losing out to Novak Djokovic and Nafael Nadal to account for two of his losses, following a come back from an injury prone season, means any fan should take his low ranking with a grain of salt.
Being far from his top physical fitness level, Nalbandian is gradually getting back up to speed, although it is uncertain when he will be in excellent form once again.
"It's tough to say," Nalbandian said. "Every time I go on the court I feel a little better. But it seems like it's never enough. I'm still working on it."
Nalbandian’s unrelenting effort despite his serious injuries is certainly commendable, as the South American vies for a good showing at the upcoming 2010 US Open later in August.
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