Tennis Special Report: David Nalbandian- an all-court player currently ranked 37th in the world (Part I)
Eight years ago, an unknown tennis player from Argentina shocked the tennis world by storming into the final of Wimbledon at the All England Club. He was solid, cranky and spirited however, there was something fascinating about his game, something that indicated
his immense potential. His return of serve was potent and smooth and his backhand was awesome. His future was great and certainly, a major trophy awaited him.
Fast-forward through a professional life messed with a couple of injuries, missed chances as well as mental lapses and the fans were left wondering whether David Pablo Nalbandian was to secure the infamous designation of being the all time tennis great to
end his career without a major trophy?
The results of the Argentinean tennis player squeal a resounding "Yes!"
Following his breakthrough run at the grass court Grand Slam tournament at the All England Club back in 2002, David built upon his success the next season, making it to the final of the Montreal tennis tournament. Where he was defeated by Andy Roddick and
then to the United States Open semi finals, dismissing former runner up Mark Philppoussis and some scrub called Roger Federer (on the second occasion in a major and third time overall that season) along the way.
In the semi finals, David met Andy once again and looked to have turned the tables on his American tennis foe. In what would become a periodic theme for the player from Cordoba, David held a lead of two sets and a match point in the third set tie break,
however couldn’t able to convert, as he lost his serve and eventually the clash, ensuring that Andy would not go down as the Greatest to Never capture a major title.
In 2003, David made his way into his third semi final round of a major event at the French Open tennis tournament. On his way to the semis, the Argentinean tennis ace knocked down Marat Safin and three-time winner Guga Kuerten, and entered his semi-final
clash versus his countrymen Gaston Gaudio as the hot favourite.
Strangely, David folded, losing in straight sets and easily paving the way for Kuerten to register his name as the worst major winner of all time. The next season saw more of the same from David, who made it deep into the majors just to come up short versus
lesser competition, as was the case in his defeat at the hands of Thomas Johansson in the quarter final round of the grass court Grand Slam tournament at the All England Club.
And then at last it happened.
Just when his fans were all set to label their tennis star, David Nalbandian as a perennial disappointment and head case, the Argentinean tennis player exhibited his top class game. After falling down in the opening two sets in hotly played tie breaks to
the Swiss tennis maestro, Roger Federer in the final of the Masters Cup tennis tournament back in 2005, the David everyone had waited to see all along emerged. At times, the Argentinean looked to wield a wand rather than a racket, fabricating prodigious angles,
skilfully volleying, and painting the lines with his sizzling ground strokes. He managed to come down on the twenty nine year old Roger Federer in the third and fourth sets and eventually captured the greatest trophy of his professional career to date in a
fifth-set tiebreaker.
Definitely, now the professional tennis player from Argentine, David Nalbandian would realize his potential and go all the way at a major, right?
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