"Defeated Roger Federer twice in the round of 16 in the Grand Slams in 2003. Also beat him in the Tennis Cup Finals in 2005."
David Nalbandian had made a trip to the Wimbledon finals in 2002 (Upending George Bastl, who'd beaten Pete Sampras), but it wasn't pretty against Lleyton Hewitt in the finals. The Australian won, 6-1, 6-3, 6-2.
Would the next year be any better with Federer poised for his first Grand Slam.
For Federer, 2002 had been a mixed year. He'd won the German Open, he'd gotten to the finals of the Italian. He'd reached the semifinals of the Masters Cup. He'd finished 6th.
But what about the real story?
You know, the grand ones?
The Grand Slams.
Federer had failed to advance to the last eight in any of them (In 2001, Roger reached the quarters of both the French and Wimbledon) and twice lost in the first round. The furthers he got was the fourth round of the Australian Open and US Open.
So 2003 started with Federer entering the Australian Open as the 6th seed. First three matches, and not a set lost. But David Nalbandian, who was 2-0 vs. The Swiss Maestro, kept his record perfect with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 1-6, 6-3 win. This was also the first time the two had met in a Grand Slam.
Federer came up empty at the French, but won his first Slam at Wimbledon (He has, to date, won that tournament eight times). Meanwhile, Nalbandian lost in the second round at Paris and the fourth at Wimbledon. He got to the finals in Montreal, but lost to Andy Roddick.
So at the US Open, Nalbandian beat Mark Philippoussis (Who Federer had beaten in the finals at Wimbledon) in the third round, then awaited Roger Federer, who'd dropped just one set in three matches. However, Nalbandian needed just four sets to take care of Federer, and sailed into the semifinals. He won the first two sets against Roddick, before Andy came back and won in five. Roddick then won the finals over Juan Carlos Ferrero.
Roger Federer took flight in 2004, winning the Australian Open, Wimbledon and US Open. He added the Tennis Masters Cup. But 2005 wasn't quite the same. Marat Safin beat him in the Australian Open semifinals, saving a match point. Rafael Nadal beat him in the French Open semis. Both went on to win the respected Grand Slams. So Federer had some company in the majors.
Still, he won Wimbledon and the US Open. The bad taste in the mouth was from the Tennis Masters Cup. Roger, you see, had beaten Dave there in 2003. He'd also beaten him at the US Open in 2005. Plus, for good measure, Federer had come out on top in their quarterfinal match Down Under in 2004.
When Federer outlasted Nalbandian in the first two sets (Both tiebreakers) of the Tennis Masters in 2005, it appeared to be over. But Nalbandian lost just four games in the next two sets to level it. In the fifth and deciding set, he scored a tiebreaker win of his own (7-3) to take the title in dramatic fashion.
Nalbandian had one last good year in 2006, as he reached the semifinals of the first two Grand Slams. From there, his days of being a contender in the majors was over (He did, however, win both the Madrid and Paris Masters in 2007). David, remarkably, reached the finals of one or more tournaments in all but the first of his fourteen years on the tour. He retired after 2011. He never won a Grand Slam, but put together a very respectable 8-11 record against Roger Federer all-tiem
Collins, Bud. The Bud Collins History Of Tennis: An Authoritative Encyclopedia And Record Book. 2nd ed. Washington, D.C.: New Chapter, 2010. Print.
“Head To Head | Roger Federer vs David Nalbandian H2H.” STEVE G TENNIS. Web. 23 Jan. 2018. www.stevegtennis.com/head-to-head/men/Roger_Federer/David_Nalbandian/.
David Nalbandian had made a trip to the Wimbledon finals in 2002 (Upending George Bastl, who'd beaten Pete Sampras), but it wasn't pretty against Lleyton Hewitt in the finals. The Australian won, 6-1, 6-3, 6-2.
Would the next year be any better with Federer poised for his first Grand Slam.
For Federer, 2002 had been a mixed year. He'd won the German Open, he'd gotten to the finals of the Italian. He'd reached the semifinals of the Masters Cup. He'd finished 6th.
But what about the real story?
You know, the grand ones?
The Grand Slams.
Federer had failed to advance to the last eight in any of them (In 2001, Roger reached the quarters of both the French and Wimbledon) and twice lost in the first round. The furthers he got was the fourth round of the Australian Open and US Open.
So 2003 started with Federer entering the Australian Open as the 6th seed. First three matches, and not a set lost. But David Nalbandian, who was 2-0 vs. The Swiss Maestro, kept his record perfect with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 1-6, 6-3 win. This was also the first time the two had met in a Grand Slam.
Federer came up empty at the French, but won his first Slam at Wimbledon (He has, to date, won that tournament eight times). Meanwhile, Nalbandian lost in the second round at Paris and the fourth at Wimbledon. He got to the finals in Montreal, but lost to Andy Roddick.
So at the US Open, Nalbandian beat Mark Philippoussis (Who Federer had beaten in the finals at Wimbledon) in the third round, then awaited Roger Federer, who'd dropped just one set in three matches. However, Nalbandian needed just four sets to take care of Federer, and sailed into the semifinals. He won the first two sets against Roddick, before Andy came back and won in five. Roddick then won the finals over Juan Carlos Ferrero.
Roger Federer took flight in 2004, winning the Australian Open, Wimbledon and US Open. He added the Tennis Masters Cup. But 2005 wasn't quite the same. Marat Safin beat him in the Australian Open semifinals, saving a match point. Rafael Nadal beat him in the French Open semis. Both went on to win the respected Grand Slams. So Federer had some company in the majors.
Still, he won Wimbledon and the US Open. The bad taste in the mouth was from the Tennis Masters Cup. Roger, you see, had beaten Dave there in 2003. He'd also beaten him at the US Open in 2005. Plus, for good measure, Federer had come out on top in their quarterfinal match Down Under in 2004.
When Federer outlasted Nalbandian in the first two sets (Both tiebreakers) of the Tennis Masters in 2005, it appeared to be over. But Nalbandian lost just four games in the next two sets to level it. In the fifth and deciding set, he scored a tiebreaker win of his own (7-3) to take the title in dramatic fashion.
Nalbandian had one last good year in 2006, as he reached the semifinals of the first two Grand Slams. From there, his days of being a contender in the majors was over (He did, however, win both the Madrid and Paris Masters in 2007). David, remarkably, reached the finals of one or more tournaments in all but the first of his fourteen years on the tour. He retired after 2011. He never won a Grand Slam, but put together a very respectable 8-11 record against Roger Federer all-tiem
References
Collins, Bud. The Bud Collins History Of Tennis: An Authoritative Encyclopedia And Record Book. 2nd ed. Washington, D.C.: New Chapter, 2010. Print.
“Head To Head | Roger Federer vs David Nalbandian H2H.” STEVE G TENNIS. Web. 23 Jan. 2018. www.stevegtennis.com/head-to-head/men/Roger_Federer/David_Nalbandian/.
Infosys, FedEx, Peugeot, and LeSports. "Official Site of Men's Professional Tennis | ATP World Tour | Tennis." ATP World Tour. Emirates. Web. 23 Jan. 2018. <http://www.atpworldtour.com/>
Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Web. 23 Jan. 2018. <https://en.wikipedia.org/>
Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Web. 23 Jan. 2018. <https://en.wikipedia.org/>
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