David Nalbandian vs. Roger Federer: Will There Be Pt. 2 in the Rivalry?

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at Internationaled.org

Published: February 20, 2010

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David Nalbandian and Roger Federer have fought each other long and hard on tennis courts around the world since their days on the junior circuit, with Nalbandian usually winning those early contests.

The Argentine’s game, when he plays it at his best, makes him almost unbeatable. 

Early on in his career Nalbandian was a superior player to Federer, who often could not control his emotions, losing his way in a match. The wily Argentine recognized this fact and took full advantage.

Once they each turned pro, Nalbandian won their first five matches. It wasn’t until they met at the year-end 2003 Tennis Master’s Cup in Houston in round-robin play that Federer was finally able to defeat Nalbandian, 6-3, 6-0. Even so, Nalbandian finished 2003 in the top 10 for the first time in his career.

Even as Federer began his remarkable winning span from 2004 to 2007, Nalbandian continued to rise up periodically and remind the Swiss of his roots, taking him back to the days when Federer could be flummoxed by consistent play and tenacious returns. 

Nalbandian loved to remind Federer that the Argentine could exert his will and still beat the World No. 1.

In 2005, when Federer was attempting to equal John McEnroe’s 1984 win-loss record, Nalbandian met him in the finals of the Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai and defeated Federer in one of the greatest finals ever at that event (6-7, 6-7, 6-2, 6-1, 7-6).  

Federer won the first two sets in tiebreaks, but Nalbandian fought back, forcing a fifth set. The Argentine secured his win by outplaying Federer in the the final set tiebreak, forever ending Federer’s hope of equaling McEnroe’s 1984 win-loss record of 82-3 in one season—the Swiss ended the year at 81-4.

In 2007, Nalbandian scored back-to-back wins over Federer at ATP Masters Series events in Madrid and in Paris, which did not sit well wi...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Tennis

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