David Nalbandian facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
David Nalbandian

Nalbandian at Boodles 2011.
Full name	David Pablo Nalbandian
Country (sports)	Argentina
Residence	Unquillo, Argentina
Born	(1982-01-01) 1 January 1982 (age 43) Unquillo, Argentina
Height	1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Turned pro	2000
Retired	2013
Plays	Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
Prize money	US$11,114,755
Official website	davidnalbandian.com
Singles
Career record	383–192 (66.6%)
Career titles	11
Highest ranking	No. 3 (20 March 2006)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open	SF (2006)
French Open	SF (2004, 2006)
Wimbledon	F (2002)
US Open	SF (2003)
Other tournaments
Tour Finals	W (2005)
Olympic Games	3R (2008)
Doubles
Career record	48–53
Career titles	0
Highest ranking	No. 105 (5 October 2009)
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian Open	1R (2003)
French Open	1R (2003)
Wimbledon	2R (2003)
Team competitions
Davis Cup	F (2006, 2008, 2011)
Medal record Pan American Games Bronze 1999 Winnipeg Singles

Nalbandian signing autographs at the 2006 Australian Open.

David Pablo Nalbandian (born 1 January 1982) is a former professional tennis player from Argentina. He was known for his powerful shots and amazing backhand. David reached his highest ranking of world No. 3 in March 2006. His career lasted from 2000 to 2013.

Nalbandian was a runner-up at the 2002 Wimbledon Championships. He won 11 singles titles, including the important Tennis Masters Cup in 2005. He also won two Masters 1000 tournaments. David is the only Argentine man in history to reach the semifinals or better at all four major tennis tournaments, called Grand Slams. He was also a key player for the Argentinian Davis Cup team, helping them reach the finals in 2006, 2008, and 2011. After retiring from tennis, Nalbandian started a new career in rally car racing.

About David Nalbandian

David Nalbandian was born in Unquillo, a small city in Córdoba Province, Argentina. His family has roots from Armenia and Italy. He became a professional tennis player when he was 18 years old.

David's Tennis Career

Junior Success

As a junior player, David Nalbandian was very good. He reached No. 3 in the world for juniors in 1998. He also won the US Open boys' singles final. In that final, he beat another future tennis star, Roger Federer.

Starting Professional Tennis (2000–2002)

David became a professional tennis player in 2000. By 2001, he was among the top 50 players in the world. In 2002, he became the No. 1 Argentine and South American player. That year, he won two ATP titles. He also reached the final at Wimbledon, a very famous tournament. He played against Lleyton Hewitt in the final but lost.

Climbing the Ranks (2003–2004)

In 2003, Nalbandian didn't reach another major final. He had an injury during Wimbledon. In 2004, he played his best at the French Open, reaching the semifinals. He lost to Gastón Gaudio, who went on to win the tournament. Even though he didn't win any titles in 2004, he was a runner-up in two big tournaments: the Rome Masters and the Madrid Masters. He entered the top 5 players in the world for the first time and finished 2004 as World No. 9.

Winning the Masters Cup (2005)

The year 2005 was a strong one for David. He reached the quarterfinals at the Australian Open, Wimbledon, and the U.S. Open. At Wimbledon, he made an amazing comeback against Andy Murray. He was two sets down but still won the match. He was the only player to ever beat Murray after being down two sets.

His biggest win came at the Tennis Masters Cup. This is a special tournament for the best players at the end of the year. David won two of his group matches. In the semifinals, he beat Nikolay Davydenko. Then, in the final, he played against World No. 1 Roger Federer. David won in a very exciting five-set match, even after being two sets down! He was the first player to win this cup without having won a Grand Slam or Masters Series title before.

More Semifinals (2006)

In January 2006, David reached the semifinals of the Australian Open. This meant he had reached the semifinals of all four Grand Slam tournaments in his career. He lost a tough five-set match to Marcos Baghdatis. In May, he won the Estoril Open in Portugal for the second time. A month later, he reached his second French Open semifinal. This was the only time he reached two Grand Slam semifinals in one year. He had to stop playing in the French Open semifinal due to an injury.

Later in 2006, David helped the Argentine Davis Cup team reach the final. He won both of his singles matches in the final, but Argentina still lost to Russia.

Amazing Comeback (2007)

In 2007, David's ranking dropped because of several injuries. However, his season changed when he won the 2007 Madrid Masters. This was an incredible win because he beat the world's top three players in a row: Rafael Nadal (No. 2), Novak Djokovic (No. 3), and Roger Federer (No. 1). He is the only player ever to beat all three of these "Big Three" players in the same tournament!

His great form continued at the 2007 Paris Masters. He beat Federer again and then defeated Rafael Nadal in the final. This made him the first player to win the Madrid and Paris Masters back-to-back since Marat Safin in 2004. These wins brought him back into the world's top 10.

Ups and Downs (2008)

David started 2008 in the top 10. He won the Copa Telmex in Argentina and the Stockholm Open. However, he had some early losses at the Grand Slams. He reached the finals of the Davidoff Swiss Indoors and the BNP Paribas Masters.

He also played in the 2008 Davis Cup final for Argentina against Spain. He won his singles match, but Argentina lost the final.

Injuries and Comebacks (2009–2011)

In 2009, David won his tenth ATP title at the Medibank International in Sydney. But soon after, he had to have hip surgery. This meant he missed the rest of the Grand Slams that year. He tried to come back in 2010 but faced more knee and leg injuries.

Despite injuries, he still had some great moments. In 2010, he helped Argentina win a Davis Cup match against Russia. He also won the Legg Mason Tennis Classic, his first title since 2009. He then reached the quarterfinals of the Roger's Masters Series. In 2011, he started strong, reaching the final of the Auckland Open. He also had a very long match against Lleyton Hewitt at the Australian Open, which he won. More injuries, including a torn hamstring, caused him to miss many tournaments.

Queen's Club Incident (2012)

In 2012, David reached the final of the Aegon Championships at the Queen's Club in England. During the match, he accidentally kicked a wooden panel in front of a line judge, causing a small injury. Because of this, he was disqualified from the match. He also lost his prize money and ranking points. This incident was widely reported.

After this, he played at Wimbledon and the London Olympics but lost in the first round of both. He also had to withdraw from the 2012 US Open due to a chest muscle injury.

Retirement (2013)

David played his last career final at the 2013 Brasil Open, where he lost to Rafael Nadal. After a Davis Cup match, he needed surgery on his right shoulder. This injury kept him from playing for most of 2013. On October 1, he announced that he was retiring from professional tennis.

Life After Tennis

After retiring from tennis, David Nalbandian started a new sports career in Rallying! He competes in the Argentine Rally Championship. He has also raced in the South American Rally Championship and even one event in the World Rally Championship. He usually races a Chevrolet Agile car. In 2021, he also became a coach for tennis player Miomir Kecmanović.

How David Played Tennis

David Nalbandian was known as an "all-court" player, meaning he could play well from anywhere on the court. He hit powerful shots from the back of the court. His special shot was his two-handed backhand hit down the line, which many people thought was one of the best ever. He used it to win points or make his opponents hit weak returns. He was also very good at returning serves.

Early in his career, many people thought David would become one of the very best players, like Roger Federer. He even beat Federer five times in a row between 2002 and 2003. However, injuries and sometimes struggling with his focus were challenges that kept him from reaching his full potential.

Career Statistics

Grand Slam Performance

Grand Slam Finals: 1 (1 Runner-up)

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Opponent	Score
Loss	2002	Wimbledon	Grass	Lleyton Hewitt	1–6, 3–6, 2–6

Year-End Championship Performance

Year–End Championship Finals: 1 (1 Title)

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Opponent	Score
Win	2005	Tennis Masters Cup	Carpet (i)	Roger Federer	6–7(4–7), 6–7(11–13), 6–2, 6–1, 7–6(7–3)

Images for kids

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  David Nalbandian at the 2008 BNP Paribas Masters

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  David Nalbandian at the 2011 Wimbledon Championships

See also

In Spanish: David Nalbandian para niños