The God of Tennis

[RogiFan]

Hi Becca,

I took the liberty of starting a Nalby thread on your behalf since I have some news... not good I'm afraid, reported in the Spanish papers [not the Argentine]:

It seems Nalby got himself involved in a car accident I think early this morning on some dangerous curvy road outside his town. The cause is still unknown and he was taken to the hospital w a neck injury but not serious at all. He was driving a Peugeot 206.



Hmm... wonder what that means for his indoor season. Will he be fit for Madrid and to defend Basel??

[Ilhame]

I hope he's ok

Driving a 206 ;D
Like the car!!

[The Chloe]

I heard that he was uninjured, that his gf had very minor injuries, and that the other driver hurt his ankle. So nothing serious.

Thanks for the thread

[TennisHack]

Big Dave's growing out his hair ;D


Argentina's David Nalbandian returns a ball to his opponent Arnaud Clement of France during their second round match at the Swiss Indoors tennis tournament in Basel, Switzerland, on Thursday, Oct. 23, 2003. (AP Photo/Keystone, Markus Stuecklin)

[RogiFan]

I bow to you oh Duck Hunter! Juanqui thanks you!

But now it's your turn to be hunted tomorrow in Basel...

[Vera]

Well done, Daveed

Take the title too!

[The Chloe]

DAVID NALBANDIAN IS THE GOD OF TENNIS! ;D

(on a serious note, hopefully he beats Coria tomorrow!)

[TennisHack]

:lmao: Looks like the duck's expressions have rubbed off on his latest hunter!


(AP Photo/Keystone, Markus Stuecklin)

[TennisHack]

David Nalbandian of Argentina looks on in disappointment during the presentation ceremony at the Swiss Indoors ATP Tennis tournament in Basel October 26, 2003. Finalist Nalbandian had to retire from the final of the Swiss Indoors ATP Tennis tournament due to an injured wrist and his compatriot Guillermo Coria was declared winner. REUTERS/Georgios Kefalas

[Lee]

For the admirers of God of Tennis ;D





David Nalbandian from Argentina reaches for the ball during a practice session in Melbourne January 18, 2004. Nalbandian is the eighth-seed for the Australian Open championship which begins January 19. REUTERS/Stuart Milligan

[Lee]

One more



David Nalbandian from Argentina throws his racquet, with a broken string, in the air during a practice session in Melbourne January 18, 2004. Nalbandian is the eighth-seed for the Australian Open championship which begins January 19. REUTERS/Stuart Milligan

[Vera]

He looks so tan. And his hair is very interesting and I kinda like it too.

[Lee]

Vera said:

He looks so tan. And his hair is very interesting and I kinda like it too.

I hope it's a tan, not sunburnt. The shoulders look a bit red to me.

[RogiFan]

Quiet achiever ready to go all the way
By Emma Quayle and Jason Dowling
January 27, 2004

David Nalbandian is not concerned with other people. Or, for that matter, by them. If it is still thought that his appearance in the 2002 Wimbledon final was a fluke, then there is nothing he can do about that.

Nalbandian grew up a Boris Becker fan but never bothered trying to play like him. Even the suggestion yesterday that his new, pony-tailed look was a tribute to David Beckham seemed mildly offensive to the young Argentinian.

"No. Just myself," Nalbandian said.

If there is actually any doubt that the 22-year-old could be lurking around the Rod Laver Arena baseline next Sunday afternoon, it is not coming from any of Nalbandian's fellow players.

Beaten in three intense sets at Kooyong two weeks ago, Andy Roddick described him as a good mover who possessed a great feel for the game.

Knocked over even more easily was Andre Agassi, who admired his great fighting heart and suspected, even then, that the Rebound Ace surface could carry the Argentinian far. He's a workman, Agassi said. He's willing to go out there and put in the time in tough conditions.

Nalbandian did not have to struggle particularly hard yesterday. In Guillermo Canas, he met an opponent who had played two five-set games and who looked in need of another good sleep. He won easily: 6-4, 6-2, 6-1.

That said, Nalbandian moves quietly, almost sneakily, and without any fuss at all. It is as if he knows, himself, how hard he is working and does not need to draw anyone else's attention to it.

"He made me run too much in the beginning and then I got tired," said Canas.

"I think David, he has a lot of chance to win this tournament. He plays very unbelievable tennis. He's very confident in his tennis."

Nalbandian played his first tennis as a five-year-old in Cordova, the second-largest Argentinian city, where he grew up. As a child, his sporting interests were wide.

"I do soccer, I swim, basketball, karate, horses," Nalbandian said. "When I was five years, I start playing tennis and also I do all the other sports at the same time."

It was at seven that tennis won out. Nalbandian was converted by the concrete court his Armenian grandfather had built in his backyard, and also by the fact that everyone else in his family played tennis.

One of his brothers, Javier, travels with him as coach; his other brother, Daro, coaches too.

That Nalbandian became the first open era player to reach a Wimbledon final on debut surprised no one more than him. He was only 20. It was only his fourth major tournament and it was the first time he had ever played on grass.

After being thumped by Lleyton Hewitt, Nalbandian went out and bought himself six brand new cars. It was a celebration, although he does not dwell only on the good times.

The first part of his summer was unsettled by the wrist injury that had already ruined the end of an otherwise successful 2003. But having trained hard throughout December, Nalbandian said the reason he might have found such form might be because he wasn't over-thinking things.

Nalbandian needs no inspiration to work hard. He dreams of playing in another grand slam final and wants to be ready when he gets there. He is also in no rush to block out the memories of how close he has already been to getting there.

The world No.8 took the first two sets from Roddick in their US Open semi-final last September, had a match point in the third set and was thrown when he had a backhand ruled wide on a break point late in the final set.

Roddick went on to claim the title, leaving Nalbandian to ponder a major might-have-been. It was the sort of moment most athletes would consign immediately to the move-on basket, at least in public.

But asked this week whether he had learnt the appropriate lessons from the tape of that match, Nalbandian not only conceded that he had hardly watched it, but said, smiling, that the only part he was interested in was the line call.

Todd Woodbridge and his doubles partner Jones Bjorkman continued their good form yesterday to advance to the quarter-finals.

The No.3 seeds beat Czechs Frantisek Cermak and Leos Friedl 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 and now face eighth seeds Wayne Black and Kevin Ullyett.

This story was found at: www.smh.com.au/articles/

[RogiFan]

Mr. February for Becca!!



www.atptennis.com/

[Lee]

Not a big fan of Nalby but this pic looks real sexy to me! Never notice there's a tattoo on his right shoulder before.

[RogiFan]

Moya turns out the lights on Nalbandian
By John Roberts in Rome
10 May 2004
It was not sweet but for the frustrated David Nalbandian it was mercifully short, and at least the sun finally smiled on the Rome Masters after a week of rain delays.

Carlos Moya's triumph in the final, 6-3, 6-3, 6-1, after one hour and 43 minutes, was so comprehensive that Nalbandian's errors - netted drop-shots and half-volleys, drives long or wide - became embarrassing and eventually prompted derisive whistles from spectators not noted for their sympathy.

At 4-0, 15-15 in the third set, Moya put his racket behind his back and improvised a winning shot between his legs. "He could have hit that shot with his hand or with anything," Nalbandian said. "Whatever he hit the ball with it was going to be in. He had all the lights on today."

Moya has rarely looked so confident since winning the French Open in 1998, and with injuries, illness or a lack of match practice affecting so many leading players, the former world No 1 from Majorca will go to Paris as one of the favourites.

"I've played solid all week," Moya said, "The only match I had trouble with was [in the third round] against [Ivo] Karlovic, because he doesn't give you any rhythm. The conditions were not easy. I was coming here a few days at nine o'clock in the morning and leaving at 11 o'clock at night. But I was very focused and everything was perfect."

Nalbandian has reason to believe he has the talent and ambition to be the world No 1 himself one day, but so far he has met with disappointment at the conclusion of important tournaments. His straight sets defeat by Lleyton Hewitt in the 2002 Wimbledon final was a memorable example, and the energy-draining scheduling caught up with him in the semi-finals at the US Open last year, when he lost to Andy Roddick, the eventual champion, after leading the American by two sets to love.

Yesterday, Nalbandian admitted that he was tired after playing well in difficult conditions en route to the final, and that Moya's expertise and confidence was too much for him to deal with.

"He played really good, and I couldn't do my best," the Argentinian said. "In the big moments he served very well and hit a forehand winner. He played unbelievable points. He played very near to the baseline, so it was not easy for me to come to the net."

Nalbandian's game began to unravel after he tried to be too clever and netted a backhand drop-shot for 1-2, 0-40, in the opening set. He then missed a backhand volley on break point, and Moya went on to complete a run of 10 points in a row.

After breaking in the opening game of the second set, Moya's concentration did not waver. Broken again for 1-4, Nalbandian salvaged some pride by recovering a break in the next game, only to lose his serve at 3-5. Moya pounded the clay without fear of reprisal in the third set, Nalbandian compounding his discomfort by double-faulting to 0-4.

Moya dedicated his victory to his compatriots, Rafael Nadal and Fernando Vicente, who are recovering from injuries.

Another of Moya's countrymen, Juan Carlos Ferrero, the French Open champion, who has recently recovered from chicken pox, yesterday pulled out of this week's Hamburg Masters after damaging a rib in a fall in practice.

This is likely to result in Lleyton Hewitt's promotion to a seeding, in which case he will not play Britain's Tim Henman, the fifth seed, in the first round. Henman has lost all seven of his matches against Hewitt.

Ferrero is one of 13 players to have withdrawn from the Hamburg event in what is proving to be a sorry season for the injury-hit sport.

sport.independent.co.uk/low_res/story.jsp?story=519704&host=18&dir=108

[RogiFan]

Nalbandian plans for a slam at end of the Roman road

Stephen Bierley in Rome
Saturday May 8, 2004

The Guardian

David Nalbandian, the Wimbledon runner-up in 2002, is such a hulk of a player that it is easy to forget he is still only 22 and has been playing at the highest level for not much more than 2 years. He may not be the most gifted player in the world but he has the strength and constitution of an ox, which has served him well in what, because of the rainy weather, has become an endurance test for most at this year's Italian Open.
The Argentinian had to complete two matches on Thursday in order to reach yesterday's quarter-finals where he defeated Vince Spadea of the United States 6-4, 6-3. Again it was chilly but at least the rain kept away.

Spadea had also been involved in a late finish the previous night, not getting to bed until well after midnight. This left him somewhat disorientated. "I didn't realise what time I was playing, so arrived a little early. But David probably went to bed later than me as I saw him getting a massage when I left," he said.

It has been a trying week for the tournament director Sergio Palmieri, who as well as having to juggle the schedule has seen too many of the top players, including the world No1 Roger Federer, go out early. "Of course I like to see the stars reaching the last stages but you have to accept what happens. That's the sport."

Last year this famous tournament appeared to be slowly dying on its feet, with poor crowds and dwindling interest. The frills have been dispensed with, making the Foro Italico, as one Italian journalist described it, more like a Bulgarian venue, but at least the tennis has recovered its place on Italia 1, one of Silvio Berlusconi's main network channels.

Nalbandian is hardly a promoters' dream, although his ability to speak Italian at least makes him a touch more engaging in Roman terms. His yellow shirt, in this city of style, was a fashion statement of rather more dubious success, drawing comparisons with a bowl of custard.

Currently ranked No8 in the world, he seems certain to win a grand slam title sooner or later, and this year's French Open may be the place. Spain's Juan Carlos Ferrero, the reigning champion, does not appear to have fully recovered from chickenpox and the current favourite, another Argentinian, Guillermo Coria, remains injury-prone. Both missed this event.

Nalbandian himself has had wrist problems this year and has played only a limited amount since losing to Federer in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open. However, there were signs of a return to top-10 form in Monte Carlo, where he lost in the quarter-finals to Coria, and today he meets Spain's Albert Costa, the 2002 French Open champion, for a place in his first major clay-court final.

Costa defeated Jiri Novak of the Czech Republic 6-4, 6-2, having beaten Federer earlier in the week. Argentina's Mariano Zabaleta, who knocked out Tim Henman on Thursday, also reached the last four with a 6-1, 7-5 victory over Chile's Nicolas Massu.

Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2004

sport.guardian.co.uk/print/0,3858,4919305-108554,00.html

[The Chloe]

Good luck in Wimbledon, fat one. You want that more anyways!

[Lee]

Another pic of Nalby.



Practising in China Open.

[Vera]

Hey, why isn't he slim by now? Does he like his nickname Fatty so much or he is just getting more muscles than before. Still looks great though .

[RogiFan]

So do the Chinese girls go crazy for Nalby too? He's blonde.

[Lee]

RogiFan said:

So do the Chinese girls go crazy for Nalby too? He's blonde.

Not as crazy as the Spainards and the Russian.

[The Chloe]

GRRRROOOOOAARRRR ALSKDASJKLDAJSK.

.

[The Chloe]

In truth, I didn't bother getting up for the final, because I figured he would lose horribly. I hear he has a broken toe? Sucks.