# David Nalbandian
**David Nalbandian** (full name David Pablo Nalbandian; born 1982) is an Argentine retired professional tennis player who competed on the [ATP Tour](https://www.edgepedia.org/atp-tour) from 2000 until his retirement in 2013, reaching the Wimbledon final in 2002 and winning the 2005 Tennis Masters Cup.[1](https://www.atptour.com/en/players/cswiki/N301/bio) • [2](https://repository.bbg.ac.id/bitstream/1967/1/3_Historical_Dictionaries_of_Sports.pdf) • [3](https://www.tennis-x.com/results/wimbledon/david-nalbandian.php) He is best remembered for his two-handed backhand and for his 2007 season, in which he defeated [Roger Federer](https://www.edgepedia.org/roger-federer), Rafael Nadal, and [Novak Djokovic](https://www.edgepedia.org/novak-djokovic) at the same tournament in Madrid.[4](https://www.atptour.com/en/news/nalbandian-madrid-2007-flashback-feature)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1982, Córdoba, Argentina; right-handed, 5 ft 11 in, 170 lb[1](https://www.atptour.com/en/players/cswiki/N301/bio) • [2](https://repository.bbg.ac.id/bitstream/1967/1/3_Historical_Dictionaries_of_Sports.pdf) |
| Professional career | Began in 2000; retired in 2013 with 11 ATP titles[2](https://repository.bbg.ac.id/bitstream/1967/1/3_Historical_Dictionaries_of_Sports.pdf) • [5](https://as.com/tenis/masters_1000/nadal-rey-en-paris-pero-no-en-bercy-los-grandes-torneos-que-no-consiguio-en-su-carrera-n/) |
| Wimbledon 2002 | Men's singles finalist, seeded 28; lost to Lleyton Hewitt 6-1, 6-3, 6-2[3](https://www.tennis-x.com/results/wimbledon/david-nalbandian.php) • [6](https://assets.wimbledon.com/archive/draws/pdfs/draws/2002_MS_A4.pdf) |
| 2005 Tennis Masters Cup | Champion in Shanghai on indoor carpet, finishing 4-1 and earning $1,400,000[7](https://www.atptour.com/-/media/08887c4b3be347dd8a2d701c23fcd587.pdf) |
| 2007 Madrid | Beat Nadal, Djokovic, and Federer at one tournament, only the third player to beat the top three ranked players at a single event[4](https://www.atptour.com/en/news/nalbandian-madrid-2007-flashback-feature) |
| Davis Cup | Argentine team member 2002–2011 except 2009 (injured); 21-5 in singles and 11-5 in doubles in 20 ties; finalist with Argentina in 2006 and 2008[2](https://repository.bbg.ac.id/bitstream/1967/1/3_Historical_Dictionaries_of_Sports.pdf) |
| Grand Slam breadth | One of only five players active in 2011 to have reached at least the semifinal of all four Grand Slam singles events[2](https://repository.bbg.ac.id/bitstream/1967/1/3_Historical_Dictionaries_of_Sports.pdf) |
## Early life and juniors
Nalbandian comes from Córdoba, the second-largest city in Argentina, and began playing tennis at age five. His Armenian grandfather built a cement court in his backyard, where David learned the game against his two older brothers, Javier and Dario; his father Norberto is deceased and his mother Alda is a housewife.[1](https://www.atptour.com/en/players/cswiki/N301/bio)
His junior record was strong. He won the 1998 US Open junior title, defeating Federer in the final, and the Eddie Herr International in 1998, was runner-up at junior Roland Garros (losing to his countryman Guillermo Coria) and a semifinalist at junior Wimbledon in 1999, and won the 1999 Wimbledon junior doubles title with Coria. He finished No. 3 in singles and [No. 6](https://www.edgepedia.org/no-6) in doubles in the 1998 junior world rankings.[1](https://www.atptour.com/en/players/cswiki/N301/bio)
## Major finals and the 2005 Masters Cup
**Wimbledon 2002.** In his first full professional seasons, Nalbandian reached the 2002 Wimbledon men's singles final as the No. 28 seed, where he lost to top seed [Lleyton Hewitt](https://www.edgepedia.org/lleyton-hewitt) 6-1, 6-3, 6-2.[3](https://www.tennis-x.com/results/wimbledon/david-nalbandian.php) • [6](https://assets.wimbledon.com/archive/draws/pdfs/draws/2002_MS_A4.pdf) The final was the first at Wimbledon between two baseliners, Hewitt and Nalbandian, neither known for serve or volleys.[8](https://www.lemonde.fr/en/sports/article/2025/07/03/the-invisible-transformation-of-wimbledon-s-grass_6742988_9.html)
**Shanghai 2005.** Nalbandian won the 2005 Tennis Masters Cup, the year-end championship of the men's tour, held 13–20 November 2005 in Shanghai on indoor carpet. He finished the round-robin-plus-knockout event at 4-1 and took the first prize of $1,400,000, ahead of Federer (4-1, $820,000) and Nikolay Davydenko (3-1, $450,000).[7](https://www.atptour.com/-/media/08887c4b3be347dd8a2d701c23fcd587.pdf)
## The 2007 indoor run
Nalbandian's most celebrated stretch came in the autumn of 2007. At the Madrid tournament he defeated [Rafael Nadal](https://www.edgepedia.org/rafael-nadal), Novak Djokovic, and Roger Federer, becoming just the third player to beat the top three in the ATP Rankings at one tournament.[4](https://www.atptour.com/en/news/nalbandian-madrid-2007-flashback-feature) He then carried the form to Paris-Bercy, where he beat Nadal 6-4, 6-0 in 69 minutes in the final, again after beating Federer in the semifinal, a sequence the Spanish sports paper AS described as unique in history. He retired with 11 career titles.[5](https://as.com/tenis/masters_1000/nadal-rey-en-paris-pero-no-en-bercy-los-grandes-torneos-que-no-consiguio-en-su-carrera-n/)
## Playing style
Nalbandian's two-handed backhand drew consistent praise. Tennis.com's instruction column called it fantastic and said he had one of the best down-the-line two-handers in men's tennis, built on low preparation, control from his left hand, and a fluid stroke that rarely overswings.[9](https://www.tennis.com/news/articles/learning-from-david-nalbandian) In a 2011 US Open analysis, Steve Tignor wrote that while Nadal had the all-time great forehand, Nalbandian's backhand was a classic too and the Argentine may have been the purer ball-striker; the same piece noted that Nalbandian had beaten Nadal twice and reached match point a third time.[10](https://www.tennis.com/news/articles/u-s-open-nadal-d-nalbandian) A 2006 profile described him as a squat, muscular player whose low center of gravity gave him torque, balance, and stamina, and whose backhand showed unusual variety, from crosscourt drives to soft sliced returns.[11](https://www.tennis.com/news/articles/the-falcon-and-the-bull)
## Davis Cup
Nalbandian played for Argentina every year from 2002 to 2011 except 2009, when he was injured, compiling a 21-5 singles and 11-5 doubles record across 20 ties and helping Argentina reach the final in 2006 and 2008.[2](https://repository.bbg.ac.id/bitstream/1967/1/3_Historical_Dictionaries_of_Sports.pdf) In the 2008 final in [Mar del Plata](https://www.edgepedia.org/mar-del-plata), Spain, playing without Nadal, won 3-1; Nalbandian and Agustín Calleri lost the doubles point to [Feliciano López](https://www.edgepedia.org/feliciano-lopez) and [Fernando Verdasco](https://www.edgepedia.org/fernando-verdasco) 5-7, 7-5, 7-6 (5), 6-3.[12](https://as.com/tenis/copa_davis/la-copa-davis-de-2008-el-ejemplo-para-espana-antes-de-la-final-con-argentina-f202607-n/) In a later interview Nalbandian said Argentina should have won that final, and that the team had prepared mainly for Nadal before his withdrawal was confirmed.[13](https://as.com/tenis/copa_davis/nalbandian-del-potro-no-quiso-jugar-el-cuarto-punto-ante-espana-en-la-final-de-la-davis-f202512-n/)
## References
1. [David Nalbandian Bio, ATP Tour](https://www.atptour.com/en/players/cswiki/N301/bio)
2. [Historical Dictionary of Tennis](https://repository.bbg.ac.id/bitstream/1967/1/3_Historical_Dictionaries_of_Sports.pdf)
3. [David Nalbandian's Wimbledon Results and Record, Tennis-X](https://www.tennis-x.com/results/wimbledon/david-nalbandian.php)
4. [When David Nalbandian took down the Big Three in Madrid, ATP Tour](https://www.atptour.com/en/news/nalbandian-madrid-2007-flashback-feature)
5. [Nadal, rey en París pero no en Bercy, AS.com](https://as.com/tenis/masters_1000/nadal-rey-en-paris-pero-no-en-bercy-los-grandes-torneos-que-no-consiguio-en-su-carrera-n/)
6. [The Championships 2002, Gentlemen's Singles draw, Wimbledon](https://assets.wimbledon.com/archive/draws/pdfs/draws/2002_MS_A4.pdf)
7. [Tournament History: 2005 Tennis Masters Cup, ATP Tour](https://www.atptour.com/-/media/08887c4b3be347dd8a2d701c23fcd587.pdf)
8. [The invisible transformation of Wimbledon's grass, Le Monde](https://www.lemonde.fr/en/sports/article/2025/07/03/the-invisible-transformation-of-wimbledon-s-grass_6742988_9.html)
9. [Learning from David Nalbandian, Tennis.com](https://www.tennis.com/news/articles/learning-from-david-nalbandian)
10. [U.S. Open: Nadal d. Nalbandian, Tennis.com](https://www.tennis.com/news/articles/u-s-open-nadal-d-nalbandian)
11. [The Falcon and the Bull, Tennis.com](https://www.tennis.com/news/articles/the-falcon-and-the-bull)
12. [La Copa Davis de 2008, AS.com](https://as.com/tenis/copa_davis/la-copa-davis-de-2008-el-ejemplo-para-espana-antes-de-la-final-con-argentina-f202607-n/)
13. [Nalbandian: "Del Potro no quiso jugar el cuarto punto ante España en la final de la Davis", AS.com](https://as.com/tenis/copa_davis/nalbandian-del-potro-no-quiso-jugar-el-cuarto-punto-ante-espana-en-la-final-de-la-davis-f202512-n/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Racket and precision ball sports › Tennis › Tennis players and seasons*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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