The tennis year ended on a high note yesterday for Argentine David Nalbandian. Just seven months ago Nalbandian was hobbling around on crutches after undergoing season-ending hip surgery in early May. Last night the Cordoba native continued his remarkable comeback by defeating Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis 6-4, 6-4 to cap a busy day and hoist the Copa Peugeot Argentina championship trophy in Buenos Aires. A week ago the Argentine won a four-man event in San Juan. Earlier Sunday, Nalbandian lost a three-setter to Gaston Gaudio, a match postponed by heavy rain the day before. Still the Argentine advanced to the final by winning the most sets in his section of the round-robin format. The six-man exhibition, which Nalbandian has won twice before, also featured Fernando Gonzalez, Juan Monaco and Carlos Moya. Yesterday’s win had to be the most meaningful and significant of Nalbandian’s trio of championships. The Argentine played brilliantly at times, occasionally appeared a bit rusty, but never faltered when pressed by Baghdatis. Nalbandian broke Baghdatis to start the match and held until the sixth game when the Cypriot broke back to even the set at 3-3. The Argentine returned the favor immediately and then held twice to take the first set. Nalbandian looked to be getting tired at the start of the second set and lost serve to trail 0-2. Just as quickly, though, a refuse-to-lose mentality and second wind kicked in. The 27-year-old Argentine broke Baghdatis twice in a row to take a 3-2 lead and held the rest of the way to capture the set and match. Nalbandian posted a 2-1 record over the four-day event, while winning five of seven sets. The Argentine’s ground game was very impressive, his movement good, his serve still in need of some work after the long layoff. Most important, though, was Nalbandian felt no pain during or after his matches. The former World No. 3 returns to the tour on Jan. 11 in Auckland.

David Nalbandian’s return to competition over the weekend made many wonder if he’d ever really been away. The former World No. 3 blitzed Chilean Nicolas Massu 6-2, 6-1 on Saturday and followed that up with an impressive 6-2, 6-2 win over Argentine Gaston Gaudio yesterday to win the Copa San Juan Minero, a four-man exhibition event at San Juan, Argentina. Nalbandian played almost flawlessly against Massu in his first competitive match in over seven months after undergoing hip surgery in early May. Nalbandian moved fluidly, pounded his forehand with accuracy, drove backhand winners down the lines, came to the net upon occasion and served big. It was a sterling performance, almost classic Nalbandian. Yesterday’s match was a bit more ragged with many errors from both players. Still, Nalbandian kept the hammer down, breaking serve in the fourth game of each set and never letting Gaudio get the upper hand while closing out the match. “I felt really good, very happy. I haven’t been on a court for a long time and I felt great from the beginning,” Nalbandian said. “Coming onto the court with an ovation, people applauding on their feet, it was great.” Nalby’s form certainly was surprising after such a lengthy hiatus. The fact that he felt no pain during or after the matches definitely was encouraging too. Nalbandian’s comeback continues this week at the Peugeot Argentina Tennis Cup 2009 in Buenos Aires. The competition will be a bit stiffer than in San Juan with Marcos Baghdatis, Fernando Gonzalez, Juan Monaco, Carlos Moya and Marat Safin entered in the six-man exhibition.

IMG Bollettieri student Mariya Shishkina

Playing at her home Academy in front of a standing-room only crowd, 11-year-old Mariya Shishkina turned any pre-match jitters into a dominant preview of her potential as a tennis player.

Shishkina, an IMG Bollettieri Tennis Academy student, on Friday took the U-12 girls title in the Eddie Herr International Junior Tennis Championships — the world’s largest junior tournament held at one location.

Shishkina quickly dispatched Alicia Black 6-1, 6-0 to complete her roll through the U-12 bracket for her first major tournament win. Shishkina never dropped a set in the tournament.

Originally from Kazakhstan, Shishkina is now a U.S. citizen and one of the top up-and-coming juniors in the world.

Past winners of the Eddie Herr include notable names like Jelena Jankovic, Anna Kournikova, David Nalbandian, Marcelo Rios, Andy Roddick and Maria Sharapova. Find more info, including brackets and the full list of past winners, at www.eddieherr.com.

Check out Mariya talking about her title minutes after the match ended:

Este domingo a las 21.15 hs. llega a “El Trece” una nueva emisión de “Hoy es tu día”, con la conducción de Horacio Cabak y Luli Fernández.

En esta emisión se cumplirá el sueño de Hernán, un joven tenista de 20 años, que admira profundamente a David Nalbandian.

Hernán  juega al tenis desde muy chico y ahora se dedica a dar clases. Compitió a nivel nacional hasta llegar a quedar en el puesto 50 en el ranking. Pero el año pasado debió retirarse por cuestiones económicas.

Ahora está muy cerca de cumplir ese sueño que tanto anhela: jugar un partido contra su ídolo, David Nalbandian.

Y además se cumplirá el sueño de Ignacio, un chico de 12 años que ama los helicópteros y que sueña con volar….

Cómo participar

Para ser el cómplice de un sueño sorpresa, se debe ingresar en la página web http://www.eltrecetv.com.ar, clickear en el banner del programa y completar el formulario.

El Gobernador de la Provincia, ingeniero José Luis Gioja anunció esta mañana, en la Sala Ricardo Colombo de la Casa de gobierno la realización de un certamen cuadrangular internacional de tenis, con la participación de los argentinos David Nalbandian, Gastón Gaudio, Guillermo Cañas y el medallista olímpico chileno Nicolás Massú.
El mandatario presentó al ex top ten del tenis mundial, Juan Martín Jaite, integrante de Alba Producciones, gestor del torneo, acompañado por Gabriel Goed Smith y el presidente del San Juan Lawn Tenis Club, Damián Escobar.
Gioja manifestó su satisfacción de contar con la presencia de Martín Jaite, un grande del tenis argentino ex miembro del equipo argentino en la Copa Davis y señaló que su Gobierno auspiciará la realización del Torneo Internacional Copa San Juan Minero. El certamen se cumplirá entre los días 12 y 13 de diciembre próximos, probablemente en el Estadio Cubierto del Parque de Mayo, con la presencia de los tenistas nombrados más arriba.
Agradeció a Martín Jaite y la gente del San Juan Lawn Tenis Club y señaló que la idea es realizarlo en el Estadio cubierto del Parque de Mayo e invitó a todos los deportistas amantes de este deporte y otros a concurrir.

Participaron de la reunión el ministro de Desarrollo Humano y Acción Social, Daniel Molina; el vicepresidente primero de la Cámara de Diputados, Eduardo Bustelo; el diputado provincial Daniel Tomas y otros funcionarios. 
Las características del torneo fueron dadas a conocer por Martín Jaite, quien agradeció el recibimiento del Gobernador Gioja y estimó que lo más importante que se ha hecho en San Juan en materia de tenis y en gran parte de la Argentina, es generar la presencia de estos cuatro jugadores: Uno es campeón de Roland Garros, como es Gastón Gaudio; un integrante de los “top ten”, como lo es Guillermo Cañas; un medallista olímpico de oro, el chileno Nicolás Massú y el multicampeón David Nalbandian, un personaje archiconocido en el mundo, que reaparecerá en San Juan, después de someterse a una intervención quirúrgica.
El certamen tendrá una duración de dos días. El primero, el sábado 12 de diciembre, se jugarán las semifinales y el domingo, las finales a cargo de los ganadores.
Mientras tanto, los dos perdedores, serán convocados para ofrecer una clínica deportiva gratuita para la gente sanjuanina, tenistas o no. La idea es que en esos dos días, San Juan viva una fiesta del tenis, que será televisado en directo por TyC Sport.
Finalmente agradeció el aporte gubernamental y al San Juan Lawn Tenis Club que apuntala esta presentación. 
Los tenistas estarán llegando a San Juan el día 11.
Damián Escobar, presidente del San Juan Lawn, dijo que el club está como niño con juguete nuevo, puesto que jugadores históricos y de gran magnitud del mundo del tenis estarán en San Juan.
Afirmó que todos serán recibidos con el corazón abierto para demostrar la calidez del pueblo sanjuanino y abogó por esto sea el inicio de torneos que puedan organizarse en forma regular todos los años, con ayuda del Gobierno.

Martín Jaite explica la importancia internacional del Torneo de Tenis a realizarse en San Juan en el mes de Diciembre

            El tenis es un deporte de sensaciones. Un jugador debe transmitir (por su forma de juego, su carácter, su técnica, su entrega…). Personalmente, cuando  sigo un partido de tenis, uno de los dos tenistas acaba ganando mi simpatía. Se trata de una sinrazon muy ocurrente: por ejempplo admito que Federer aparte de un maestro es un caballero, pero me cuesta desear que logre una victoria.

            Un factor que entra por los ojos es el tipo de juego. Soy un enamorado del tenis defensivo (Gilles Simón, Gael Monfils…) Es la faceta que me encandiló de David Ferrer, puesto que no comparto su carácter excesivamente temperamental. Me gusta el jugador de fondo de pista con un amplio repertorio de golpes pero sin ninguno que le caracterice (prefiero eso a un sacador puro como Karlovic, sin ritmo, y sin versatilidad)

            Por último, debo decir que un fan siempre se crea después de un gran partido. Recuerdo que Ferrero, en sus duelos contra Hewwit y Kuerten, me hizo sentir una emoción que no experimentaba desde Alex Corretja. David Ferrer me sorprendió por su humildad y su garra al llegar a las semifinales del master series de Indian Wells (precisamente derrotando a Ferrero). Posteriormente fue memorable el partido ante Nadal o Nalbandian en el Us Open. Respecto a Albert, me encantó su forma de jugar (un gato de tierra batida que ha evolucionado). Es un tenista sin mucho carisma, pero que me transmite muchas cosas. La primera vez que le vi fue jugando contra Ferrreo, en un partido en el que perdió de forma ajustata, pero dio muestras de tener mucha calidad)

            De Ferrero me quedo con su técnica, su plasticidad y su gran variedad de golpes (es de los tenistas más completos del circuito). De Ferrer admiro su derecha invertida, su constancia y su gran físico. A Albert, repito, le sigo por que me identifico con su forma de jugar.

Esos son mis tenistas preferidos. Me gustan otros (Almagro, Simón, González, Hewwit…) pero en esos casos no me duelen sus derrotas. Esa es la diferencia. Juan Carlos, Albert y David son los únicos que consiguen que esté levantado de madrugada para seguir por el escore un partido que no se televisa. Por eso son mis raquetas preferidas, y por eso este blog es un espacio dedicado a ellos.

Dicen que para ganar la Copa Davis es clave que te toque jugar la mayoría de las series como local. Al contrario de lo que sucedió en 2008, la vez que Argentina estuvo más cerca de ganar la ensaladera de plata, la edición del año próximo no luce nada fácil para el equipo capitaneado por Tito Vázquez. ¿Alcanzará la figura de Juan Martín Del Potro junto con un supuesto retorno a las primeras planas de David Nalbandian?

Del 5 al 7 de marzo, de visitante, Argentina enfrentará por cuarta vez en cinco años a Suecia. De superar el duro escollo que representa Soderling jugando en casa y en el mejor momento de su carrera, Argentina deberá viajar a Moscú para verse  las caras nuevamente con Rusia (le va a ganar a India), en el que ya es un clásico de la Davis (jugaron en 2002, 2003, 2006 y 2008).  Los cuatro hipotéticos rivales en semifinales, España, Suiza, Francia y Alemania, también serían locales ante Argentina. Eso sí, la final es acá (siempre y cuando no llegue Israel).

En estos últimos años la lógica siempre se mantuvo en los cruces con rusos y suecos: triunfos como local y derrotas como visitante. Luce complicado, pero una vez más se pone en marcha el sueño de ganar la Davis.

Estos son los emparejamientos para la primera ronda del Grupo Mundial, donde se podrían dar dos partidos más que interesantes: Federer-Nadal y Djokovic-Roddick. Chile, por su parte, se vio ampliamente favorecido en el sorteo aunque igualmente la tendrá difícil porque depende sólo de González.

España – Suiza
Francia – Alemania
Rusia – India
Suecia – Argentina
Croacia – Ecuador
Serbia – Estados Unidos
Chile – Israel
Bélgica – República Checa

Nalbandian en el triunfo ante Suecia 3 a 1, en 2008.

Todos la quieren tener

Aún no terminó la edición 2009 de la Copa Davis y ya se han sorteado los cruces para el próximo año. 16 equipos son los que buscarán llevarse la ensaladera, entre los que aparecen sorpresas como India y Ecuador. El favorito será una vez más España quien ha conseguido ganar en 2008 y llegar a la final en 2009, pero no la tendrá facil, ya que su primer rival será la Suiza de Roger Federer. Aunque todos tendrán los ojos puestos en el hipotetico partido entre Federer – Nadal, hay que tener en cuenta que el mismo se disputará sobre polvo de ladrillo, por lo que el español corre con ventaja.

Por su parte el conjunto argentino viajará a la difícil Suecia. Si bien Argentina contaría con un gran equipo, debido a la inclusión de David Nalbandian más la presencia de Juan Martín Del Potro, enfrente tendrá a un equipo fuerte y duro. Seguramente el equipo local contará con Robin Soderling y Joachim Johansson del otro lado de la red, dos jugadores que si estan en un buen día le van a dar más de un dolor de cabeza a los representantes nacionales.

Por su parte la Serbia de Novak Djokovic será local frente a Estados Unidos. El duelo entre el número 4 del escalafón mundial y Andy Roddick será el plato fuerte de la serie. Seguramente esta serie deje con intriga al mundo del tenis hasta el quinto punto.

Cruces Copa Davis 2010

Por Nicolás Grunberg.

So I heard that last night ESPN was showing footage of the Club Independiente in Tandil, where JMDP first learned to play and where lots of his friends and supporters were watching the match. I didn’t get to see any of it but I did find these photos which I think capture the mood:

Wide eyed little Elves.

The chap in the last two photos is Marcelo Gomez, the coach who taught JMDP to play and worked wth him for years. He’s also the guy who trained Pico, Maximo G, Zabaleta and Junqueira and is basically the reason for Tandil’s tennis success:

Juan Martin has just made history in Argentine tennis,” an emotional Gomez said after the victory. “At the age of 20, he beats number one ranked Federer to win the US Open. I don’t think he understands the magnitude of what he’s just accomplished.” [...]

“We have a work method in Tandil,” Marcelo Gomez added. “People here celebrated in the streets as if we had just won the soccer World Cup. For us, for Tandil, it’s unbelievable to have a sportsman like Juan Martin.”

(source)

JMDP is – in case this fact hasn’t sunk in yet – the second Argentine to win the US Open title after Vilas in 1977 when it was played on green clay. And it wouldn’t be complete without a word from bromancer-in-arms David Nalbandian, who issued a statement on his website:

 What Juan Martin did was really good because of the way he played, the way he worked hard during key moments. I congratulate him because he played a great tournament and it is not easy to play the first [Slam] final. He was a bit nervous at the beginning, mainly during the first set, but he played really well. This kind of achievement changes your life. Let’s hope with this he settles down and uses this as experience for later on because it is a springboard to his career, to another kind of experiences. We should not forget that Federer is always Federer; he was playing well and it is not easy to defeat him. This is good for the tennis world, an important step forward which does not happen every day. It is really good for Argentine tennis, and let’s hope we can go on making people happy.

There’s also an article from La Nacion about David watching the final and his reaction, and the indefatigable Vamos David has a translation you should definitely read …

La primera década de este siglo está acercandose a su fin, y a modo de balance, les ofrecemos este repaso por las que consideramos que son las 25 victorias más resonantes logradas por tenistas argentinos en estos últimos diez años.

01. Juan Martín Del Potro a Roger Federer – Final del US Open 2009 – 3-6, 7-6, 4-6, 7-6 y 6-2.

Ante el mejor tenista de todos los tiempos, Del Potro cumplió su sueño, ganó su torneo favorito y se metió en la historia grande del deporte argentino. Antes de él, sólo Vilas, Sabatini y Gaudio le habían dado a la Argentina un título de grand slam.

02. Gastón Gaudio a Guillermo Coria – Final de Roland Garros 2004 – 0-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 y 8-6.

En el 2004 se bailó tango en París. Gaudio le ganó una final de película a Coria e insospechadamente levantó el trofeo de campeón. La pregunta es: ¿Cuánto tiempo volverá a pasar para que dos argentinos vuelvan a jugar la final de un grand slam?

03. David Nalbandian a Roger Federer – Final del Masters de Shanghai 2005 – 6-7, 6-7, 6-2, 6-1 y 7-6.

Federer no perdía una final desde mediados de 2003 y el karma con Nalbandian ya estaba superado (el historial pasó de estar 0-5 a 4-5). Cuando el suizo ganó el desempate del segundo set por 13-11 parecía que la historia estaba sentenciada. Pero Nalbandian no se rindió, remontó el partido con la temple que siempre lo caracterizó y se recibió de maestro.

04. David Nalbandian a Xavier Malisse – Semifinales de Wimbledon 2002 – 7-6, 6-4, 1-6, 2-6 y 6-2.

Nalbandian no se conformó con ser el primer argentino en semifinales de Wimbledon (superando a Vilas, que había llegado dos veces hasta cuartos), y fue por más. En dos días le ganó a Malisse y se ganó su lugar en el partido cumbre ante Hewitt . El cordobés nunca volvió a la final de un grand slam.

05. Juan Martín Del Potro a Rafael Nadal – Semifinales del US Open 2009 – 6-2, 6-2 y 6-2.

Jugando uno de los mejores partidos de su carrera, la Torre de Tandil borró de la cancha nada menos que a Nadal y le propinó su peor caída en torneos de grand slam. De yapa, Del Potro se convirtió en el primer latinoamericano desde Vilas en alcanzar la final del US Open.

06. Mariano Puerta a Nikolay Davydenko – Semifinales de Roland Garros 2005 – 6-3, 5-7, 2-6, 6-4 y 6-4.

Después de Vilas, Sabatini, Nalbandian, Coria y Gaudio, Puerta era, en toda la historia, el sexto argentino en alcanzar la final de un torneo de grand slam. El cordobés resurgió de las cenizas y tocó el cielo con las manos.

07. Guillermo Cañas a Roger Federer – Segunda Ronda de Indian Wells 2007 – 7-5 y 6-2.

Federer llegaba a Indian Wells no solo a defender su título sino a estirar su racha de 41 victorias consecutivas, la mejor de su carrera. Si ganaba el torneo, superaba la marca de Guillermo Vilas de 1977. Pero apareció Cañas, otro argentino, en pleno proceso de recuperación y le puso fin a su ambición.

08. Agustín Calleri a Juan Carlos Ferrero – Semifinales de Copa Davis 2003 – 6-4, 7-5 y 6-1.

Argentina partía como favorito pero pasó a ser punto a partir de las ausencias por lesión de Coria y Nalbandian. Como si esto fuera poco, Gaudio fue a pasear (lástima que jugó dos singles) y Zabaleta se lesionó cuando ganaba dos sets a cero. Con todo esto en contra la serie se estiró hasta el quinto punto por exclusiva responsabilidad del “Gordo” Calleri. Inolvidable su triunfo ante Ferrero.

09. Guillermo Coria a Andre Agassi – Cuartos de Final de Roland Garros 2003 – 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 y 6-2.

Coria confirmaba con esta resonante victoria que estaba para cosas grandes. A pesar de su sorpresiva caída con Verkerk en semifinales, la gran posibilidad se le iba a presentar un año después.

10. Guillermo Cañas a Andy Roddick – Final de Toronto 2002 – 6-4 y 7-5.

Semana mágica de Cañas, ganandole a Federer, Kafelnikov, Safin, Haas y Roddick, y cediendo solamente un set. En ese momento, el logro más importante del tenis argentino desde el Masters de Sabatini en el ‘94.

11. Franco Squillari a Albert Costa – Cuartos de final de Roland Garros 2000 – 6-4, 6-4, 2-6 y 6-4.

Histórico triunfo de “Toto” Squillari, el tercer argentino en clasificarse a la semifinal de un torneo de grand slam en toda la era abierta (Vilas y Clerc los dos anteriores, por supuesto). Junto con la final de Zabaleta en Hamburgo ‘99, fueron los dos primeros golpes de La Legión.

12. David Nalbandian a Lleyton Hewitt – Cuartos de final de Copa Davis 2005 – 6-2, 6-4 y 6-4.

No muchos años antes de esta serie, era impensado que Argentina pudiera ganarle a Australia, de visitante y sobre césped. Pero esto fue posible gracias a la descollante actuación de Nalbandian, que ganó el viernes, ganó el dobles con Puerta el sábado y arrasó a Hewitt el domingo. Sublime.

13. Juan Martín Del Potro a Rafael Nadal – Cuartos de final de Miami 2009 – 6-4, 3-6 y 7-6.

Del Potro, si bien ya era 5 del mundo y tenía cinco títulos y demostraba regularidad en los torneos grandes, todavía no le había ganado a ninguno de los denominados “Big Four”. Ante Nadal, la Torre de Tandil dio la sorpresa y se metió por primera vez en las semis de un Masters Series.

14. Gastón Gaudio a Lleyton Hewitt – Semifinales de Barcelona 2002 – 6-4 y 7-5.

En Barcelona 2002 Gaudio por fin saldó su cuenta pendiente de ganar un título. En el camino se dio el gusto de dejar afuera al número uno del mundo y vigente campeón del US Open, Lleyton Hewitt. Por ese entonces, no era para nada usual que un argentino le ganara al número uno.

15. Juan Martín Del Potro a Igor Andreev – Semifinales de Copa Davis 2008 – 6-4, 6-2 y 6-1.

Argentina no se podía permitir dejar pasar esta chance de estar en la final y la serie contra los rusos pasó de estar 2-0 a 2-2. Ante la incógnita de cómo respondería Del Potro ante tamaña responsabilidad, el tandilense borró de la cancha a Andreev y gracias a él Argentina se clasificó por tercera vez en su historia a la final de la Copa Davis.

16. David Nalbandian a Roger Federer – Final de Madrid 2007 – 1-6, 6-3 y 6-3.

Menos mal que Nalbandian no perdió aquel partido en segunda ronda ante Berdych (set abajo y 4-0 abajo), sino nos habríamos privado de uno de los mejores momentos en la carrera del unquillense. El viernes se cargó al número dos, el sábado al tres y el domingo al uno. Brillante.

17. David Nalbandian a Rafael Nadal – Final de París 2007 – 6-4 y 6-0.

Nalbandian pasaba por arriba nuevamente a Nadal, se aseguraba terminar la temporada dentro del Top Ten por quinto año consecutivo y se convertía en el primer jugador en ganarles una final tanto a Federer como a Nadal.

18. Guillermo Coria a Agustín Calleri – Final de Hamburgo 2003 – 6-3, 6-4 y 6-4.

Primer Masters Series ganado por Coria, que cortaba una racha negativa de cuatro finales perdidas. Hamburgo 2003 es hasta la fecha el único torneo de Grand Slam o Masters Series en la era abierta en el que los cuatro semifinalistas fueron de la misma nacionalidad. Qué tiempos aquellos!

19. Guillermo Coria a Rainer Schuettler – Final de Montecarlo 2004 – 6-2, 6-1 y 6-3.

El “Mago” Coria ratificaba su favoritismo en Montecarlo, donde había perdido la final en 2003, y se postulaba como el mejor jugador del mundo sobre canchas lentas. Daba la sensación que nadie podía arrebatarle Roland Garros.

20. Guillermo Cañas a Roger Federer – Octavos de Final de Miami 2007 – 7-6, 2-6 y 7-6.

Por segundo torneo consecutivo, Cañas se transformaba en el verdugo del suizo, imbatible por aquel entonces. Por tercera vez en su carrera, el de Tapiales volvía a la elite del tenis mundial después de una larga inactividad.

21. Mariano Zabaleta a Xavier Malisse – Octavos de Final del US Open 2001 – 6-4, 7-6 y 7-5.

Con esta victoria, Zabaleta se convertía en el segundo argentino en alcanzar la instancia de cuartos de final en el US Open en toda la era abierta. Con el correr de los años, lo igualarían (y superarían) Nalbandian, Coria, Chela y Del Potro.

22. José Acasuso a Lleyton Hewitt – Semifinales de Copa Davis 2006 – 1-6, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 y 6-1.

Con la mejor versión de Acasuso en Copa Davis (lástima que no apareció en Moscú o en Mar del Plata), Argentina puso 2-0 la serie contra Australia. A diferencia del match del 2002, esta vez sí vino Hewitt, pero no fue de mucha ayuda.

23. Guillermo Cañas a Lleyton Hewitt – Octavos de Final de Roland Garros 2002 – 6-7, 7-6, 6-4 y 6-3.

“Willy” Cañas, en uno de los picos de su carrera, le ganó un partido increíble al por entonces número uno del ranking mundial, frente a quien había perdido el año anterior en el mismo torneo y la misma instancia. Aquella vez, Cañas estaba para campeón.

24. David Nalbandian a Roger Federer – Octavos de Final de París 2007 – 6-4 y 7-6.

Segunda victoria de Nalbandian sobre el número uno del mundo en apenas once días. En aquel momento le sirvió para igualar el historial entre ambos a ocho victorias por lado.

25. David Nalbandian a Robin Soderling – Cuartos de Final de Copa Davis 2008 – 6-4, 1-6, 4-6, 6-4 y 9-7.

Soderling venía de pintarle la cara a Acasuso el viernes a la vez que ratificaba los dichos de Wilander, el capitán del equipo sueco, que había anticipado una serie peleada. Nalbandian se las vio negras pero pudo remontar el partido con el apoyo de la gente. Soderling dejó en claro en aquella oportunidad que estaba para hacerle frente a cualquiera en polvo y vaya que el tiempo le dio la razón.

MDA Reviews’ latest entry is now available to read at your heart’s content. This time MDA looks at the second sequel in the successful Tennis franchise Virtua Tennis 3. To read the review, follow the link. Enjoy!

I haven’t done a David injury update for some time, have I? Anyway, according to Vamos David, which has a translation from an interview with Telam, David’s rehabilitation is still going well and he’ll be back at the Australian Open. Yes!

“In ten days I’ll play again,” Nalbandian told Telam in an exclusive interview that was conducted at the tennis academy of the former player Ines Gorrochategui in the town of Villa Allende, Cordoba. [...] Nalbandian said that the recovery is going “very well and even better we thought”.

“My recovery is developing according to plan. Even better than that so far I think, and that’s great news. I’ve already spent three months of rehabilitation, doing some physical training and now these things are starting to pay off.”

Nalbandian talks to Telam and gesticulates, he seems relaxed and self-confident, with the confidence of a tennis player, who, in little over a week, will get his hands on a racquet again.

“At first, I’ll have to take small steps. It’ll be 20 minutes per day on court and doing very moderate exercises. I’ll have to start slowly, only doing tennis movements [hitting only, no running].”

In terms of what will happen in the coming months, Nalbandian reveals that he doesn’t want to rush his return to the circuit.

“I don’t aspire to compete again in the short term. I don’t want to rush anything. The plan is to do things according to schedule and when the time comes, I’ll start [playing]. The idea is to start at the Australia Open in January next year.”

To recover from surgery, Nalbandian chose the quietness of his hometown in Cordoba. “The truth that right now, my life is very relaxed. I’m back in my province, I am with my friends, in my hometown and no travelling. Hardly a weekend goes by without taking a short break and going fishing.”

Asked about his absence from the circuit, his eyes start to shine, a naughty smile appears on his face and he assures us that he “misses the important moments, the decisive matches or final stages of a tournament, those you like to play. “

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it many, many more times … tennis just isn’t the same without Nalby.

(thanks to Vamos David for the translation and the heads up)

When I saw the videos of the ATP asking players their favorite books/movies/whatever, I came to this conclusion: tennis players are kind of dumb. Not offensive dumb like “Does the US has 52 states?”, but harmless dumb like “What does serendipity mean?”.

Favorite Book

• OK, I’m not a Brit so I don’t know what this “Michael Conley” is. Judgment reserved on Jamie Murray/all future players who name a foreign author that I haven’t heard of.
• The Power of the Present Moment sounds like a self help book. I could honestly see Nole reading some crap in the locker room about accepting ~himself~. (Okay, I just wikipedia’d this book, and the book is actually called The Power of Now and it IS a self help book, which…wait for it…was recommended by OPRAH. Now I’m imagining Nole watching Oprah in the locker room nodding along to the tv as he clings to his copy.)
• Ahhhhhh, The Da Vinci Code. I enjoy how Nando praises the book because it ~*captivated him and he read 300 pages in one day. JUMP BACK EVERYONE, WE’VE GOT A NERD ON OUR HANDS. (P.S. I also love how proud of himself he looks. Nando can read, haters!)
• GTFO Sam Querrey and stop ruining perfectly good videos.
• Gilles doesn’t read because he’s too busy being flamboyant. True story.
• I was impressed by Tommy’s answer until he said “Lance Armstrong.” I went from this *0* to this -_-
• Oh, Andy, you can’t be a “history buff” and like Dan Brown. Wtf is up with the ATP and Dan Brown? ALL HIS BOOKS ARE THE SAME
• Ivan Ljubicic probably comes off the best in this series of videos. He seems VERY intelligent and well spoken. A+
• Roger, you don’t “read” magazines. You look at the pretty pictures. XD
• I think Fat Dave’s response is the best. He basically thought, “Oh crap, I don’t know any books, but I don’t want to seem stupid” and then he pulled a Sarah Palin by saying he liked them all.
• Mandy does seem like the type who doesn’t read. And that is all I will say on the matter, good day! I do like his brother very much though.

By this point, I was *facepalm*.

• When I heard Gladiator and Braveheart from Nando, I thought that they weren’t too shabby of choices. What a fool I was.
• Ivan reminds me of a super ~indie~ and pretentious guy who goes to all these film festivals and watches movies that no one’s ever heard of then discusses the ~cinematography~ and the ~art direction~. Gotta love the guy.
• Another Gladiator from Tsonga.
• Delpo: Gladiator.
• Gonzo’s answer is freaking perfect. ♥ It basically describes all my film choices in the last few weeks/months. I’M TIRED, I DON’T HAVE THE ENERGY TO WATCH REVOLUTIONARY ROAD OR WHATEVER
• Robredo for Gladiator and Braveheart
• lol, Nole trying to be ~pretentious~ like Ivan with Slumdog Millionaire. YOU’RE DOING IT WRONG.
• A+ choice with the Bourne films, Jamie. They’re fun enough that it makes sense you’d watch them, but not stupid enough so I think you’re an idiot. Well played.
• Nalbandian: Gladiator. Wtf, Gladiator is like the film Dan Brown for the ATP. Is this the only movie they show on planes? That and Braveheart? Do they all have slumber parties and get together in someone’s hotel room to watch?
• Nice, Igor, Kill Bill.
• Surprised by Roddick. Redeemed himself from the Dan Brown before.
• lol Rafa, “I HAVE A LOT, OK.” Pulling a Nalby/Sarah Palin?
• Mandy would like crappy middle of the road comedy. Will Ferrell? Really?  – _ – And of course he had to throw in some Braveheart to ~fit in~ with the rest of the guys.
• And of course, Braveheart from Haas.
• We have now reached my favorite answer in this video from Roger. At first, he throws in some Rambo (lol wat) and James Bond to give off a masculine air, but then he tries to sneak in some Top Gun (Which is, without a doubt, one of the most unintentionally homoerotic movies I’ve ever seen. The volleyball scene speaks volumes.) and then the real wtf moment, Dirty Dancing. Clearly he was seduced by Patrick Swayze’s suaveness and ~moves. He probably thinks he’s too good for Gladiator!!!!! WELL NOBODY PUTS ROGER IN A CORNER OKAY

They’re dumb, but it’s okay. They’re still amusing and pretty and sometimes they can even hit that yellow ball pretty well. ♥

David Nalbandian withdrew from the U.S. Open last Friday. Uh-huh! Not much has been heard about the mercurial Argentine since he was bounced out in the first round at Estoril in late April. Nalbandian underwent hip surgery in mid May, after stubbornly dealing with recurring hip pain and mixed results on the tennis court since early last year. Nalbandian’s rehab has been going well in Argentina. D-Nal started 2009 strong, winning at Sydney, his 10th career title, and then suffered an inexplicable loss to unheralded Yen-Hsun Lu in the second round at the Australian Open. A first round loss, at Acapulco, was followed by a brilliant fourth-round match against Rafael Nadal at Indian Wells. Nadal won 3-6, 7-6 (5), 6-0, but Nalbandian astonishingly squandered five match points after having the Spaniard on the ropes. Two weeks later at Miami, Viktor Troicki made quick work of the Argentine in the second round. Clearly, something was wrong. Nalbandian’s reticence about his physical state only exacerbated the speculation. One of the most gifted and talented players on the tour, the Argentine has often been criticized for underachievement. “The best player to have never won a major” is a label that has plagued Nalbandian for some time. His fitness and commitment have frequently been questioned. The fact of the matter is that for well over a year the longer Nalbandian’s matches went on the worse the pain in his hip got. Might have had a lot to do with his inabilility to close out some matches he should have won, eh? Three clay-court tournaments after Miami and Nalbandian was done. Therapy and treatment didn’t work. “Before having surgery, I knew that it could go wrong, but I never hesitated,” Nalbandian said. “I will return. I was in a situation where I couldn’t go on, the operation was the only way. But I don’t think negatively, I have great faith. Those were two years with a lot of pain, with tremendous limitations for playing. I won important tournaments on one leg, as they say. I could not walk and I had trouble driving. I will fight to be among the top five again. My idea, if I’m well, is to play until age 30. Tennis players retire more often because of the mental stress than for physical reasons.” Australian Lleyton Hewitt, a former No. 1, had similar hip surgery after the Olympics last summer and returned to the tour in January. Hewitt’s recent success has provided encouragement for Nalbandian. “Nobody can assure you of anything, because it’s a new and delicate injury,” Nalbandian said. “I know that when I return, I will step on the court being afraid until I can get all of that out of my head.” The plan is four to six months, so realistically the beginning of next season. Until then, Nalbandian’s tennis genius continues to be sorely missed.

So I have a feeling that the ATP decided that they could increase their macho level by having players take tough, manly-man photos for their bio pics. Needless to say, they’ve failed miserably, although it has provided me much entertainment. Oh, the hilarity of it all!

Some players only succeeded in looking mildly pissed off:

Some managed to look smolderingly hot.

Rawr!

Tyra Banks called. She wants her "fierce" look back.

Others scared the bajesus out of me.

Sorry, Nalby and/or Sex lovers, but these pictures make them look like convicted criminals who are 1 second away from beating the shit out of you.

And some need a re-take. Like NOW.

These photos make them look about 50 pounds heavier than they really are.

Some looked so unbelievably goofy that I scared by cat by laughing so uproariously.

Well, with a nickname like "Chucho", I guess I shouldn't expect much.

All in all, though, a scary rapist-esque picture (I’m looking at you, Nalby) is better than no picture at all.

Leonardo Mayer, supposedly

Leonardo “Horseface” Mayer– perennial no-show, professional buzz-killer, and my archnemesis — STRIKES AGAIN!

Via Vamos David, a quick update on Nalbandian’s recuperation. According to clarin.com, he’s doing well and recovering quickly, although he’s not due to return to the tour for four or five months.

But he has found time to make some quick comments on Davis Cup for telam.com:

“It was strange, I’m used to being there and be a part of the team. It’s strange to watch it from the outside. I’m eager to return and be on the team again, in order to play again and win the Davis Cup.”

Asked about his relationship with Juan Martin Del Potro, he insisted that “everything is fine, I don’t know why they keep bringing it up.”

“Every player is different. Some play a final on Sunday and play Davis Cup, others don’t. That depends on the player. It’s the captain’s job to judge each player’s form.”

“I turned down a lot of other things for the Davis Cup, I turned down ATP tournaments, money. And I don’t regret it, every tennis player has his goals and priorities.”

Hmmm. Back-handed, much? Or am I over-sensitive?

Of all the reasons many sports stars have not lived up to their potential, pressure may be at the top of the list. Whether it be from fans, media or coaches, an incredible amount of pressure tends to be put on athlete’s who they deem have the chance to be great. A great example of this dynamic is the Scotland’s Andy Murray, currently the No.3 tennis player in the world.

Murray will be playing Juan Carlos Ferrero in the quarterfinals of Wimbledon tomorrow, and realistically, a loss is not acceptable. You see, Murray isn’t just playing to win this tournament for himself. No, he is playing for an entire kingdom.

The United Kingdom takes great pride in everything. They are very nationalistic, and they certainly love rooting for their own. That includes rooting for their countrymen in sporting events, which is where Murray comes into the fold. Murray, as the nation’s star player, will be playing on Centre Court, and he will be expected to win, no matter the circumstances.  That’s because, quite frankly, the British are tired of losing.

The last British man to win Wimbledon was Fred Perry, in 1936. That’s a stretch of 73 years, and it has been an extremely difficult stretch at that. The UK has had a few hopeful contenders in during that time period, the most notable being Tim Henman. Henman was very talented, and he was expected to be the  player to finally win Wimbledon for all of the UK. All of the Britain seemed to come out and support him when he would play in the country’s Championship. During his time in the sport, he became a staple of Centre Court — the most famous court in all tennis.

Everyone wanted to see their man win matches for all of Britain, and eventually win it all. Further explaining their excitement, there is a grass area outside of Court 1 with a TV screen where fans can watch the match being played on Centre Court. Henman was always featured, and fans packed the area to its capacity. Soon enough, the area affectionately came to be known as “Henman Hill.” Fans would wait for hours, drinking champagne and Pimm’s, waiting to watch Henman play.

Henman was a man with a flair for the dramatic, as all of his matches seemed to be close, and tense. Unfortunately for the British, that style became the story of his career. He made it to the semifinals of Wimbledon four times, but was never able to win.

Someone else would have to come along and once again give the British hope. That man was Murray.

Murray burst onto the scene at Wimbledon in 2005 as a player with tons of promise and potential — the kind of promise that gave the British heavy expectations. Murray made it to the third round, but lost a tough match in which he had a two sets to love lead against David Nalbandian. It was an acceptable finish for someone who was playing in his first Wimbledon.

But as he continued to grow as a player, expectations were only going to rise. How Murray would be able to handle those expectations was a big question mark. He seemed to struggle with the astronomical expectations early in his career, as he was a fiery player who at times had trouble controlling his emotions. As time went on, however, he would learn to stay much more calm during his matches.

Gradually, his results began to improve at Wimbledon. In 2006, he was defeated by Marcos Baghdatis in the fourth round; in 2007, a wrist injury forced him to withdraw from the tournament; and last year, he lost to Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals.

Since the loss to Nadal, Murray has become an even better player, as evidenced by his run to the final of the U.S. Open in 2008. Coming into this year’s Wimbledon, the pressure has become exceedingly great. With the way he had been playing leading up to the tournament, fans expected him to reach the final.

Up to this point, Murray has done an excellent job of playing under the intense pressure of the hometown fans. He has been featured on Centre Court in all four of his matches, and he’s performed admirably. He has gone through his competition with relative ease — with the exception of Monday’s match against Stanislas Wawrinka. The match was the first ever to be played under the roof at Wimbledon, and it also became the latest match ever to be played on Centre Court (it ended just after 10:30pm England time). In dramatic fashion that even Henman could admire, Murray lost the first set, won the next two, lost the fourth and won the fourth. The atmosphere was incredible, as the fans seemed to be even louder with the echoes that accompanied being under the roof.

Now, Murray will face Ferrero in a match that he is once again expected to win. Just like they did when Henman was making his runs at Wimbledon, the fans will pack Centre Court and what is now known as “Mount Murray.” The pressure that is mounting on this 22-year-old is extraordinary, but he things are only going to get more difficult if he advances. His potential semifinal match would come against either Lleyton Hewitt or Andy Roddick, two former champions who still have the ability to play well in this tournament. Murray has a solid serve that has variety, excellent ground stroke and the ability to counterpunch, then become the aggressor when it is least expected. His game would fare well against either of the two, and he most likely would want to face Hewitt, who does not boast the power that Roddick does.

First, he needs to make sure he doesn’t overlook Ferrero, which would seem hard to do considering how much pressure he has on him.

It is not going to be easy for Murray to win this tournament. The British fans have placed tons of pressure on him; the fans want to erase what has become the curse of Fred Perry.

Moreover, they are craving to salute one of their own as champion of one of the most prestigious events in Britain.

They hope Murray is their man.