epa03891675 (FILE) A file picture dated 19 January 2009 shows Argentina's David Nalbandian waving to the crowd after defeating Marc Gicquel of France in their first round match at the Australian Open Tennis tournament in Melbourne, Australia. Nalbandian on 01 October 2013 announced he will end his career as profesional tennis player after his upcoming match against Spain's Rafael Nadal on 23 November 2013. EPA/MARTIN PHILBEY AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND OUT |
David Nalbandian, in the eyes of many respected judges, the finest all-court player in recent years never to have won a Grand Slam singles title, has announced his retirement at the age of 31 after a persistent battle to overcome a shoulder injury.
The right-handed Argentine will be remembered for both his play and his temper. As a playing high-point, fans can look back to the 2002 Wimbledon final, when he was beaten by Lleyton Hewitt. Or the 2005 Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai, when he arrived as a late replacement and progressed to beat Roger Federer for the title in a in a fifth-set tiebreak.
But there was also the tempestuous side to the fair-haired player from Cordoba and he was defaulted from a leading position in the 2012 Aegon Championships final at London’s Queen’s Club after he kicked an on-court advertising board bordering a line judge’s chair and caused a bloody and deep gash in the official’s shin.
A complaint alleging assault was made to London’s Metropolitan Police who commenced investigations but no further criminal action was taken. However Nalbandian was automatically forfeited his prize money and ranking points due to his conduct default from supervisor Tom Barnes and also hit with an ATP World Tour fine of £8,000 for unsportsmanlike behavior. Therefore his outburst cost him a total of £44,114 [$US 69,910].
He underwent shoulder surgery in April of last year after playing doubles for Argentina in the Davis Cup quarterfinals against France and although he tried to battle on determinedly, he cited the condition of the joint as the cause of his decision.
“I can play matches, but my shoulder won’t let me continue my career,” he shared with the media in Buenos Aires. “I can’t play like that at a [professional] level. It’s tough because I have to announce my retirement from the sport that gave me so much. I’m very grateful.”
Nalbandian ended his career with a prize money fortune of $US 11,130,013. (£6,864,447) and won 11 titles on the ATP World Tour. He reached the semi-final stages of the world’s other three Grand Slam tournaments and attained a career-high ranking of world no.3 in 2006. He finished in the year-end Top 10 of the Emirates ATP Rankings five times.
The following year he captured back-to-back ATP World Tour Masters 1000 trophies in Madrid (then played indoors during October) and Paris-Bercy, defeating both Federer and Rafael Nadal en route to the title in both events.
Nalbandian figured in three Argentina teams that contested the final, in 2004, 2008 and 2011. He remembered all fondly, even though he ended up on the losing team on each occasion.
“It’s the event that I felt was different from the others,” he reminisced. “The pressure, the support of the people. It’s something unique. It’s a shame Argentina couldn’t win it, but it’s the way it was.”
His last ATP World Tour final was at the Brasil Open in Sao Paulo earlier this year in February, losing to Nadal in the Spaniard’s second tournament back to the ATP World Tour after an injury layoff.
After announcing his retirement from the ATP World Tour at a media conference, Nalbandian took to Twitter to say that he would play a series of farewell exhibition matches with Nadal beginning 21 November. “It’s a long way to those matches,” said Nalbandian. “I’m still in rehab from my injuries and I need to keep training.”
Topics: 10sballs, Atp World Tour, David Nalbandian, Davis Cup, Grand Slam, Lleyton Hewitt, Rafael Nadal, Sports, Tennis, Tennis News, Wimbledon
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