David Nalbandian created history by beating the Big Three at the 2007 ATP Madrid Masters
Former Argentine star David Nalbandian scripted history in 2007 by becoming the first-ever player to defeat Federer, Nadal and Djokovic in the same tournament. Nalbandian went on to win the title that edition, registering a thrilling 1-6, 6-3, 6-3 victory against Roger Federer in the final. It was Nalbandian’s first ATP Masters 1000 title in his career and his sixth ATP title overall.
Nalbandian had only made one quarter-final all season, so this title win is one of the greatest underdog stories of all time. The Argentine defeated Nadal 6-1, 6-2 in the quarter-final and followed it up with another straight-sets victory against Djokovic before getting the better of Federer in the summit clash. Nalbandian is till date the first and the only player to have defeated the ‘Big Three’ of men’s tennis in the same tournament.
What are the other highlights of David Nalbandian’s career?
David Nalbandian retired in 2013 after a successful professional career spanning more than a decade. Till date, he is the only male Argentine player in history who ever reached the semifinals or better at all four Grand Slam tournaments and reached the men’s singles final at Wimbledon. During his illustrious career, Nalbandian won 11 singles titles, including the Tennis Masters Cup in 2005 and two Masters 1000 tournaments.
Nalbandian achieved a career-best ranking of No. 3 in men’s singles and was the no. 1 Argentine player for a long time. He retired in 2013 after he was forced to undergo an operation on his right shoulder. In 2021, he joined Serbian player Miomir Kecmanovic as the coach.
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