When David Nalbandian took down the Big Three in Madrid

Tournament Feature

When Nalbandian single-handedly took down the Big Three in Madrid

Argentine toppled Nadal, Djokovic and Federer en route to title in 2007

Getty Images David Nalbandian defeated Roger Federer to claim the title at the 2007 Mutua Madrid Open. By Marcos Zugasti

David Nalbandian’s name is etched into the annals of the Mutua Madrid Open for many reasons. One of them, and surely the most famous, was one of the most incredible title wins in the history of the ATP Tour.

Nalbandian became just the third player to beat the top three in the PIF ATP Rankings at one tournament by defeating the ‘Big Three’ of Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer. He joined Germany’s Boris Becker (Stockholm 1994) and Djokovic (Montreal 2007). Since then, only Daniil Medvedev has repeated the feat, at the 2020 Nitto ATP Finals.

“I was really focused, knowing that I would have to play incredibly well to win, and everything went well for me. It was a great boost for me beating so many good players that week,” Nalbandian, who had reached No. 3 in the PIF ATP Ranking in 2006 before plummeting after 15 months without a coach, later said.

Once he started working with Martin Jaite, Nalbandian claimed his special Madrid triumph. However, it was not the first time the man from Cordoba had stunned the tennis world. Two years earlier, Nalbandian was in patchy form when he arrived at the Nitto ATP Finals in Shanghai. He would go on to beat Federer in the final to claim the title at the season-ending event.

In Madrid in 2007 (when the ATP Masters 1000 event was still held on indoor hard courts), the tough draw and the big names proved powerless to stop Nalbandian, a player in possession of a textbook backhand that many would argue is one of the best of all time, if not the best, never to have won a major.

His week started with an encounter against Frenchman Arnaud Clement, a former Top 10 player. Nalbandian came back after a slow start to win 5-7, 6-2, 6-4 in two hours and 17 minutes. Next up was powerhouse Tomas Berdych. Again, he ground out a result, 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(2), this time in two hours and 10 minutes. In the Round of 16, the Argentinian produced another display of his prowess against his countryman and rising star, a 19-year-old Juan Martin del Potro, for a 6-2, 6-4 victory.

The best, though, was yet to come. In the quarter-finals, Nalbandian put on a tennis masterclass, dispatching Rafael Nadal 6-1, 6-2 in just 71 minutes. “I knew that if I had a chance to beat Rafa, it was here. On a fast court, indoor, at altitude,” remembered Nalbandian, who finished his career an 11-time tour-level champion. “All of that means that the conditions were better for me than for him. That year Rafa had not played much in the previous weeks and was probably not on top of his game. I knew this was my chance to beat him because of the circumstances. It was only one hour and 11 minutes. Unbelievable. I don’t think I missed a shot.”

In the semi-finals he sunk Djokovic 6-4, 7-6(4) at a time when the Serbian was starting to show signs of being a threat to Nadal and Federer. "With Djokovic it was more or less the same,” reflected Nalbandian. “The conditions here were better for me than for him. I was playing great, with a lot of confidence after beating Rafa like that. I was ready to fight, and I think it was one of my best moments against him. I played incredible tennis.”

In the title match against Federer, it was a different story. It always was against the Swiss, with whom Nalbandian had a long history. The Cordoba native had lost his past five matches against Federer, but he defeated the Swiss 1-6, 6-3, 6-3 to improve to 7-8 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series and get his hands on the Madrid trophy.

“Every time he stepped on court, I knew I had a chance, a big chance,” Nalbandian later said of the Swiss, against whom he finished with an 8-11 record. “I knew he didn’t want to play against me.”

Editor's note: This story was translated from ATPTour.com/es

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