Players Under the Microscope / Editor / 30 April 2007 /

It is hard to believe that David Nalbandian is still only 25 as he seems to have been one of the leading lights on the world circuit for years, but in fact the Argentine right-hander only turned professional in 2000.

In that time he has scooped five career titles, been a stalwart of Argentina's Davis Cup squad and proved himself a man for all courts.

The right-hander from Cordoba boasts a 226-116 win/loss record and just over a year ago climbed to a career-best number three in the world rankings. He has slipped a bit since, down to number 13, but he is still one of the trickiest and canniest players on the world circuit.

Nalbandian is a success story waiting to happen. He has yet to win a Grand Slam title but for a player so at home on clay, he has already appeared in a Wimbledon final, finishing runner-up to Lleyton Hewitt in 2002.

Weeks later he made his Davis Cub debut for Argentina and since then hasn't looked back.

Last year he reached the semi-finals of both the Australian and French Opens - he reached the last four in Paris in 2004 as well and in the 2003 US Open, he reached the semi-finals.

Nalbandian joined an elite band of players who have reached the last four of all four majors. When he reached the Australian Open semi-final in January last year, he became only one of three current players to reach the semis of all four big tournaments along with Andre Agassi and Roger Federer.

So here is a man who knows his way around the courts, who has made something of a mark at all four majors.

His success is a family story. He is coached by his brother Javier and all three Nalbandian brothers - there's Darlo as well - played tennis as kids in their own backyard. Their Armenian grandfather built a cement court in his backyard for them to play on.

His biggest win of his career came in 2005 when he beat Roger Federer to win the Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai, just as he had done as a junior in winning the US Open junior title. Last year as defending champion, he reached the semi-finals of the Masters Cup before losing to Federer.

The Argentinian has twice won the Estoril Open - in 2002 and last year - but sadly for Portuguese fans he is sitting out this week's tournament as he prepares for the Rome Masters. His other tournament wins have come in Basel in 2002 and Munich in 2005. He has been runner-up in seven other tournaments but the Estoril win this time last year is his only final appearance in the last 12 months.

He had not gone beyond the last 16 of any tournament this year until reaching the quarter-finals of last week's Barcelona Seat Open before losing to Spain's David Ferrer in straight sets.

Last year in Rome he reached the semi-finals before losing to Federer and then ran into him again in the French Open, where he was forced to retire with a pulled stomach muscle in the third set.

But he will expect his patchy form to come good in time for the French Open and he hopes his revival will start in Rome next week at the Italian International.

Last year Nalbandian boasted a record of 18-5 on clay, but he will have to go some to match that this year. Even so he is a player capable of upsetting the best of them - as he has done in the past and is on offer a massive 130 to claim his maiden Grand Slam title at Roland Garros this year.

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