On the day of his anniversary, we pay tribute to this outstanding, professional tennis player from Cordoba, remembering his career and all the joys he brought us.
The famous and prominent tennis player David Nalbandian was born in Unquillo, Córdoba, on January 1, 1982. As if the universe had planned it, that January 1 would be the beginning of a great era for the national tennis and above all, Cordoba. From a very young age, David expressed his passion for sports and adventure, always running behind his brothers. Their hours were divided playing soccer, tennis, basketball, karate, horse riding, swimming. This racket pro always had sportsman soul; adrenaline and competition ran through his veins. In addition, his Cordovan origin invited him to tour the mountains, walk through the mountains and enjoy watching the rally cars go by.
Beginnings
His passion for tenis began on a field in the town of Río Ceballos, near Unquillo. There, his uncles played who encouraged Javier and Darío to practice this sport, David’s older brothers. One day they gave him a racket and he didn’t let go of it again. At age 12, David Nalbandian was already a great promise and it headed the Argentine ranking in its category.
Early in his career on the Junior circuit, David had outstanding performances and positioned itself as one of the promises of world tennis. He was world champion in Japan at age 14 and won the US Open in 1998, after defeating Roger Federer in the final. In 1999 he reached the semi-final of Roland Garros, which he lost to his compatriot Guillermo Coria. All these achievements would not have been possible without him unconditional support of his family, since both his parents, brothers and even friends worked arduously to be able to economically meet the expenses of participate in these tournaments. The talent and potential that he hinted at on the courts made the greatest Argentine tennis player in history, Guillermo Vilas, will notice him. So it was that he invited him to a school that was developing by then.
Pauses
In April 2009, after some poor results, David felt a hip injury; the cartilage that would leave it off the court until the end of the year. He could not recover for the Australian Open 2010. Before his injury, he had won the Peugeot Cup for the third time. His return for the 2010 Wimbledon Championship was expected, but he preferred not to play it because he still did not feel at his full power. He permanently maintained that his objective was to obtain the Davis Cup. His glory years in tennis were between 2002 and 2007. However, I would continue playing tournaments, giving everything on the field and receiving thousands of tributes. Giving us joys and suspensions, inviting us to know the world of tennis from his eyes and his experiences.
Man does not live by tennis alone
David Nalbandián also exploits other edges and passions of his personality. He is a lover of extreme sports, especially the rally, and in parallel to developing a vast career in tennis, he is also consecrated as a excellent driver of this type of car. In September 2007 he presented with his friend, the pilot Marcos Ligato, a team called Tango Rally Team with which he currently competes in the national championship of this specialty, having his headquarters in the Argentine province of Córdoba. He made his debut in this discipline in 2013 in the N4 division, commanding a Mitsubishi Lancer EVO IX and in 2016 he was promoted to the Maxi Rally division where he competed commanding a Chevrolet Agile. Not just as a hobby, but as an exceptional competitor, Nalbandián won the Maxi Rally Cup in 2016, destined to pilots with low antecedents in said division.
For more
This man from Cordoba not only plays it for his sport, he has a foundation that bears his name which is a non-profit organization with the objective of create favorable conditions for the development of people with disabilities in health and sports. Among his most striking activities is having swam with sharks in Melbourne, Australia in 2002 and do bungee-jumping in Vienna on October 13, 2004 from the 152-meter high Danube tower.
Recognitions
In 2005 he was awarded the Olimpia de Oro for the best Argentine athlete of the year, awarded by the Círculo de Periodistas Argentinos, after its conquest in the Masters Tournament. In 2006 he was distinguished with the Gold Consecration award, awarded by Diario Clarín, which he won again in 2007. In 2010 the Konex Foundation awarded him the Konex Platinum Award for the best tennis player of the decade in Argentina. In 2013 he received from Talento Sports the TALENTO Award, which places him as one of the great athletes from Cordoba in history and which gives him a place in the Hall of Fame of Cordoba sports.
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