David Nalbandian Has Retired From Tennis
In a surprising press conference in Buenos Aires earlier today, David Nalbandian announced his retirement from pro tennis.
The 31-year-old who underwent shoulder surgery in May which kept him from playing this summer and eventually led to his retirement.
“It’s not easy what’s happening to me now, my shoulder is not helping me to train as I should for the circuit,” Nalbandian told the media.
“It’s a tough day to announce my retirement.”
Gracias a todos por haberme permitido disfrutar del aliento de ustedes a lo largo de toda mi carrera.
— David Nalbandian (@nalbandiandavid) October 1, 2013
Armed with one of the best backhands in the sport, the sometimes surly, often injured Nalbandian is known for collecting wins over the like of Rafael Nadal (2 wins) and Roger Federer (8) including a five set victory in the 2005 Shanghai final. He also famously held a matchpoint against Andy Roddick in the 2003 US Open semifinals.
But an assortment of injuries and inconsistency prevented the talented Argentine from making a bigger impact on the game.
A former No. 3, Nalbandian finishes with $11.12M in earnings, 383 career victories, 11 singles titles and one Grand Slam final at the 2002 Wimbledon losing Lleyton Hewitt.
The Cordoba native was victorious in his last match, an April 6th doubles win with Horacio Zeballos over France in Davis Cup. His last Grand Slam match was a loss at Wimbledon in 2012 to Janko Tipsarevic.
Nalbandian said his exhibition matches against Nadal next month in Argentina are still on.
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