Maybe we spoke too soon. Seems Bodo's got company.
From Tennis Week:
The Day After Defeat David Speaks to the Media
The final shot of Spain's stirring upset of host Argentina was struck 24 hours earlier, but the spin continues off court after one of the most eventful and bizarre Davis Cup finals in recent memory.
Moments after Feliciano Lopez and Fernando Verdasco roared back from a 1-5 hole in the third-set tiebreak to stun David Nalbandian and Agustin Calleri and shock the Argentine faithful into silent submission, 5-7, 7-5, 7-6(5), 6-3, in giving Spain a 2-1 lead in this best-of-five match Davis Cup final, Argentina's top two stars reportedly went at it in the locker room.
Behind closed doors in the locker room afterward, Nalbandian and Juan Martin del Potro apparently got into an argument with Calleri stepping between the two men before tensions escalated, sources tell Tennis Week.
Nalbandian was a no-show for the mandatory post-match press conference and faces a $10,000 fine from the International Tennis Federation. Neither Nalbandian nor del Potro appeared at the post-match press conference after Verdasco clinched Spain's third Davis Cup championship of the decade yesterday and Nalbandian was criticized by some for an alarming lack of leadership during the final.
Today, Nalbandian met with the media in an effort to explain his side of this strange saga and appease both the press and a nation anxious for answers in the aftermath of a titanic tennis crash-and-burn that culminated with captain Alberto Mancini announcing his resignation Sunday night. Mancini had characterized Nalbandian as "not well mentally" on Saturday night, and Nalbandian and del Potro occupied opposite ends of the team bench and barely made eye contact on Sunday.
It was a much more composed Nalbandian who walked into the room at the five-star Costa Galana Hotel in Mar del Plata today to face an eager corps of journalists and a firing squad of photographers. Nalbandian spoke for 15 to 20 minutes in offering his thoughts and feelings on just what went wrong in what was supposed to be Argentina's crowning coronation and quickly degenerated into an utter debacle of sound and fury. He then took questions from the media for nearly 40 minutes.
Speaking in a calm, clear voice that rarely wavered, Nalbandian tried to make sense of a final that saw Argentina win four straight sets to start the tie before the team imploded and spiraled into self-destruction as well as assess the immediate and long-term future for both himself and the Argentine team.
"Understand the pain of a player not being able to score a point in an important series," he said. "Understand the anguish and unease right now. Things went badly, but the terrible weekend is over."
Please note I am translating Nalbandian's comments, which were made in Spanish, into English for this report so some of what follows may not be an exact word-for-word translation, however I can assure you this translation is completely accurate in capturing Nalbandian's sentiments.
The first issue Nalbandian addressed was "how painful" the reports about his argument with del Potro were to him personally and the team collectively. While he was reluctant to provide a blow-by-blow description of the argument, Nalbandian asserted since none of the media was in the locker room no one — except for members of the team present in the room — really knows what transpired.
"It really hurts the players when people say things that aren't true," Nalbandian said.
However sources close to the situation have told Tennis Week the bickering grew so boisterous members of the Spanish squad could clearly hear details of the argument in their locker room. These sources tell Tennis Week that the core of the contentious clash was Nalbandian's belief that del Potro put himself ahead of the team by playing the Tennis Masters Cup Shanghai two weeks ago, risking re-injury to his already cracked toe nail, rather than returning to Argentina to rest, recovery and train to ensure he was at full strength for the nation's first home Davis Cup final in history. The word around Mar del Plata is that Nalbandian also had harsh words for del Potro's father. Del Potro fired back that Nalbandian still had the opportunity to give the team a 2-1 lead, but failed to produce the much-needed win partnering Calleri in the doubles match.
Given the chance to confirm or dispute that version of events, Nalbandian did neither.
Asked point blank if he believed del Potro's decision to play the Masters Cup was a poor one that hurt the team, Nalbandian said he was "not 20 years old anymore" adding that he himself had already dealt with the same scenario when he reached the 2006 Tennis Masters Cup Shanghai semifinals then went on to win two singles matches weeks later in Russia's 3-2 victory over Argentina in the Davis Cup final staged in Moscow.
"That train has already passed me," Nalbandian said, adding "Del Potro did what he did."
When another journalist pressed him for a definitive answer on del Potro's decision and how he believed it impacted the team, Nalbandian replied: "I can't answer that question."
However later in the press conference, Nalbandian appeared to allude to del Potro without mentioning him directly when he remarked: "Davis Cup isn't just one weekend, it is three weeks of training before hand."
The World No. 11 flatly and emphatically shot down rumors that his Davis Cup career is finished. Nalbandian reconfirmed his commitment to playing Davis Cup.
"It bothers me that people have questioned whether I'm continuing with the Davis Cup or not," Nalbandian said. "For me, representing my country is really an honor. I'm going to continue — like I've done until this point — defending Argentina's flag the best way possible. My passion for the Cup and for my country is strong and the loss is very painful, but we need to be objective and analyze the reasons for loss. The rumor that I am not going to play Davis Cup anymore is completely false. I love Davis Cup and I love the passion the Argentine fans (display) for me and for the country."
It has long-been rumored that Nalbandian exerted some degree of influence over Mancini's decisions — some speculate Nalbandian persuaded Mancini to dump Guillermo Coria from the team years ago — but Nalbandian said today he was not responsible for the captain's decisions, pointing out he suggested he partner Lucas Arnold in doubles but that Mancini did not agree and did not select Arnold to the team.
"I can only give my opinion," said Nalbandian. "The bottom line is the captain, with all the cards on the table, makes the final decision and that's the way it should be."
He praised Mancini for leading Argentina to two Davis Cup finals, one semifinal and one quarterfinal in the past four years, but when pressed directly on who he believes should succeed Mancini as captain, Nalbandian replied: "It's not my place to answer that question. It's not my decision."
The general consensus among members of both teams was that Saturday's doubles match was the turning point of the tie. Nalbandian said he believes the next captain should form a consistent doubles team that plays each tie together to create a cohesive unit as the Bryan brothers do for the United States and Lopez and Verdasco do for Spain. Asked if he would be part of such a standard doubles pairing, Nalbandian said "It is better for me to play Friday, rest Saturday and play on Sunday, but if the captain requests (that I play doubles), I will do it."
In comments some observers interpreted as sincere and others believed were a contrived bid at damage control, Nalbandian apologized to the media for blowing off the post-match press conference on Saturday night.
"I am sincerely sorry (I was not available to the media)," Nalbandian said. "But the loss on Saturday was emotionally traumatic for me because of my love for the country and flag."
Requesting that the media try to "remain objective," Nalbandian said "the reason I am not available the majority of the time is because I am a very private person and other times I need to rest and relax before a match."
He closed saying he will try to be more accessible to the Argentine press in the future and that he appreciates their concern.
Tennis Week contributing writer Alberto Amalfi is in Mar del Plata where he covered the Davis Cup final for this web site.
