Is Nalbandian overrated?

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lacade1967

New User
As an argentinean myself I have always been a fan of Nalbandian but cannot help think that he is overrated in a lot of tennis forums here. I used to follow him very closely in the 2000s and I found he was very inconsistent and only brought his best a few times a year. His serve was also a big weakness of him.

I think his biggest missed opportunity was his semifinal loss vs Baghdatis in Australia 2006. As a huge tennis fan, this was one of my most painful losses I can remember. He was up 2 sets to 0 and then he was up 4-2 in the 5th and he managed to lose that match. He would have had a great chance vs Federer in the final as he beat him in the 2005 masters final two months earlier.

After 2006, Nalbandian was never a factor in the slams again.
 
He's generally classified as one of the best players who never won a Major (and someone who could have gotten more out of his game if he had more commitment to the game and fewer injuries). That feels pretty accurate to me, IMO. It seems right to have him in a category w/players like Mecir, Corretja, Soderling, Martin, etc.
 
He will always be remembered for his remarkable wins at the YEC in 2005, beating Federer (the world #1 and 2 times defending champion) in a pulsating 5 set final and his back to back Masters wins in 2007 at Madrid (beating Nadal, Djokovic and Federer, ranked #2, #3 and #1 back to back) and Paris (beating the top 2 players, Federer and Nadal again).
 
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What is his average "rating" here? He's not mentioned much lately, but will come up in best backhand discussions or Fed rivalry talks, and of course the "what could have been" type talks (focused Safin, injury-free Haas). His weak serve is always brought up, as is his mindset and physique.

Now, let's look at his career. Slam finalist, world no. 3, YEC winner, absolutely throttled Big 3 on various occasions.

So a very talented, accomplished player, who gets semi-frequently mentioned on a tennis forum as having talent, specifically the backhand.
I would say he is rated quite accurately.
 
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roundeddowner said:
I still laughed at the people who during the Federer era said if Nalbandian were mentally tougher and commited to tennis he would have atleast as many slams as Federer or more. And who built up every single big win or great result he had as proof his best tennis on every surface was better than Federer, Nadal, or Djokovic (yes even Federer on grass or Nadal on clay, people were really this dumb and delusional) somehow.
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Just because a couple people said insane things doesn't mean that was reflective of his general "rating." He and Fed were early career rivals, but if anyone in 2006 or beyond mentioned them in the same breath, or vs. Rafa on clay, they shouldn't be taken seriously. That doesn't make David overrated or, again, that this was at all the general perception of him at any point.
 
- reached all four slam SFs (at least, including reaching Wimbledon final on his debut)
- won YEC, beating Federer over 5 sets
- won back to back Masters defeating the Big 3 a combined total of 5 times, in late 2007
- reached world 3

I think he's correctly rated as one of the best not to win a slam. Certainly I rate him as the best player not to since I've been watching tennis (from late 90s onwards).

I don't think anyone rates him as potential ATG or anything, so he's not especially overrated.
 
I think he is a great player. In terms of talent he is better than Zverev, Raonic, Nishikori and Dmitrov. Guys like Thiem and Tsitsipas will probably win much more than what Nalbandian did but in terms of talent not sure if they are that much better than him.
 
lacade1967 said:
As an argentinean myself I have always been a fan of Nalbandian but cannot help think that he is overrated in a lot of tennis forums here. I used to follow him very closely in the 2000s and I found he was very inconsistent and only brought his best a few times a year. His serve was also a big weakness of him.

I think his biggest missed opportunity was his semifinal loss vs Baghdatis in Australia 2006. As a huge tennis fan, this was one of my most painful losses I can remember. He was up 2 sets to 0 and then he was up 4-2 in the 5th and he managed to lose that match. He would have had a great chance vs Federer in the final as he beat him in the 2005 masters final two months earlier.

After 2006, Nalbandian was never a factor in the slams again.
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Nalbandian was also a big force in Argentina’s Davis Cup deep runs in the first decade of this century, which he also failed to deliver to Argentina.
Allegedly, he was not a good team mate.
Del Potro had to come along to win the Davis Cup for their country in 2016, some years after Nalbandian retired.
 
roundeddowner said:
100% He was very talented and an underachiever, but still greatly exagerrated. I still laughed at the people who during the Federer era said if Nalbandian were mentally tougher and commited to tennis he would have atleast as many slams as Federer or more. And who built up every single big win or great result he had as proof his best tennis on every surface was better than Federer, Nadal, or Djokovic (yes even Federer on grass or Nadal on clay, people were really this dumb and delusional) somehow.

Hilarious. So glad he is retired and the Godbaldnian myth has been forgotten and is no longer discussed. Atleast with Safin the annoying exagerration has a bit of traction to it.
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Are you sure about that? There are many threads all throughout the tennis forums everywhere posted frequently about Nalbandian's BH and shot making and his tremendously wasted talents. He's a talent that nobody will ever forget about because he was something special when he was on. He was a huge headache for Federer and Nadal many times.
 
roundeddowner said:
You obviously weren't on this site when he was in his prime from 2003-2010. Most of the posters here insisted he was more talented than Federer, had a higher peak level than Federer or anyone else, many insisting he had the highest peak level of any player on any surface. Including Federer on grass (even though Nalbandian sucks on grass, fluke Wimbledon final aside) and Nadal on clay. And so on. I can see how people who weren't around here back then are unaware of this, but Nalbandian in his heyday was insanely overrated.
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How do you know what they were saying of Nalby on this forum back in those days? You only joined yesterday.
 
When you're talked that highly of that frequently despite not having won a single major during your entire career it's hard not to be.
 
erosblue said:
Yes,he's overrated.He was a very good player but lacked a great forehand and his serve was average.So yes,overrated.
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So, where is the explanation for the overrating?

And his forehand, although not as great as Federer/Nadal/Del Potro's, was underrated, probably because of his arguable the best ever backhand. It was accurate, deep, versatile, he was using it to construct points but was also smacking winners with it in the right moments.
 
Nalbandian deserves every overrating he gets. Guy was the most wonderful combo of brutal and smooth tennis. Transitions from back of the court to the net were a great tennis sight.
 
lacade1967 said:
As an argentinean myself I have always been a fan of Nalbandian but cannot help think that he is overrated in a lot of tennis forums here. I used to follow him very closely in the 2000s and I found he was very inconsistent and only brought his best a few times a year. His serve was also a big weakness of him.

I think his biggest missed opportunity was his semifinal loss vs Baghdatis in Australia 2006. As a huge tennis fan, this was one of my most painful losses I can remember. He was up 2 sets to 0 and then he was up 4-2 in the 5th and he managed to lose that match. He would have had a great chance vs Federer in the final as he beat him in the 2005 masters final two months earlier.

After 2006, Nalbandian was never a factor in the slams again.
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Nalbandian in 2006 was actually pretty consistent overall, as he reached 6 semifinals in the big events, bit lacked the top level required to won as he lost several of those semis to players he should not have lost to, like Baghdatis, Ljubicic and Blake.
 
Nalby was good enough to win a slam. In that aspect he is not overrated.

He is overrated though by people who claim he should have been one of Fed's biggest rivals. With that serve, there's no way he was taking slams away from prime/peak Fed.
 
mike danny said:
Nalbandian in 2006 was actually pretty consistent overall, as he reached 6 semifinals in the big events, bit lacked the top level required to won as he lost several of those semis to players he should not have lost to, like Baghdatis, Ljubicic and Blake.
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If I recall correctly, Nalbandian's godson died during WTF 2006, and he kind of phoned in that match against Blake (who was himself playing very well).
 
Born_to_slice said:
He underachieved severely for his talent, mostly due to injuries and his mental problems on court. His best is the cream of the crop level and that's what his fans (me included) remember him for.
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Face it, he underachieved because he didn't take his fitness seriously. The guy was fat for a tennis player. I say this as a fan, not to be mean.

He was probably playing at a 20-25%bodyfat level while most of his opponents were at 10-15%. Imagine if he focused on his weight and fitness, he would have certainly won a few slams. He was an amazing talent.
 
One of my favourite players to watch over the years. His shotmaking was top notch and he always played to win the point rather than not to lose it. The jumping two hander and the two hander down the line were beautiful to watch. The two hander is an ugly stroke by nature but he made it look great. If his movement and fitness were better he could have achieved a lot more.
 
Similar kinda player to Rios. Brilliant shotmaker but slightly overrated. Backhand-10. Forehand-6 Serve-3 Volleys/feel around the net - 8
I'd rate his forehand an 8 if he didn't have the odd habit of just rolling forehands over instead of going for them so it's a 6. The letdown was the serve. No power and not much spin. Can't really overestimate how much this effected the rest of his game. With a terrible serve, Nalbandian had to work so much harder to win points and unless you're Nadal, that's not a recipe for lots of slams. And Nadal's serve is way better than Nalbandian's.
 
TheRed said:
Similar kinda player to Rios. Brilliant shotmaker but slightly overrated. Backhand-10. Forehand-6 Serve-3 Volleys/feel around the net - 8
I'd rate his forehand an 8 if he didn't have the odd habit of just rolling forehands over instead of going for them so it's a 6. The letdown was the serve. No power and not much spin. Can't really overestimate how much this effected the rest of his game. With a terrible serve, Nalbandian had to work so much harder to win points and unless you're Nadal, that's not a recipe for lots of slams. And Nadal's serve is way better than Nalbandian's.
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His forehand is definitely better than a 6. He could dictate points with it and trade with the best of them including Federer. It’s definitely better than Murray’s forehand which I would rate about a 6. Nalbandian also had a pretty good return of serve.
 
TheRed said:
Similar kinda player to Rios. Brilliant shotmaker but slightly overrated. Backhand-10. Forehand-6 Serve-3 Volleys/feel around the net - 8
I'd rate his forehand an 8 if he didn't have the odd habit of just rolling forehands over instead of going for them so it's a 6. The letdown was the serve. No power and not much spin. Can't really overestimate how much this effected the rest of his game. With a terrible serve, Nalbandian had to work so much harder to win points and unless you're Nadal, that's not a recipe for lots of slams. And Nadal's serve is way better than Nalbandian's.
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He was a tactician and was using his forehand's precision and versatility to construct points, more often than going for winners but he was more than capable of finishing the point with authority off that side. If his forehand is a 6 and Federer's and Nadal's are 10s(I presume, or do you think no one is a 10?), whose are 7,8 and 9 then? His forehand was at least an 8. His serve was mediocre, but the problems that kept him from winning slams were fitness and mentality(you've mentioned Nadal...).
 
Ray Mercer said:
One of my favourite players to watch over the years. His shotmaking was top notch and he always played to win the point rather than not to lose it. The jumping two hander and the two hander down the line were beautiful to watch. The two hander is an ugly stroke by nature but he made it look great. If his movement and fitness were better he could have achieved a lot more.
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In terms of technique his movement was actually very good(footwork, balance, anticipation, court sense...), he was even considerably quick in his early 20s plus had great reflexes, but yes, his fitness was awful.
 
skaj said:
He was a tactician and was using his forehand's precision and versatility to construct points, more often than going for winners but he was more than capable of finishing the point with authority off that side. If his forehand is a 6 and Federer's and Nadal's are 10s(I presume, or do you think no one is a 10?), whose are 7,8 and 9 then? His forehand was at least an 8. His serve was mediocre, but the problems that kept him from winning slams were fitness and mentality(you've mentioned Nadal...).
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Agree. He was "capable" like you said but weirdly, on forehands he'd extend points one more shot too often, even on putaways or approach shots. Also like you said, speed wasn't really his problem. He wasn't any slower than agassi. I just think, in general, he could've been slightly more aggressive. When he was, he could beat anyone.
 
skaj said:
In terms of technique his movement was actually very good(footwork, balance, anticipation, court sense...), he was even considerably quick in his early 20s plus had great reflexes, but yes, his fitness was awful.
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Yeah I agree especially when you go back and watch highlights from the early 2000’s.
 
skaj said:
He was a tactician and was using his forehand's precision and versatility to construct points, more often than going for winners but he was more than capable of finishing the point with authority off that side. If his forehand is a 6 and Federer's and Nadal's are 10s(I presume, or do you think no one is a 10?), whose are 7,8 and 9 then? His forehand was at least an 8. His serve was mediocre, but the problems that kept him from winning slams were fitness and mentality(you've mentioned Nadal...).
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Fitness and mentality were factors, but the serve was a big one as well. Here are some of the biggest/closest matches he lost at Majors:

2003 US SF: Loses to Roddick in five sets (including a pivotal 3rd set tiebreaker). Nalbandian has 5 aces & 2 double faults vs. 38/7 for Roddick.​
2004 AO QF: Loses to Federer in a tight four setter (Federer only won 6 more points). Nalbandian had 5 aces & 2 double faults vs. 20/3 for Federer.​
2005 AO QF: Loses to Hewitt 10-8 in the fifth set. Nalbandian has 4 aces & 4 double faults vs. 16/6 for Hewitt.​
2006 AO SF: Loses to Baghdatis in five sets. Nalbandian has 5 aces & 1 double fault vs. 15/2 for Baghdatis.​

If Nalbandian has a bit more juice behind his serve, he might have won some or all of these matches.
 
buscemi said:
Fitness and mentality were factors, but the serve was a big one as well. Here are some of the biggest/closest matches he lost at Majors:

2003 US SF: Loses to Roddick in five sets (including a pivotal 3rd set tiebreaker). Nalbandian has 5 aces & 2 double faults vs. 38/7 for Roddick.​
2004 AO QF: Loses to Federer in a tight four setter (Federer only won 6 more points). Nalbandian had 5 aces & 2 double faults vs. 20/3 for Federer.​
2005 AO QF: Loses to Hewitt 10-8 in the fifth set. Nalbandian has 4 aces & 4 double faults vs. 16/6 for Hewitt.​
2006 AO SF: Loses to Baghdatis in five sets. Nalbandian has 5 aces & 1 double fault vs. 15/2 for Baghdatis.​

If Nalbandian has a bit more juice behind his serve, he might have won some or all of these matches.
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Yeah, I think it was mostly the serve. He could've had 4-5 slams. He's better than Murray at everything, except the serve.
 
Why did Nalbandian like every player born in the early '80s decline in 2008 despite being only 26 years old and not having injury excuses like Hewitt/Safin? :unsure:
 
Lew II said:
Why did Nalbandian like every player born in the early '80s decline in 2008 despite being only 26 years old and not having injury excuses like Hewitt/Safin? :unsure:
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Fat Dave had hip and shoulder surgeries:


bleacherreport.com

Mario Ancic And David Nalbandian: Hard Road Back To Tennis From Injury

Fluctuating form, and assorted injuries have played havoc with the top few positions in the men’s rankings in recent months. Roger Federer, knocked from his No...
bleacherreport.com bleacherreport.com




"Nalbandian had surgery in May due to a torn labrum in the hip, a cartilage that cushions the movement of the femur. It’s the same injury that both Gustavo Kuerten and Lleyton Hewitt suffered, and Nalbandian will take much solace from the comeback made by the latter since he underwent surgery.

Nalbandian reported on his website that he would need four months to recover from his operation before on-court training could resume, and did not anticipate playing the circuit again before the end of the year."


End of the road for David Nalbandian as he retires with shoulder

Former Wimbledon finalist David Nalbandian has announced his retirement from tennis, citing a shoulder injury as the reason behind his decision.
www.independent.co.uk www.independent.co.uk
 
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I don't think he was overrated. He is ranked about right when people talk about him, it's not like anyone is rushing to say he was a potential multi-slam winner but rightly say that he should have snagged at least 1 slam. His tennis was great to watch and he had excellent point construction, it flowed so nicely in the build up and he made it look so simple and efficient. There are a couple of overrated players from that era but he is not one of them.
 
-snake- said:
Fat Dave had hip and shoulder surgeries:


bleacherreport.com

Mario Ancic And David Nalbandian: Hard Road Back To Tennis From Injury

Fluctuating form, and assorted injuries have played havoc with the top few positions in the men’s rankings in recent months. Roger Federer, knocked from his No...
bleacherreport.com bleacherreport.com




"Nalbandian had surgery in May due to a torn labrum in the hip, a cartilage that cushions the movement of the femur. It’s the same injury that both Gustavo Kuerten and Lleyton Hewitt suffered, and Nalbandian will take much solace from the comeback made by the latter since he underwent surgery.

Nalbandian reported on his website that he would need four months to recover from his operation before on-court training could resume, and did not anticipate playing the circuit again before the end of the year."


End of the road for David Nalbandian as he retires with shoulder

Former Wimbledon finalist David Nalbandian has announced his retirement from tennis, citing a shoulder injury as the reason behind his decision.
www.independent.co.uk www.independent.co.uk
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Every pro athlete had minor injuries at some point of his career, if we want to make excuses.

The fact is the new balls gen disappeared in 2008 at a young age, except for Federer who never dominated again.
 
Lew II said:
Every pro athlete had minor injuries at some point of his career, if we want to make excuses.

The fact is the new balls gen disappeared in 2008 at a young age, except for Federer who never dominated again.
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Way to dodge the fact you didn't even know DN went under the knife multiple times...
 
Lew II said:
Injury is always the excuse for Fed gen's decline.

All Slam winners in the last 16 years were taller than Nalbandian. I think tennis has evolved past him.
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Yes, they retired/declined just because. Nothing do with their bodies falling apart.
 
buscemi said:
Fitness and mentality were factors, but the serve was a big one as well. Here are some of the biggest/closest matches he lost at Majors:

2003 US SF: Loses to Roddick in five sets (including a pivotal 3rd set tiebreaker). Nalbandian has 5 aces & 2 double faults vs. 38/7 for Roddick.​
2004 AO QF: Loses to Federer in a tight four setter (Federer only won 6 more points). Nalbandian had 5 aces & 2 double faults vs. 20/3 for Federer.​
2005 AO QF: Loses to Hewitt 10-8 in the fifth set. Nalbandian has 4 aces & 4 double faults vs. 16/6 for Hewitt.​
2006 AO SF: Loses to Baghdatis in five sets. Nalbandian has 5 aces & 1 double fault vs. 15/2 for Baghdatis.​

If Nalbandian has a bit more juice behind his serve, he might have won some or all of these matches.
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If he had a bit more juice behind his stamina, mental stability and determination he might have won those and many other grand slam matches. Nadal regularly serves poorer than his opponents, didn't stop him from winning 19 majors. Not to mention that aces and double faults alone are not the only indicators of serving.
 
When people say he is one of the best to never win a slam this is pretty accurate. When people say he is one a talent level with the Big three and could have won similar amount of slams if only motivated this is where he becomes overrated. However, as Mainad has pointed out he had this great WTF 2005 as well as his great runs in Paris and Madrid in 2007 and a good career H2H against Federer so other than Rios (who is also one of those who get way too much praise for their supposed potential) he has at least some big wins to back up such a claim.
 
Yeh, he's the ultimate bad big-match player! The only other name I can come up to match, is Berdych. But Berdych had 2 excuses: he had much bigger holes in his game than Nalbandian, and he played in the era of the Big 4.
 
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