FORMER WORLD NO 3 FOR 2010 HEINEKEN OPEN
The 2010 Heineken Open has confirmed top-20 player and former world No3 David Nalbandian of Argentina as one of its key announcements for the upcoming event.
The 27-year-old from Cordoba, Argentina has a current world ranking of 20 and with ten ATP singles titles and ten finals to his credit he has been in the top echelon of men’s tennis over the past eight years.
He reached his career high of No3 in March 2006 after a semifinal appearance at the Australian Open and also at the Miami Masters.
Despite having his 2009 interrupted with hip surgery Nalbandian still managed to claim the title in Sydney with successive victories over Lleyton Hewitt, Richard Gasquet and Jarkko Nieminen.
He also made the semifinals at Buenos Aires and the quarter-finals at Barcelona as well as the fourth round at Indian Wells and maintained his top-20 ranking.
One of his most notable results was in 2002, when in his first ever professional tournament on grass Nalbandian shocked the tennis world with a run to the final of Wimbledon before succumbing to Hewitt in the final.
Nalbandian is known for his superb consistency, especially in Grand Slams having reached the quarter-finals or better of ten Grand Slams.
In 2005, Nalbandian advanced to the quarter-finals of the Australian Open, Wimbledon, and the U.S. Open, but more importantly he won the Tennis Masters Cup, becoming only the second Argentine tennis player in history (after Guillermo Vilas in 1974) to win the end of year tournament.
Having entered the tournament as a replacement for American Andy Roddick, Nalbandian won two of his three group matches and in the semifinals he defeated Russian Nikolay Davydenko before inflicting a rare defeat on world No1 Roger Federer in a fifth set tiebreak.
Nalbandian is one of the few active players who has a winning head-to-head record against both Rafael Nadal and Federer.
“Nalbandian is a quality player who has something special in his game as witnessed by his Grand Slam record of having reached a final and several semifinals,” says Heineken Open tournament director, Richard Palmer. “He’s the sort of player who has the ability to really challenge for the Heineken Open title and get back into the top10.”
Off the court Nalbandian is involved in many different activities and isn’t afraid of a challenge.
He’s bungee jumped from the 152m Danube Tower, has swum with sharks as well as driven a Mitsubishi Lancer racing car with the Tango Rally Team in the World Rally Championships in northeast Argentina. While not expected to drive he took over the wheel and competed against one of Argentina’s best drivers over a mile long circuit.
Nalbandian has his own foundation which provides programmes and projects for people with disabilities, orientated towards health and sports.
He has even featured in a fun musical video with his friends in his home city of Cordoba.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0iRFFssZ7Qo&feature=player_embedded
The Heineken Open will be held at the ASB Tennis Centre, January 11-16, 2010 with the first two days of qualifying January 9-10, 2010 at the Albany Tennis Park, Oteha Valley Road, Albany.
Tickets will be on sale from Monday 2 November at any Ticketek outlet or at the ASB Tennis Centre.
For more information contact:
Richard Palmer – Heineken Open tournament director – 021 675 006
Or
Dave Worsley – Heineken Open media manager – 021 365 224
