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Nalbandian set to drop down hard on Guga's parade
Marat Safin described him as having the best touch on the tour and now David Nalbandian aims to employ his equisite feel for the ball to smother Gustavo Kuerten's hopes of a fourth French Open title.
Marat Safin described him as having the best touch on the tour and now David Nalbandian aims to employ his equisite feel for the ball to smother Gustavo Kuerten's hopes of a fourth French Open title.
The 22-year-old Argentinian left Safin flat-fooed and utterly frustrated in his fourth round win with the Russian stranded time after time behind the baseline as Nalbandian sent over drop after drop after drop.
"Nalbandian can play from anywhere. He can serve and volley, he can play from the baseline. He has very good hands," said Safin after his four set defeat.
"He has such a great shot, really great hands. He's one of the most talented players on the tour."
Nalbandian believes he is a far better player than the one who was paralysed by fear when he surprised everyone, including himself, by reaching and losing the 2002 Wimbledon final to Lleyton Hewitt.
His deadly drop shot is just one of many weapons in an impressive armoury, one that he hopes will be enough to subdue both Kuerten and the Philippe Chatrier Court crowd when their quarter-final takes place on Wednesday.
Someone suggested changing the name of the drop shot to the Nalbandian.
"I'm not sure about that but my drops were very good against Safin," said Nalbandian who has never played the Brazilian legend before.
"I tried to use it more and more because my arm was tired and I had to do a lot of running against Marat. Those drop shots helped me get a good result."
Although he arrived here with the reputation of a hard court player, the Cordoba native has proved himself on clay with one of his two career titles coming on the slow surface of Estoril in 2002.
This season, he has been a quarter-finalist on clay at Monte Carlo and Barcelona and was runner-up to Carlos Moya in Rome.
"I have worked very hard since Monte Carlo to be ready for the French Open. I have changed the way I play on clay courts. On return, I go back maybe three or four steps.
"You also have to be very strong in the mind and the body for a tournament like this, you have to be ready to play very long matches."
Nalbandian, with his boxer's build, knows that Kuerten is running high on adrenaline but low on physical durability, a legacy of the Brazilian's hip operation two years ago.
"The crowd will be with Guga. That's understandable. He is a great player and deserves respect but I am impatient to go back on court and play the match."
