Neither he towards me nor I towards him had that respect that younger players now have for the Big 3: David Nalbandian recalls his experience of facing Roger Federer
David Nalbandian is one of the few players who can boast of a competitive record against Roger Federer. In a recent interview with Punto de Break, the Argentinian tennis great expressed that he did not give a lot of 'respect' to Federer on the court, thus helping his best self thrive when facing the legendary Swiss player.
The former World No. 3 registered eight victories in 19 matches against Federer on the ATP Tour. One of those wins came in the final of the 2007 Madrid Masters, for Nalbandian's second ATP Masters 1000 title. Nalbandian reckons that his style of play often troubled Federer and was one of his keys to success against the now 20-time Grand Slam champion.
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Nalbandian expressed that he was not overwhelmed by Roger Federer's presence across the net each time they faced each other.
He opined that younger players nowadays often tend to give 'too much respect' to Federer and his fellow 'Big 3' colleagues - Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic - thus falling short in big matches against them. Nalbandian, on the other hand, feels that his own competitive spirit was always on point against the likes of Federer.
"Neither he towards me nor I towards him had that respect that younger players now have when they have Roger Federer or any other member of the Big3 in front of them. When you enter the court without that excessive respect, you already have one more chance," Nalbandian said.
He also suggested that his game didn't suit Federer much and helped him beat the Swiss player several times.
"Also, I think that the type of game that I had at that time he didn't like, that's why I managed to get him into a ball. That was what helped me beat him so many times," he added.
Nalbandian pointed out that his many battles with Roger Federer in their early careers - on the juniors' circuit - were instrumental in them having a great rivalry on the professional circuit as they knew each other's games quite well.
When David Nalbandian stunned Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Roger Federer in consecutive matches
David Nalbandian won 11 ATP titles during his illustrious career. However, he is most remembered for his epic run at the 2007 Madrid Masters - where he defeated Rafael Nadal (QFs), Novak Djokovic (SFs) and Roger Federer (Final) en route to the title. The feat remains unmatched to date, and Nalbandian feels his "epic" achievement might never be emulated.
"It is something different from any other tournament because nobody could do it, it is something unique. It seems to me that no one will be able to do it anymore because, even if I beat these three, they will no longer be with that ranking. That was epic, maybe that's why it stands out the most," the Argentine expressed.
On this day, in 2007...David Nalbandian completed an unprecedented sweep of the Big Three—Federer, Nadal and Djokovic—to win the Madrid Masters.
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Spanish sensation Carlos Alcaraz came quite close to achieving Nalbandian's feat. Alcaraz defeated Nadal and Djokovic in consecutive matches at the 2022 Madrid Masters, but is yet to face Federer in his career. However, he became the first player ever to beat Nadal and Djokovic in the same claycourt tournament.
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