We'll miss you David Nalbandian -
One of the better players who never won a major during the Federer era -- David Nalbandian from Argentina has announced his retirement
"David Nalbandian, age 31, ranked 231, announced his retirement today. What will you remember most from his 13-year career? For a player who never reached No. 1 or won a major title, he offered us a lot—some of it was glorious, some notorious.
On the plus side, there were his Grand Slam successes, which included a run to the Wimbledon final in 2002, and subsequent semifinal appearances at each of the other three majors. There was his biggest title, the 2005 Masters Cup. There was his stellar Davis Cup record; a devotee of the team event, he went 23-6 in singles and led Argentina to the final three times. There was also his ability, rare among the men today, to hang with the elite. Nalbandian, a junior rival of Roger Federer’s, beat him eight times as a pro, and recorded 13 wins over the Big 4 in total. He had that kind of talent, and he was an all-surface threat.
On the minus side, there was Nalbandian’s unfortunate signature YouTube moment, perhaps the most infamous swift kick in the game's history. During the Queen’s Club final in 2012, he booted and destroyed a wooden box in front of a linesman. It left the guy with a chunk of lumber in his leg, and left Nalbandian disqualified. As far as Nalby’s talent went, yes, he had it, but no, he never made the most of it. He reached match point against Andy Roddick in the U.S. Open semifinals in 2003. Three years later, he was up 4-2 in the fifth set against Marcos Baghdatis in the semifinals of the Australian Open. Both times he was on the brink; both times he lost. He'll go down as one of the best players never to win a major.
At the end of 2007, Nalbandian showed the world exactly how good he could be by tearing through that season’s last two Masters events. In Madrid, he beat Nadal, Djokovic, and Federer in succession for the title ..."
http://www.tennis.com/pro-game/2013/10/talented-mr-nalbandian/49334/#.UktZ7RBdyAp
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