Scotsman, UK
June 25 2005

Nalbandian eyes his second final

ALAN PATTULLO

LIKE Andy Murray, David Nalbandian knows what it is to cause a stir
in his very first Wimbledon. The Argentine arrived at SW19 in 2002 a
genuine unknown and made stealthy progress into the final, where he
was beaten by Lleyton Hewitt.

It is possible for his young Scottish opponent today to emulate the
feat. Possible, even, for him to exceed it. But Murray himself has
judged it unlikely. Asked how he thinks he might fare, Murray replied
that he should lose comfortably against a player he ranked among his
boyhood favourites.

When Nalbandian’s name came to the fore, Murray was only 15, an
impressionable youngster about to set out on a tennis odyssey which
would begin to take shape at the Sanchez-Casal Academy in Barcelona,
and then bring him here to Wimbledon.

Nalbandian, on the other hand, hadn’t heard much about Murray until
the Dunblane teenager started appearing on the front page of national
newspapers this week. “I didn’t know him before so I can’t tell you
too much,” said Nalbandian, a man of few words, after his
second-round victory over Karol Kucera. Although his reticence is
well known on the tour, he has a particular reason for his solemn
bearing this week. Nalbandian is still mourning as his father,
Nolberto, died recently.

The pony-tailed Nalbandian gives the impression of a man focused on
what he is doing, and unfussed by the media circus. But his lack of
profile shouldn’t obscure the danger which lurks for Murray.
Nalbandian’s five victories over Roger Federer point to a man on a
level above mediocre. “I think I can get there [the Wimbledon final]
again,” Nalbandian said this week. “Why not this year?”

Even the mere mention of his birthplace is enough to give many Scots
nightmares. Nalbandian was born on New Year’s day in 1982 in a place
called Cordoba, scene of Scotland’s infamous 3-1 defeat by Peru in
the 1978 World Cup finals. His Armenian grandfather built a tennis
court in his back yard but it wasn’t until his first appearance at
Wimbledon that he experienced a proper grass court. Indeed, in order
to prepare for his appearance three years ago he asked his club in
Buenos Aires to draw out some tennis lines on a nearby cricket pitch.

Although Nalbandian has slipped down the rankings again in the past
year – he entered this tournament at No 19 in the world – he is still
a more than handy operator, as his last 16 finish at the French Open
last month confirmed. And he knows what to expect today, if not in
terms of Murray’s game then with regard to the partisan Centre Court
which is likely to await him. He lost in four sets to Tim Henman in
2003 at the fourth- round stage, and knows a similar outcome will be
equally popular today.

“I think this is going to be the same,” he said. “But it gives you
extra motivation. I like the pressure.”