[NextGenKing]

What a match this was. Roddick comes in to it after back to back Masters titles I believe. Nalbandian takes Federer out before facing Roddick. So both had good momentum coming in.

Rodficks serving plus the crowds favouritism come up strong while he is in trouble, big trouble.

Enjoy the match below and lets chat after. I wont give spoilers

 

[BodyServe]

As a Roddick fan you must have enjoyed it indeed. I think it was good that he won in the end as Nalbandian would have been dead meat in the final as he was carrying an abdominal injury, which is why he was serving that day on almost WTA level. Got tired playing a lot of rallies on his service games and more or less collapsed in the end, mentally and physically.

A 100% physically fit Nalbandian would almost certainly have won that.

 

[The Federest]

I think it was good that he won in the end as Nalbandian would have been dead meat in the final as he was carrying an abdominal injury, which is why he was serving that day on almost WTA level.

Also an issue with his left wrist, which deteriorated as the match went on. In the 4th and 5th sets, he wasn't getting any depth on his backhands.

The serve was good at first, too, but deteriorated badly (I think it took Roddick until the 4th set to break for the first time.)

 

[ballbasher101]

Glad I was not able to watch this match at the time. Nalbandian was the more talented player, but history will show Roddick reached more major finals and won one major. Talent is not everything for sure. If only Nalbandian was more professional.

 

[oshobiintro]

Nalby’s chance to be one slam wonder
And who knows maybe he can win more
Tragedy

 

[gmak]

So gutted for David.

UO2003 and AO2006 were his biggest chances for winning that elusive slam. FO2004 was winnable too.

 

[oshobiintro]

Why Argentina has so many talented underachieving mugs, again and again and again and again, they are so talented and so idiotic you almost want to kill them, Roddick was the mentally tougher guy, that 20 y.o. extravert! He is fucking 2 points from winning am i right and yes he will destroy Juan Carlos to a new Ferrero then what? Fucked up a slam because some New Yorker who don’t love you too much? FUCK YOU, Coria is one, delpopo is another idiot, I don’t know nothing about Messi but I bet he is idiot, too. All I can count on is ginobili, and I am not too sure about that

All right, I love them all

 

[just1ce]

I don’t know nothing about Messi but I bet he is idiot, too.

🤣

 

[BauerAlmeida]

Nalbandian almost pulling that off is insane, he had two injuries and was badly hampered. He couldn't serve because of the abdominal tear and then got another injury in his wrist during the game (that wrist injury left him without competition for a month IIRC, making him miss Davis Cup semis and retiring from Basel when he had to play the final). Roddick still needed that fan making the call in the 3rd set tie-break and a bad call to break in the fifth and win the match.

It's crazy that Ferrero would have won two slams that season had Nalbandian converted the MP.

Why Argentina has so many talented underachieving mugs, again and again and again and again, they are so talented and so idiotic you almost want to kill them, Roddick was the mentally tougher guy, that 20 y.o. extravert! He is fucking 2 points from winning am i right and yes he will destroy Juan Carlos to a new Ferrero then what? Fucked up a slam because some New Yorker who don’t love you too much? FUCK YOU, Coria is one, delpopo is another idiot, I don’t know nothing about Messi but I bet he is idiot, too. All I can count on is ginobili, and I am not too sure about that

All right, I love them all

Coria, Gaudio, Nalbandián, Calleri were underachievers but then the generations that came after had some overachievers like Schwartzmann and Mónaco. Also, JMDP is underachiever because of injuries, he was having a better career than many expected at that point before his first wrist injury. Messi and Ginobili obviously had terrific careers and can't be called underachievers.

 

[NextGenKing]

Nalbandian almost pulling that off is insane, he had two injuries and was badly hampered. He couldn't serve because of the abdominal tear and then got another injury in his wrist during the game (that wrist injury left him without competition for a month IIRC, making him miss Davis Cup semis and retiring from Basel when he had to play the final). Roddick still needed that fan making the call in the 3rd set tie-break and a bad call to break in the fifth and win the match.

It's crazy that Ferrero would have won two slams that season had Nalbandian converted the MP.





Coria, Gaudio, Nalbandián, Calleri were underachievers but then the generations that came after had some overachievers like Schwartzmann and Mónaco. Also, JMDP is underachiever because of injuries, he was having a better career than many expected at that point before his first wrist injury. Messi and Ginobili obviously had terrific careers and can't be called underachievers.

Could roddick not have still won the point when the fan called out no??

 

[The Federest]

I can't blame Nalbandian for running out of legs.

His route to the semis: Kohlschreiber (3 sets), Nieminen (5 sets), Philippoussis (4 sets), Federer (4 sets), El Aynaoui (4 sets).

There were question marks about his fitness and dedication later in his career, but that draw was brutal, and with the injuries he was carrying...

It's a credit to Roddick for hanging in there. Roddick was slightly outplayed throughout the first three sets (barring perhaps a few games in the first, when he had all those BPs), but he didn't let his intensity drop once. In the end, he got his reward.

It was also a credit to Nalbandian that he fought hard in the 5th.

 

[Break point Dom.]

Watched this on Saturday. Had actually forgotten it was recommended on here as classic match, finally one I can contribute to.

Tight first set, Nalbandian steps it up on TB. Second he plays wonderful return game at I think 2-3. Plays another good TB to go 4-2 up (wonderful cross court winner for the point before changeover) and then chokes a little with a tame forehand in next point. 3-4 he can't find a winner either. Still thought he was going to win the tie break as brilliant defence at 5-5 and then flicks past Roddick at the net. Roddick finds the first serve on MP and Nalbandian can't block it back. Then you get the crowd involvement.

4-3 game in the fifth (had lost full interest in last two sets knowing the result) Nalbandian thinks lob is going long and clips the line and it all unravels from there, UE, Roddick aggresion and then he misses bh at the net. Mac cam in those days!

Interesting before the match McEnroe and the others on comms all predicted Roddick in straights. Don't think they were disrespecting Nalbandian too much given he'd reached a slam final just over a year previously but were more focusing on his more taxing route to the SFs compared to Roddick.

I did always think Nalbandian would win a slam but sadly for him that was the period he need to, when Fed still lacked consistancy and Nadal and Djokovic were barely on the pro tour.

 

[The Federest]

Lovely backhand half-volley from the baseline from Nalbandian here, having anticipated where Roddick was going with the forehand:

 

[The Federest]

Having already saved 2 BPs at 2:2 in the 3rd, Roddick was facing another BP on his next service game. On the previous point, he double-faulted but with very close line calls.

Under great pressure, he played this gutsy point:

 

[The Federest]

At 5:5 in 3rd set tiebreak, Nalbandian played this great point to set up match-point:

Wonderful skill and composure.

 

[The Federest]

And here's the controversial point at 7:7 in the 3rd seat TB:

 

[laughingcavalier]

As a Roddick fan you must have enjoyed it indeed. I think it was good that he won in the end as Nalbandian would have been dead meat in the final as he was carrying an abdominal injury, which is why he was serving that day on almost WTA level. Got tired playing a lot of rallies on his service games and more or less collapsed in the end, mentally and physically.

A 100% physically fit Nalbandian would almost certainly have won that.

.. Ironic isn't it that he squandered a 2 sets to 0 lead in the semi's of the US OPEN whilst enduring an abdominal injury and then did exactly the same thing against Baghdatis at the 2006 Australian Open semis' and then a few months later leads Federer 6-4,3-0 in the semi's of the French and then ultimately retires in the 3rd set with an........... abdominal injury.

3 semi's at 3 different slams where he could've/should've progressed through to the final.Should've lost the gut after the first time around as it probably was the catalyst for picking up that sort of thing deep in a slam.

Nalbandian should've at least made the finals of every slam.

 

[The Federest]

Thanks to @NextGenKing for this week's match.

Next week's match is Rod Laver vs Arthur Ashe, Wimbledon SF 1969:

Good-quality video that allows us to appreciate the brilliance of the players.

I'll post the new thread on Monday.