Former Argentine tennis star David Nalbandian admitted he had no answer for Roger Federer at the beginning of the 2007 Madrid final but he was glad that he was able to find a way to turn the match around after a slow start.
Federer got off to a strong start to the 2007 Madrid final, winning the first set 6-1. Nalbandian, a former world No. 3, recovered from a set down and beat Federer 1-6 6-3 6-3 for his first and lone Madrid title. “It was another incredible match.
I think I lost the first set (6-1) and then I started playing better. He played very good in the beginning. I didn’t find a way to turn around that match, but I made it finally,” Nalbandian said on the ATP Tennis Radio, per Sportskeeda.
Nalbandian was confident he could beat Federer
Nalbandian met Federer 19 times and actually had a pretty decent record versus the Swiss. Nalbandian lost 11 of those 19 meetings but beating Federer eight times is a great stat.
“I always think I can beat Federer because we play juniors all the time. So everytime I went on court, I knew I (would have) a lot of chances. I knew he didn’t like to play against me as well. Both know it’s going to be a very tough match.
Both know whoever’s going to play better will win. I don’t respect Roger Federer like everybody else because we played from juniors. We don’t have that respect for each other. And that’s a huge advantage for me,” Nalbandian added.
Nalbandian, 40, retired in 2013. Federer, 40, is still active on the Tour. Nalbandian says Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic all being still active is a positive thing for the game. “Whether they win or lose, when they are around, the tournament feels different.
This let’s have in second: title: Whether they win or lose, when they are around, the tournament feels different,” Nalbandian noted.
