David Nalbandian had the game to beat the Big Three — why did he never win a Grand Slam?

Wednesday, 26 August 2026 at 12:30

David Nalbandian remains one of the strangest case studies in modern tennis history: a player good enough to beat Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic — sometimes all in the same week — yet a player who retired in 2013 without a single Grand Slam title to his name. He reached the 2002 Wimbledon final at just 20 years old, climbed to world No. 3, and remains the only man ever to reach the semifinals of all four majors and the final of Wimbledon.

Nalbandian's career isn't a story of one missed opportunity. It's a mix of a shock run to a Slam final as a teenager, years of frustratingly close results at the majors that never quite closed out, a body that eventually broke down for good, and a temper that occasionally undid him in the biggest moments — never more infamously than at Queen's Club in 2012.

David Nalbandian's career in numbers

Achievement	Record
Career-high ranking	No. 3 (March 2006)
Grand Slam finals	1 (Wimbledon, 2002)
Grand Slam semifinals	4 (all four majors)
ATP Masters 1000 titles	2 (Madrid 2007, Paris 2007)
Year-end championship	1 (Tennis Masters Cup, 2005)
Career singles titles	11
Consecutive years in the top 10	5 (2003–2007)
Career singles win rate	66.6% (383–192)

A teenage run to a Wimbledon final nobody saw coming

Nalbandian turned professional in 2000 and was still a relative unknown when he arrived at Wimbledon in 2002. At 20, and having never previously gone beyond the third round of a major, he beat Wayne Ferreira, Xavier Malisse and Tim Henman on the way to the final, becoming the first Argentine man ever to reach a Wimbledon singles final. Lleyton Hewitt beat him comfortably in straight sets, but the run announced him as a genuine talent rather than a passing surprise.

What followed was unusual: Nalbandian didn't build on that final with more Slam deep runs right away. His progress across the other majors was gradual and spread out — a US Open semifinal in 2003, a Roland Garros semifinal in 2004, then semifinals at both Roland Garros and the Australian Open in 2006 — making him the only Argentine man in history to reach the semifinals or better at all four Grand Slams.

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The peak: world No. 3 and a Masters Cup title over Federer

Nalbandian's best season arrived in 2005, when he won the season-ending Tennis Masters Cup, coming back from two sets down to beat a prime Federer in the final. A few months later, in March 2006, he reached his career-high ranking of world No. 3. Between 2003 and 2007, he spent five consecutive seasons inside the top 10 — a run of sustained excellence that placed him firmly among the sport's elite, even without a major title to show for it.

The signature moment of his career came in 2007, when Nalbandian won the Madrid Masters by beating Djokovic, Nadal and Federer back-to-back-to-back across the same tournament — only the third man in history to beat a top three in one event. He followed it a week later by beating Federer and Nadal again to win the Paris Masters, becoming the first player ever to defeat both men twice each while they held the sport's top two rankings.

Nalbandian against the Big Three

Rival	Career head-to-head	Signature win
Roger Federer	8–11	2005 Tennis Masters Cup final
Rafael Nadal	2-5	6–1, 6–2 in the 2007 Madrid quarterfinal
Novak Djokovic	1-4	6–4, 7–6 in the 2007 Madrid semifinal

The head-to-head with Federer, in particular, tells its own story. Nalbandian lost their first five meetings before winning six of the next seven, a stretch that included the 2005 Masters Cup final and both 2007 Masters finals. Federer eventually pulled the overall rivalry back in his favor, closing it out 11–8, but few players of that era gave the Swiss as much trouble across as many different surfaces and stages.

The injuries that slowly ended it

Nalbandian's decline wasn't sudden. Shoulder surgery in 2009 marked the beginning of a stretch of injury-interrupted seasons that never really let up. His ranking, which had sat inside the top 10 for years, began sliding steadily as he struggled to string together healthy runs of tournaments.

By the time he underwent further hip and shoulder surgery in 2012, his ranking had fallen outside the top 200 — a steep drop for a player who, only a few years earlier, had been beating the best players alive on their own terms.

Queen's Club, 2012: the moment that defined his reputation off the court

Nalbandian's temper had always been part of his identity as a player, but it produced the most notorious moment of his career at the 2012 Queen's Club final. Leading Marin Cilic by a set, he kicked an advertising board in frustration after losing his serve, and a piece of the panel struck line judge Andrew McDougall in the shin, drawing blood. Officials had no option but to disqualify him on the spot, handing Cilic the title.

Nalbandian apologized publicly afterward, admitting he had made a mistake, but the incident became one of the defining images of his career — a reminder of how much emotion sat just beneath the surface of a player capable of dismantling the world's best. He never fully recovered his ranking after the setback, and continued injuries to his hip and shoulder left him with no way back.

Where it all fell short

Nalbandian retired in October 2013, at 31, after his shoulder failed to respond to treatment. He walked away from the sport with 11 titles, a career-high of world No. 3, and wins over every member of the Big Three at their peak — but no Grand Slam, and no Masters Cup beyond the one in 2005. The Wimbledon final of 2002 remains, in hindsight, less the start of an era than the closest he ever came.

What makes his career such an enduring what-if is that the gap between Nalbandian and a Grand Slam champion wasn't a gap in talent. On his day, he was capable of outplaying Federer, Nadal and Djokovic in succession, something almost nobody else managed even once. The difference, in the end, came down to health and timing: a body that couldn't hold up long enough, in an era stacked with three of the greatest players the sport has ever produced.

Cristhián AvilaTennis Journalist

Cristhián Ávila is a tennis journalist based in Santiago, Chile, and has been part of the TennisUpToDate team since early 2023. He covers the ATP and WTA Tours as well as all four Grand Slams, producing breaking news, match reports, analysis, and regular liveblogs from major tournaments.

His reporting combines statistical analysis with clear explanation, helping readers understand tactical developments, player form, and broader storylines across the tour. Working fluently in both Spanish and English, Cristhián collaborates with an international editorial team and contributes to comprehensive global coverage. As part of his work, he has conducted interviews and media interactions with leading figures in the sport, including Caroline Wozniacki and John McEnroe.

In his journalism, Cristhián places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available. His coverage is grounded in research, context, and direct engagement with professional tennis.

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