His Triumph in the Circuit

David got off to a good start in 2005. For the third consecutive time he reached the quarter-finals in Australia, the same stage at the Wimbledon and the US Open and won the ATP in Munich. He also reached semi-finals in the Madrid Masters Series. His performance during the season was not enough for him to directly qualify for the Masters Cup in Shanghai; but then at last moment, Andy Roddick withdrew and David was able to enter the competition.
He beat Guillermo Coria in two sets and he defeated Ivan Liubicic 6-2, 6-2. In the semi-finals his performance showed his aptitude for the game and he reached the final, beating the Russian player Nivolay Davvdenko in two sets. In the crucial match, he played against No. 1 Federer.
They were head-to-head when the final began, but Federer took the first two sets in tie-breakers. Against all odds, David dominated the third and fourth sets, tying the match. The fifth set was very close, point-for-point, and the Argentine played his best tennis, winning in the final tie-breaker. David Nalbandian won the Masters Cup against No. 1 ranked player in a breathtaking match.
With the boost that winning the Masters gave him, the most important title of his career, David began the 2006 season off to a good start.
He began with a bang, reaching the semi-finals in Australia for the first time, but he would end up losing to Marcos Bagdhalis in an incredible match, despite holding a two-set-to-love advantage.
This performance placed David in the best position of his career (No. 3) after Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
Then he won the Estoril Open Tournament for the second time and he reached the Rome Masters Series semi-finals, but he lost to Federer in the third set tie-breaker. At that moment, David and the world’s No. 1 would meet again, but the Argentine who had taken the first set and was up 3-0 in the second, suffered an abdominal injury. He finally retired in the third set.
He suffered injuries throughout the rest of the year which made David perform erratically. However, he managed to reach the Madrid Open semi-finals, and directly qualify for the Masters Cup, making it to the semi-finals to be beaten by the American player James Blake. He finished the year ranked 8th in the world.
David got off to a tumultuous start for the 2007 season. Again, he suffered injuries that prevented him from attaining his top level. But towards mid year he decided to reevaluate his situation and decided to form a team with his fellow compatriot Martin Jaime as his coach. The positive results quickly became apparent. In a stunning season ending, David won the Madrid Masters Series Tournament for the first time. Playing an almost unbeatable tennis, he beat the world’s top three players in the same week, becoming the third player in history to achieve this (Boris Becker, Stockholm 1994 and Novak Diokovic, Montreal 2007). He defeated No. 2 Nadal in the quarter-finals, No. 3 Diokovic in the semi-finals and first ranked Federer in the final, winning 1–6, 6–3, 6–3.
Two weeks later, David reconfirmed his great streak by winning the Paris Masters Series. In the ‘City of Light’, he defeated Federer again, this time in the quarter-finals and in two sets (6-4, 7-6). In the final he knocked out the Spaniard Nadal, winning 6-4 and 6-0. It was the first time that a tennis player won twice in the same tournament against the top two players in the world. He finished the year ranked No. 9, moving back into the top ten.

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HIS PASSION FOR SPORTS AND ADVENTURE

Apart from tennis, David has other hobbies that he loves. Rally car racing is one of those passions that he has had since he was a child and it is one that he shares with his family and friends. This love for Rally led him and his friend Marcos Ligato, a rally car driver, to launch the Tango Rally Team. His team competes in the World Rally in the production category and also in the Argentine Rally.
David often gets into racing cars and likes to feel the adrenaline of speed, leading him to debut as a driver in the Master Rally in Andalgala, Catamarca province (Argentina) in 2007.
He is also a soccer enthusiast, both on and off the field—he likes to play and is also a big fan of the River Plate team.
Everything that has to do with nature entices David. He loves to go fishing especially if he is with friends.
Adrenaline and adventure have led him to face new challenges in all kinds of activities. For example, he went bungee jumping in Vienna, leaping from the 152 meter high Danube Tower and swam with sharks in Melbourne, Australia.
Polo is another of his favorites and he closely follows La Dolfina polo team. Golf is one of the other activities that he enjoys and often plays.
Since he became widely known in the world sports, he has been encouraged to leave Unquillo and move to Buenos Aires. However, he has never accepted because what he values most is in his hometown—his family and friends with whom he finds the happiness, peace and love that he needs in his life.