the Nalbandian record so far

Federer would be a formidable opponent for any player who's ever picked up a racquet, but consider Nalbandian has split his 16 meetings with the World No. 1, winning their last two matches.

If that 8-8 career record doesn't seem particularly impressive, then consider this stat. If you exclude Nadal, who has been Federer's nemesis, and Nalbandian, the rest of the top 10 has a combined 4-63 lifetime record vs. Roger. The individual records for each player vs. Roger is listed here:

• Novak Djokovic 1-5 vs. Federer
• Nikolay Davydenko 0-11 vs. Federer
• David Ferrer 0-8 vs. Federer
• Andy Roddick 1-15 vs. Federer
• Fernando Gonzalez 1-10 vs. Federer
• Richard Gasquet 1-6 vs. Federer
• Tommy Robredo 0-10 vs. Federer

That means Nalbandian has doubled the combined victory output seven of the world's top 10 players have against Federer.

Unlike his fellow top 10 pros, Nalbandian isn't searching for the right formula to defeat Federer: he already has it. His backhand, one of the best two-handers in the game, can corner Federer on his weaker backhand side. Nalbandian possesses one of the best return of serves in the world (his ability to re-direct pace off the backhand side is almost Agassi-like), he is well-balanced off both forehand and backhand side, he is capable of competing on all surfaces - reaching the semifinals of all four majors, including the 2002 Wimbledon - and he matches up well with the world's top players.

Three weeks removed from his 26th birthday, Nalbandian has only won seven career titles, but if he can commit to a continuous conditioning program that prevents him from wearing down in the latter stages of tournaments, he can be a consistent top five player and contend for majors.

from Alberto Amalf: Galloping Gaucho

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