Nalbandian's self-confidence remains intact
Will serious dedication lead to David Nalbandian's return to being one of the elite players on tour?
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina -- When asked to explain what makes David Nalbandian such a great player, the first thing that comes to mind is his extraordinary self-confidence.
Last week, I mentioned the psychological change that helped Justine Henin become an undisputed No. 1; in Nalbandian's case, I have to point out that this has been one of his most important assets throughout his whole professional career.
He has achieved that without becoming obsessive about the game. On the contrary, David is a very cheerful, outgoing person everyone loves. He's always hanging around the players' room with a smile on his face, and he never rejects a greeting (something players with half his status sometimes seem to forget).
Besides being a great competitor, Nalbandian has a very important quality few tennis players possess: He trusts his tennis qualities 100 percent. He also knows his limitations perfectly well; therefore, he knows when to step up his pace because he's falling down the rankings or when is the right time to take a break because things are going his way.
What happened to him in the Olympic Games in 2004 is something many of you will find hard to believe because it's not a usual thing to see players trust themselves so much.
Only a few days before the start of the Games, Nalbandian suffered from a recurrent abdominal injury. In this case, not only could he not participate in the Olympics but his chances of reaching the Masters Cup by the end of the year were in danger.
This is how I started a conversation with him: "David, this is so unfortunate … "
His response was: "Yes, it's a pity because of the Olympic Games; you only get a chance to be here every four years. But you shouldn't worry for the Masters."
I looked at him incredulously, and he continued: "The injury will heal soon; I will then go to the U.S. Open and I get to quarter or semifinals, then strike a couple of quarters in the Europe indoors season, and with another semifinal someplace else, I think that'll do the trick."
When he was done talking, I didn't know whether he had gone mad or whether he was joking. Not because of what he had said about the results, because I knew he had the talent to do it, but because of the way he said it: totally convinced of what he was going to do. His self-confidence, even in such a delicate moment, was intact.
That's when I realized he has perfect timing in managing his career. He knows perfectly well what he's capable of doing and when he wants to do it. This recognition of his virtues and limitations acts in tune with that huge self-confidence, and both elements play a feedback role: believing in his game so much makes him a stronger player, but at the same time, the knowledge of his limitations and capacities makes him more confident when he is on the court.
The 2004 season concluded, and even though his predictions on the results were almost 100 percent accurate (he made it to quarterfinals twice and lost two finals), the recurrent injuries didn't allow him to get to the Masters by the end of the year.
But in 2005, after Andy Roddick backed out at the last minute, Nalbandian not only would avenge his Masters absence but would win the Cup, topping mighty Roger Federer.
Curiously, that was Federer's last defeat on indoor hard court until Sunday, when he lost once again to Nalbandian, this time at the Masters Series final in Madrid.
Still, self-confidence isn't all he has: Nalbandian is, undoubtedly, a very complete tennis player. His backhand is one of the best in the world, and he rarely commits mistakes with it. He is also one of the top returners of serve, and tactically, he knows how to play every ball, to a point that when you watch him play, tennis actually looks pretty simple.
Personally, I love to watch his matches and was able to learn a lot from him.
Nalbandian has been criticized regularly for not working hard enough or not forming a team to help him go the extra mile. But now he has a world-class team surrounding him. At the U.S. Open, I was able to see him work in an orderly way, inside and outside the tennis court. It was a pretty usual thing to find him in the gym working out with his trainer. We might be at the point that David is aiming at the No. 1 spot in the rankings.
The public sometimes doesn't realize the enormous sacrifice one has to make to stay at such a high level. It really wears anyone out to give 100 percent in every tournament. Tennis players are also human beings, and our minds and bodies need to rest. There's no need to say that we all started as youngsters and there are other things beyond tennis that we want to live as other people our age do.
In the case of Nalbandian, I have been a witness to how he manages his career, striking a delicate balance between his goals in the sport and other activities aside from tennis that also make him happy and somehow renew him to make him play better. Obviously, these are personal choices, and as such are absolutely respectable.
The question one should ask is: If David dedicated himself full-time to the sport, would his mind be able to tolerate it, or would he burn out much more quickly?
While you draw your own conclusions, let's enjoy his game and take time to congratulate this champion, who once again proved he's one of the few players in the world able to intimidate Federer, a No. 1 on his way to being the best tennis player in history. And that's a lot to say.
Paola Suarez won 44 doubles titles (including eight Grand Slams) and eight singles titles in her career. She is a frequent contributor to ESPNdeportes.com.
