Name: David Nalbandian
DOB: January 1, 1982
Country: Argentina
Height: 5' 11
Plays: Right-handed, one-handed backhand
Turn pro: 2000
On January 1, 1982, David Nalbandian was born in Unquillo, Cordoba, Argentina, and soon became an adventurous young child. Following after his brothers, David showed a passionate love for playing sports such as soccer, tennis, and basketball, as well as activities such as karate, horseback riding, and swimming. He often enjoyed walking up to the hills to watch the thrilling rally cars race by. Eventually, his all-around athleticism started to focus in on the sport of tennis when he took to the courts in the town of Rio Ceballos, near Unquillo, playing with his uncles. Under his uncles’ instructions and coaching, David’s brothers learned the game of tennis. David, always wanting to imitate his brothers, was finally given the chance to pick up the racquet, and, since then, he has never put it back down. Nalbandian, at the young age of 12, became a tennis prodigy and performed so well that he earned the top rank of his division in Argentina.
Because of David Nalbandian’s spectacular performance in the junior leagues, his career soon blossomed into an international tennis sensation, becoming one of the many hopefuls in the world tennis circuit. At just the age of 14, David won the title of world champion at a match in Japan and in 1998, he won the US Open in a match against Roger Federer. Then, in the next year, he made it to the final round of the Roland Garros tournament. From the humble courts in Rio Ceballos, playing with his brothers, David has become an international tennis superstar. David owes much to his family and friends, who all pitched in to pay for his supplies and participation in the tournaments, and without them, he may have never gone as far as he has.