How Nalbandian did the Impossible in Madrid
Tennis has produced many great champions, but some achievements remain so rare that they still stand untouched years later. One of those moments belongs to David Nalbandian, the only man in history to defeat Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic in the same tournament.
This happened at the 2007 Madrid Open, when Nalbandian cut through the three biggest names of the era on his way to the title. At the time, Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic occupied the top three spots in the ATP rankings, making the feat even more extraordinary.
Looking back, Nalbandian admits he did not fully understand what he had accomplished until after the tournament was over.
“It was something incredible. I didn’t realize until Monday, when it ended, that that had happened,” Nalbandian said in a recent interview with New Balls Please.
“When you are in a tournament like that, in that era, it was normal to play against them, and if you wanted to win the tournament, you had to beat everyone.”
Known as “King David” by fans, Nalbandian reached the Wimbledon final in 2002, won the 2005 Tennis Masters Cup by beating Federer, and spent five straight seasons inside the Top 10. Still, even by his standards, Madrid 2007 stood apart.
The Argentine reflected on just how difficult that period was for players outside the Big Three.
“It was like their best moment, or practically the best moment of the three. You always played, at least with two, always. It was normal,” he said.
“Well, I was lucky to be able to beat all three in a row in the same week. Of course, it was something incredible and it is not going to happen again. But yes, in that era it was very hard. We were used to playing against them.”
Nalbandian’s run in Madrid remains one of the toughest draws ever conquered. He dismantled Nadal in the quarterfinals, edged Djokovic in the semifinals, and recovered from a slow start to beat Federer in the final.
Just weeks later, he backed it up by winning the Paris Masters, again defeating both Federer and Nadal. In the space of a single month, Nalbandian beat Federer twice and Nadal twice. Nearly two decades on, no one has matched what Nalbandian achieved in Madrid.
