Match report

David Nalbandian © Tennistalk.com
ATP Masters Series Madrid
3rd round
10/16/08 1 2 Tot
ar  David Nalbandian 4 2 0
ar  Juan Martin Del Potro 6 6 2
Juan Martin Del Potro © Tennistalk.com

  • Del Potro sends teammate toppling

    10/17/08 11:57 AM | David Cox
    Juan Martin Del Potro sent David Nalbandian crashing out of the Madrid Masters and the top 10 with a straight-set win on Thursday.

    Having won the title last year, Nalbandian loses a massive chunk of points and if he goes out early in Paris next month, the Argentine may struggle to finish the year in the top 20

    It's always important to make a good start in big matches, but Nalbandian instantly found himself on the back foot in both sets. He lost his serve in the opening game and on such a quick surface against a server like Del Potro it was always going to be tough to find a way back and he never did, going down 6-4, 6-2.

    As Nalbandian summed things up, “He played very well, was very solid. I started both sets badly. He took the advantage and maintained it throughout the match.”

    There's been some controversy recently regarding the choice of venue and surface for next month's Davis Cup final against Spain with the team's talisman Nalbandian openly criticizing his captain's choice. Del Potro, who won the decisive rubber in the semi-final against Russia, was keen to keep out of the debate when questioned on the situation post-match. He insisted that there's no rivalry between him and Nalbandian over who is the team's No. 1. “In Davis Cup he is the leader and he is the one that counts above everyone else. We don't compete to see who is the best from Argentina.”

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