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Roger Federer has been in ominous form. In his bid for a seventh Wimbledon title, his next hurdle lurks in the form of a dangerous opponent, his old foe, David Nalbandian.
This will be their first meeting on grass. Get ready to be amazed by some enthralling action when the current world number three, Roger Federer, takes on former world number three, David Nalbandian, in a hugely anticipated, third round clash in the second match on the Center Court.
Breakdown:
David’s backhand will be the trumpcard:
So far, it has been a smooth sailing for the Swiss maestro. This will be the first major hurdle between him and a seventh Wimbledon trophy.
Federer has won a single title this season at Doha. A semifinalist at the Australian Open and a finalist at the Roland Garros, he has been highly unsuccessful against the top two players.
He avenged his losses to the Serb at this year’s French Open semi-final which broke Novak’s incredible run of 42-match winning streak as well as denied him a world number one ranking.
Though he incurred another loss at the hands of the Spaniard in the final, the form and consistency he has shown at 29, is incredible and poses a real threat to the title this year.
Nalbandian has been plagued by a series of injuries this season. After getting the better of the Aussie Lleyton Hewitt at this year’s Australian Open in the first round in a thrilling five-set encounter, he had to retire in the second round due to injury.
At 11-5 win-loss record this season, the Argentine seems to be improving with every match he has played at the Championships. In February, he reached the quarter-finals at Buenos Aires and his comeback was once again halted due to a surgery on his left leg.
Head-to-Head Record:
The pair has met 16 times and the record tilts slightly in favor of the Swiss at 10-8. Federer earned a straight-set victory over the Argentine in their last encounter in 2008 at Basel.
Match Point:
The last time Roger suffered defeat against Nalbandian, was four years ago in Madrid where a barrage of world-class backhands from the Argentine did all the damage.
And to have any hope of pushing the champion to the limit, the shot has to get clicking. Though Federer’s groundstrokes and speed have become fragile, yet his serve is as powerful as it used to be.
And if the first serve percentage and ace count remain high, it will be difficult for the world number 23 to break into Roger’s service games.
Still, Federer holds the edge and I go with Federer in three, though the possibility of the Argentine taking a set off the champion cannot be ruled out.
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