Sunday, July 07, 2002
Nalbandian's Centre Court debut will be final vs. Hewitt
By KRYSTYNA RUDZKI
Associated Press Writer
WIMBLEDON, England — David Nalbandian's first appearance on Centre Court at the All England Club will be for the Wimbledon final against No. 1-ranked Lleyton Hewitt.
It's one of many firsts for the 20-year-old Argentine.
No other man reached the final in his Wimbledon debut in the Open era (since 1968). No other Argentine has been this far at the tournament. And, most amazingly, Nalbandian never had played a tour-level event on grass.
Because of all of that, Hewitt — the reigning U.S. Open champion — will be a big favorite Sunday.
It will be the youngest Wimbledon final in Open era history. The combined ages of the 21-year-old Hewitt and Nalbandian are one year lower than those of the 1992 finalists: Andre Agassi (22) and Goran Ivanisevic (20).
“I felt like I've been hitting the ball great the last four weeks, as soon as I came on the grass,” Hewitt said. “I like playing in big occasions; I like the big matches.
“Now, to have another opportunity to have a go at another Grand Slam — it's a great feeling.”
While Hewitt beat fourth-seeded Tim Henman in straight sets to make the final, Nalbandian's 7-6 (2), 6-4, 1-6, 2-6, 6-2 victory over No. 27 Xavier Malisse was interrupted by rain and halted because of darkness after four sets Friday. They finished Saturday.
Malisse twice called for a trainer during Friday's action and said Saturday that it was because his heart was racing, but that “there's nothing to worry about.”
Nalbandian shrugs when asked about making his debut on the world's most famous tennis court. Because of rain this week, his quarterfinal against Nicolas Lapentti was played on Court 2 and his semifinal against Xavier Malisse was moved from Centre Court to Court 1.
“I never played on Court 1, so it's the same,” Nalbandian said.
Hewitt is more used to the spotlight. He made the U.S. Open semifinals in 2000, and won it in 2001 en route to becoming the youngest year-end No. 1.
Hewitt has had problems at this year's other majors. Coming off a bout with chicken pox, he lost in the first round at the Australian Open. He lost in the fourth round at the French Open.
But he's 40-7 for the year and has won all 13 of his grass-court matches, firmly establishing himself as No. 1.
His semifinal victory over Henman again showcased his aggressive baseline game and what he calls “the never-say-die attitude.” He also showed his ability to feed off the crowd, even when it's against him.
It will be the first Wimbledon final to feature two baseliners since Bjorn Borg beat Jimmy Connors in 1977 and '78. The last baseliner to win the title was Andre Agassi in 1992.
“These are the best weeks of my life,” Nalbandian said. “This is very great for me. I'm very happy. I don't have too much time to enjoy it, but I'm going to try a little bit. For me, this is a dream.”
Hewitt and Nalbandian have played just once before, with Hewitt winning 6-2, 6-4 on clay in Barcelona in April.
“You know he's good from the baseline,” Hewitt said. “Nice forehand. Probably forehand's a slight strength I'd say. But he's got a nice rally kind of backhand.”
Nalbandian expected the match to be “very tough.”
“He's playing very, very good,” Nalbandian said. “I think he and me have the same chances to win the tournament.”
While many Australians are expected to stay up late to watch the final on television — it's scheduled to start around 11 p.m. there — Nalbandian wasn't quite so sure Argentina will be watching.
“I hope the people watch me, enjoy the match,” said Nalbandian, who hopes the match will divert attention from Argentina's economic woes. “I think for Argentina, is very important. The people (are not) in a very good moment right now. I hope they can make different things on the mind, watch my match and enjoy it.”
Wimbledon is Nalbandian's fourth Grand Slam event. He reached the fourth round of last year's U.S Open as a qualifier, the second round of the Australian Open, and the third at the French Open.
Nalbandian had a strong junior career, winning the boys' titles at the 1998 U.S. Open and 1999 French Open.
He also reached the boys' semifinals at Wimbledon in 1999 — but was defaulted for arriving up late.
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Nalbandian's Centre Court debut will be final vs. Hewitt