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David Nalbandian - Source: Reuters -
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The 27-year-old has been to the very top of his sport and still has the game to get back to the summit
The former world No3 is using the 2010 Heineken Open as stepping stone back from injury.
The 27-year-old from Cordoba, Argentina has a current world ranking of 64 and with ten ATP singles titles and ten finals to his credit he has been in the top echelon of men's tennis over the past eight years.
Despite having his 2009 interrupted with hip surgery Nalbandian still managed to claim the title in Sydney with successive victories over Lleyton Hewitt, Richard Gasquet and Jarkko Nieminen.
He also made the semifinals at Buenos Aires and the quarter-finals at Barcelona and maintained his top-20 ranking before the injury.
One of the most notable results was in the early stages of his career where in 2002, in his first ever professional tournament on grass Nalbandian shocked the tennis world with a run to the final of Wimbledon before succumbing to Lleyton Hewitt in the final.
Nalbandian is known for his superb consistency, especially in Grand Slams. He has reached the quarter-finals or better of ten Grand Slams.
He is also one of the few active players who has a winning head-to-head record against both Rafael Nadal and Federer.
Nalbandian has played in Auckland on two previous occasions - 2002 and 2003 with his best performance in 2002 where he made the quarterfinals.
Country: Argentina
Birthdate: January 1, 1982
Birthplace: Cordoba, Argentina
Plays: Right-handed
Tournament Entry Ranking: 64
Highest Singles Ranking: 3 (March, 06)
