"I wasn't able to take the initiative" - David's Loss to Ungur

"Throughout the match I wasn't able to take the initiative the way I would've liked to."

A statement from David that sums up his performance yesterday and also what went wrong during this match that ended with Adrian Ungur prevailing 6-3, 5-7, 6-4, 7-5, sealing David's first ever first-round exit at Roland Garros. The vast majority of those three hours the match took, David spent trapped a few metres behind the baseline, chasing down Ungur's shots or rushing forward, trying to counter his drop-shots. Reacting to his opponent rather than acting, himself. Never really finding a way of executing his own game and growing increasingly frustrated in the process.

You always, until the very last moment, think about what you can do to come back, what to change. Today, it didn't work out.

(Jacques Demarthon/AFP/Getty Images)

From the start, Ungur dominated most of the rallies. And it was especially his backhand that caused David all sorts of trouble and would, continue to do so throughout the match. Early on, at 2-1 for Ungur, David dropped his serve on a couple of unforced errors. And also because David couldn't seem to find his returns, this one break proved to be enough for Ungur to take the first set 6-3.

During the second set, David was still playing too passively but at least managed to hold serve more easily than before. They stayed on serve until at 6-5 for David, Ungur, serving to stay in the set, went down 0-40, granting David his first break points of the match. Eventually, he took the fifth he got in this game and with it the second set, 7-5.

(Bernat Armangue/AP Photo)

At this point, it seemed like David might gain some momentum now but at the start of the third set, he immediately lost his serve again, once more on a couple of unforced errors. David saved further break points at 3-1 and unlike at the beginning of the match he now had some chances to break Ungur, at 3-2 and then also when Ungur served for the set at 5-4. David had but couldn't convert two break points during that game and eventually, Ungur closed out the third set, 6-4.

During the fourth set, David visibly tried to play more aggressively and get closer to the baseline. At 2-1, he had two chances to break but once again didn't make it (he ended up converting only one of the eleven break points he had in this match). With David playing a bit better now, especially during his own service games, they remained on serve until at 5-5, David handed Ungur a break point with a drop-shot into the net and then committed his eighth double fault of the match. With Ungur serving for the match afterwards, David had one last break point. But Ungur responded with an ace and then finished off what was a very good match from him by converting his second match point.

Sometimes, David plays matches where it doesn't necessarily look like he really cares about what comes out of it in the end. Matches, where he seems disinterested. But this was not of them. David was obviously frustrated, smashed his racquet several times and kept berating himself for the "shit" (quote) he was playing. Still, he fought, even deep behind the baseline, and actually, he was moving as well as I've seen him move on clay since hip surgery. More often than not, his movement is the main cause for concern and usually also the reason if he makes too many unforced errors. But many of those 37 unforced errors he made in this match, often at crucial moments, seemed to be more the result of, quite simply, helplessness. Most of the time, David was unable to put Ungur under pressure with his shots, so he ended up taking more and more risks - and also often going for the wrong shot.

Obviously, I didn't play a good match today and I also didn't feel really good. I have ups and downs, I come and go during matches. I can't find a precise explanation, it's rather complicated. I also haven't won that many matches this year, so I don't have confidence. That's what's been happening. Year after year it gets more difficult for me, new players arrive on the scene all the time, the pace gets higher and that costs you.

The last two seasons were most of all a struggle with constant injuries, pauses and comebacks. And yet, in-between all of that David managed to play some great tennis. Occasionally even while being injured, like with his victory over Ungur in Davis Cup last year. This season, there have been no injuries and pauses but two semifinals and two quarterfinals for David, with his run at Indian Wells as the highlight, so far. But still, it seems that his results don't really match the expectations he probably had for an injury-free season.

After three surgeries it's very difficult to regain the high level that I had at some points [during my career]. And that's natural, that's what happens to everybody. It's a process I have to deal with but I'm in the middle of the season, there's still a lot of events to play. I have to keep moving forward and see what happens.

Now, if David talks about looking ahead at what's still to come this season, it's clear of course what he's really talking about:

It's still ages until Davis Cup, it's May now. I need to keep on working in order to be in the best possible shape by September.
(David's quotes from the clip above, this clip, La Nacion & Infobae.com)

(Reuters)

Roland Garros R1 - David vs Adrian Ungur

(Reuters)

UpdateII
It was David's comeback at Roland Garros after four years - but after just under three hours, it was all over. For in the end, it was Adrian Ungur, who prevailed 6-3, 5-7, 6-4, 7-5.
A poor match from David, who played too passively and allowed himself to get pushed behind the baseline. Never really playing the match on his own terms.

The good news is that David has played a full clay-court swing without any injuries. And also, that this defeat won't have any consequences for his chances of qualifying for the Olympics. Unless Chela reaches the semifinal at Roland Garros, David will make it to the Olympics.

His next stop will now be the Queen's Club (June 11-17).

A first round of photos now on the Photo Page, report coming tomorrow.

(Getty Images/Mediafax; montage by VD)

Update
12.25pm local - the first match on Court 6 has already finished. Next up now: David...

When David played his last match at Roland Garros, Roger Federer was still #1 in the world, and had been for years. And David was ranked #7. It was the year after his run at Madrid and Paris. And he came to Roland Garros, having won the Copa Telmex and having reached the final at Acapulco, the longest winning streak of his career at the time. Back then, clay was just another, and not a potentially dangerous surface for him to play on. Though already back then, David was carrying the hip injury that would change the course of his career...
Today, four years later, almost exactly to the day, David finally plays a match at Roland Garros again. And he gets to face someone he'll remember from Davis Cup.

27-year-old Adrian Ungur is, at #91, currently ranked as high as he's ever been in his career. Mostly because of his results at clay-court Challengers: Ungur reached the final of three of those, this season. At the ATP-level, however, he hasn't made it past the first round at any of the tournaments he played this year, while at the three clay-court Masters events he didn't manage to get through qualifying.

As mentioned before, David (still ranked #40 this week) and Adrian Ungur met in Davis Cup last year. A match that David played despite suffering from an acute case of hernia and won despite suffering an additional adductor injury during it, both of which required surgery. And basically all I remember from that match is the injury drama (and the tears).
But what's clear is that Ungur is a clay-courter, who will give David the rhythm he likes but who will also try to entangle him in long rallies. While David will try to take control of the points and keep them short.
After four years, today it's welcome back to Roland Garros.
And here's hoping that it's going to be a good new start for David.

Exhibition Intermezzo: Epilogue

UpdateII (28/05)
More photos, from the Masters Guinot Mary Cohr as well as from David's training sessions at Roland Garros on the weekend now on the Photo Page, courtesy of Denise.


Update
Roland Garros is the only Slam where play starts on Sunday - but not for David.
His first-round match against Adrian Ungur will take place on Monday.

Here's a little something to pass the time, ahead of Roland Garros: two clips that Denise (thanks!) filmed at the Masters Guinot Mary Cohr exhibition, yesterday.
One during David's match against Julien Benneteau...



... and one of him, saying a couple of words, afterwards.

Roland Garros Draw

(Getty Images)

Four years after David's last appearance, today finally a draw for Roland Garros was made with David's name once again in it. Unseeded, he could've faced anybody in the first round, including Rafael Nadal. And he got lucky with his first-round opponent - but not so much with the second round...
David has been drawn into the top half and there into the bottom, that is to say Roger Federer's quarter, the upper half of which looks like this:

[3] Roger Federer (SUI) vs Tobias Kamke (GER)
Adrian Ungur (ROU) vs David Nalbandian (ARG)
Frank Dancevic (CAN) vs Martin Klizan (SVK)
Nicolas Mahut (FRA) vs [26] Andy Roddick (USA)

[23] Radek Stepanek (CZE) vs [Q] David Goffin (BEL)
[W] Arnaud Clement (FRA) vs Alex Bogomolov Jr. (RUS)
Karol Beck (SVK) vs Lukasz Kubot (POL)
[Q] Florent Serra (FRA) vs [15] Feliciano Lopez (ESP)

A look at the complete draw you can take here.

Against his first-round opponent Adrian Ungur (currently #91), David has played before - on clay and best-of-five in what was probably his most dramatic match of the last season, during last year's Davis Cup first-round tie against Romania. Back then, an injured David beat Ungur in four sets.
In the second round, however, Roger Federer awaits...

Update
David has won the last match of the Masters Guinot Mary Cohr exhibition. In the "battle of the captains", he beat Julien Benneteau 6-2, 6-2.
Edit: More photos now on the Photo Page.

(event website)

Exhibition Intermezzo: Masters Guinot Mary Cohr

(event website)

Ahead of Wimbledon, there's Boodles (David still hasn't been confirmed for this year's edition). And ahead of Roland Garros, there's the Masters Guinot Mary Cohr exhibition, which starts today at the Paris Country Club. Offering players a chance to play a test match on the same clay and with the same balls that are used at Roland Garros.
But while Boodles takes place more or less in form of a small tournament, this exhibition features eighteen players, facing off in nine matches, three per day and with a champions (or super) tiebreak played in the third set.

To put all these matches into a bigger context and make things more interesting, the players have been divided into two teams, the "Équipe Guinot" (red) and the "Équipe Mary Cohr" (green). Each team has a "captain" and I'm not sure how they were chosen but in any case, David is the captain of the red team (including, amongst others, Delpo, Pico and Andy Murray). And as such, he'll get to face Julien Benneteau, captain of the green team, in the third match on Friday, the last match of the event.

As far as the chances of watching David play are concerned, the good news is that there's a stream for the Masters Guinot Mary Cohr. But the bad news is that Bet365 and LSH only have the first two matches of the day on their list.
Edit: Eurosport apparently only shows the first two matches. So right now it looks like there won't be a stream for David's match.

Rankings Update

A little later than usual, due to the postponed final, but here it is now at last, a look at the rankings situation after the Rome Masters. David moves up two positions this week to #40, still with 1005 ranking points. Now, don't ask me why but his 45 second-round points from Rome seem to have replaced his 45 quarterfinal points from São Paulo, which he's apparently no longer able to count in. So his overall amount of ranking points stays the same.

That David still moves up two places this week is also the result of last year's points from the World Team Cup having come off already - with consequences especially for Juan Ignacio Chela. Having dropped 125 points from last year's WTC, Chela loses six places this week and has now fallen behind David, at #43 (with 970 points). In other words, David is now the fourth Argentine player in the rankings. Chela is playing the WTC this week and still has the chance to regain some ground. But he hasn't played singles, so far and he continues to struggle with injury problems, ahead of Roland Garros where he'll have 360 points to defend.
Carlos Berlocq, who's also playing the WTC this week (and has won his first singles match), is still ranked three places above David, at #37 (with 1060 points).

At the moment, there's no news from David and I can't tell you whether he's still in Rome or whether he has by now moved on to Paris. But later this week, he's scheduled to play an exhibition match, as part of the Masters Guinot Mary Cohr exhibition at the Paris Country Club. This match is planned to take place on Friday (the same day the draw for Roland Garros will come out), against Julien Benneteau, who has apparently taken up training again after his injury at Monte Carlo. As always with exhibitions, things may still change, also at the last minute. But I'll try my best to keep you posted.

A Look ahead at Roland Garros

(Getty Images)

When the courts at the Stade Roland Garros were prepared last year, it was already known that once again, David wouldn't be among those, playing on them. Missing out on the clay-court Slam for a third consecutive time. And back then, a year ago, it began to look like playing best-of-five matches on clay was a risk David might only be willing to take for the sake of Davis Cup. This year, however, having already contested a total of eighteen matches on clay (including three five-setters in Davis Cup) without any real injury troubles, David will finally return to the Stade Roland Garros in Paris.

- Thirteen years after making his very first appearance at what's also known as the French Open. Back in 1999, David played his only junior edition of the clay-court Slam and made it to the final, which he lost against his doubles partner Guillermo "El Mago" Coria. After turning pro, David played Roland Garros from 2002 through to 2008, making this year's his altogether eighth appearance.

One of David's claims to fame is that he's among the few players to have reached the semifinal at all four Slams (and he's the only active player apart from the Top4, I think). But out of the four, Roland Garros is the only Slam where he managed to do it twice. In 2004, he lost to Gaston Gaudio, the eventual surprise champion, whereas in 2006, after a great start against Roger Federer, an abdominal strain forced David to retire.

In the past, David had some great and very dramatic matches at Roland Garros. And his last one so far was rather dramatic as well - but not in any positive sense. Back in 2008, in his second-round match against Jeremy Chardy, David led by two sets to love when his hip injury flared up again. But instead of retiring, he finished the match and lost in five sets. During the last couple of years, it seemed increasingly likely that this match might go down as David's last at Roland Garros. Now we know that fortunately, this won't be the case.
The expectations have to be different at this point, compared to the past. And as David won't be seeded, an awful lot will depend on the draw and on hopefully having a bit of luck with it. But still, this is it, the big stage and the kind of tournament that David loves to play. And now he's finally healthy enough again to even give Roland Garros, the toughest of them all, a try.

The draw for Roland Garros will be made next Friday, at 11.30am local time.

(Getty Images)