Nalbandian's regrets about the 2008 Davis Cup final: "Some things happened on a sporting level that I didn't like"

In an unfiltered testimony, David Nalbandian looks back on the 2008 Davis Cup final. Between fatigue, disagreements, and controversial decisions, Argentina, according to him, let slip a title that was within reach.

© Morhange - commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:David_Nalbandian_at_Western_%26_Southern_Open_2010.JPG

Adrien Guyot

le 20/12/2025 à 12h27

3 min to read

Acasuso Jose Calleri Agustin Del Nalbandian David

In 2008, Argentina had a date with history in the Davis Cup. The South American country had qualified for its third final in the competition after those lost in 1981 and 2006.

That year, the Argentines also had the luxury of hosting Spain's Rafael Nadal for the title. But things did not go as planned, as the Iberian nation won 3-1. David Nalbandian recently reflected on this final, pointing the finger at the behavior of some of his teammates.

"Not all Argentine players were on the same wavelength"

"We should have won the final against Spain in the 2008 Davis Cup, no doubt about it. But not all Argentine players who participated in that match were on the same wavelength.

We were preparing more to play against Nadal than against the others, and when we went to Mar del Plata, Nadal's absence suited us well. It was proposed to play in Córdoba due to the altitude and to hinder Nadal, as he had planned to come then.

He didn't like playing at altitude because it destabilized him a bit. Del Potro and I felt we had a better chance of beating Nadal in a city at altitude than at sea level. Some things happened on a sporting level that I didn't like, but we had to go out and win.

"Del Potro didn't want to play the fourth match of the tie"

I saw that Del Potro arrived with very little energy after playing the Masters. Playing the Davis Cup final is not something you do every day, and you need to prepare for it. He arrived tired and lost to Feliciano López a match he shouldn't have lost. If he had played 1000 matches against him, he would have beaten him in the 1002nd.

Del Potro didn't want to play the fourth match of the tie, and neither did Calleri. Acasuso had to play, even though he wasn't even ready to play the doubles. There were three players by my side, and each of them arrived under different conditions.

I don't know if Calleri and Acasuso played in Paris-Bercy or if they were eliminated early. There was a month left before the Davis Cup final, and they had time to prepare, but they weren't in rhythm.

Argentina finally champion of the Davis Cup in 2016

It was planned that neither of these two players would play singles; those matches were reserved for Del Potro and me. And I didn't know if I would play doubles, because Acasuso and Calleri could play. They had never thought about playing singles.

When you see that Del Potro and Calleri don't want to play... who plays? Do we call someone from the stands? The plan had been thought out in a certain way, and the fact that Del Potro didn't play complicated things a lot," Nalbandian stated for the Clank podcast.

Argentina lost another final in 2011 before finally inscribing its name on the honors list in 2016 against Croatia. In the fourth match, Del Potro, trailing two sets to zero, came back to defeat Marin Cilic to level the tie at 2-2 before Federico Delbonis gave the silver bowl to his country against Ivo Karlovic.