Nalbo outlines comeback plans

Former world number three David Nalbandian will compete at the Heineken Open in Auckland.

Argentinean confirms participation at Auckland tournament

David Nalbandian will play at the Heineken Open in New Zealand next January as part of his comeback following hip surgery. The Argentinian went under the knife in May and is gearing up to return to the ATP Tour at the start of next season. Nalbandian plans to compete at the Auckland event from January 11-16 ahead of the following week's Australian Open. "Nalbandian is a quality player who has something special in his game as witnessed by his grand slam record of having reached a final and several semi-finals," said tournament director Richard Palmer. "He's the sort of player who has the ability to really challenge for the Heineken Open title and get back into the top 10." Nalbandian, 27, has won 10 ATP Tour titles and reached a peak of number three in the world rankings in March 2006. He is currently down at 20th due to recent inactivity.