7 June 2003

Two men poles apart will attempt to win the 2003 men’s singles title in Paris on Sunday. Spaniard Juan Carlos Ferrero was most tipsters’ pre-tournament favorite, but he will have to find a way to circumvent the mind-blowing power of unseeded Dutchman Martin Verkerk if he is to lift the trophy aloft…
CURRENT FORM
In four Roland-Garros appearances, 23-year-old Juan Carlos Ferrero has always reached at least the semis before losing to the eventual tournament winner: Gustavo Kuerten ousted him in 2000 and 2001 and compatriot Albert Costa did as much in last year’s final. The ‘Mosquito’ has looked the best player in the world on clay this year, winning in Monte-Carlo and his hometown of Valencia.

At Roland-Garros 2003, Juan Carlos has been on top of his game, obviously now fully recovered from a shoulder injury picked up in the Italian semis when he was forced to withdraw. On his favorite red dirt only Tim Henman in the third round and Fernando Gonzalez in the quarters have taken sets off the Spaniard. In the semis he wrought revenge over Costa after tasting bitter defeat in last year’s final. And on Sunday he will walk out on center court having played two hours less tennis than his opponent – a potentially decisive factor as two weeks of intense competition draws to a close.

Opponent Martin Verkerk on the other hand is a complete newcomer to the second week of a Slam tournament, let alone a final. Beaten in the first round at the 2002 US Open and 2003 Australian Open, he scored his very first major triumph at this year’s French Open. Though a year older than the Iberian, the rangy Dutchman has far less experience under his belt. A slow starter on the men’s tour Verkerk seriously considered giving up the game in 2001 before teaming up with Kiwi coach Nick Carr “to see whether I had what it takes to succeed.”

Under Carr the ‘Leiderdorp leveller’ knuckled down in training and it began to pay off, winning his first tour title in Milan at the beginning of 2003. After a slight hiccup in a first round Davis Cup encounter against Swiss star Kratochvil – where he lost the fifth and deciding match in four sets after throwing away two opportunities to go two-sets-to-one up – he picked himself up for the claycourt season and came through the qualifying rounds to reach the quarters in Rome and then the semis at St Pölten.

In Paris he has come back from the dead – three consecutive match points saved against Luis Horna in the second round – to blaze a trail past No11 seed Rainer Schüettler, No4 seed Carlos Moya and No7 seed Guillermo Coria. Will Ferrero be next or is that as good as it gets for this year’s surprise package?

STRENGTHS/WEAKNESSES
Most tennis folk agree Juan Carlos Ferrero is the best player in the world on clay. He grew up on the red dirt, skidding and sliding his way up to be No3 in the world. The 23-year-old can hammer topspin winners from both sides of the court and is especially difficult to contain when his forehand is on song. Most improved recently is his service game: the Valencian now possesses a waspish first serve and a wicked lifting second. He is quick on his feet and effective at the net; plays a mean drop shot and reads the game perfectly. The perfect model for any would-be dirtballer.

On paper the imposing Dutchman will be up against it, just as he was against Schüettler, Moya and Coria, all theoretically much stronger than the tall guy from Leiderdorp. Still his service pleads in his favor; truly a weapon of mass destruction which comes in from all angles – as Coria found out for his pains in the semis. Against the Argentinean Verkerk peppered in both forehand and backhand winners down the line and belied his 1.98 m height by scampering around the court at least as quickly as his tiny opponent. If the big serve is working then he may become the first Dutchman to lift the Coupe des mousquetaires trophy on Sunday. This, of course, assuming his nerves stand the test, especially if events begin to spin away from him early on in the match. Physically too, Verkerk may have less left to give than the Spaniard if it goes down to five sets.

To sum up – an opposition in styles that just might produce a sparkling final on Philippe-Chatrier Court come Sunday.

PREVIOUS ENCOUNTERS
FERRERO 1-0
2002 Kitzbühel (clay) R16 FERRERO 7-5 6-2