from Deuce Magazine by Jose Higueras
July 2004

Spaniard Juan Carlos Ferrero has finished in the Top 5 of the INDESIT ATP Entry Ranking in each of the past three years. Only Andre Agassi has done the same. Last year Ferrero became the first player in more than 20 years to win 30 or more matches on both hard courts and clay. What makes him so good? Leading coach Jose Higueras breaks down Ferrero’s game.

Forehand – Ferrero’s ability to penetrate from different parts of the court makes his forehand his biggest weapon. The shot is technically solid, allowing him to change direction with ease to go crosscourt, inside out to the ad court or down the line. He can vary the speed to make his forehand play heavier and higher, or flatten it out to crack the big winner. If presented with a short or mid-court ball on the forehand, Ferrero will likely hit a winner or a forcing shot to make his opponent miss. His ability to find all reaches of the court from that position–with a combination of power and angles–forces many opponents to guess which side he’ll hit to.
Ferrero also has a very good drop shot on the forehand side. Mindful of that, opponents often don’t know where to stand. Stand too far back and he’ll make you pay with a drop shot you can’t run down. Stand too close and he’ll hit through you with power. Coupled with his excellent mobility, Ferrero’s versatile forehand allows him to defend effectively when his opponent has the upperhand. His foot speed allows him to get to the ball with enough time to respond with a forehand that seizes back the initiative from his opponent.

Serve – Although it’s not spectacular when compared with the serves of Roddick and Dent, Ferrero’s serve, particularly his second serve, is underrated. His mission isn’t to serve a bunch of aces or unreturnable serves. Instead he positions his serve to set up for his second shot, from where he can begin to control the point. On clay Ferrero will kick his serve wide on the ad court to set up a forehand. Unless you come up with a big return or hit aggressively down the line, he will jump on the forehand and begin to move you around. His service placement is good, and he changes speed and direction effectively.

Backhand – Overshadowed only slightly by his outstanding forehand, Ferrero’s backhand is similarly technically sound and gives him the ability to change pace and direction effectively. His ability to hit winners down the line is a huge asset, particularly against players who like to back away to the ad court and unleash big forehands. The threat of Ferrero’s down-the-line backhand often takes away the big forehand weapons of players like Carlos Moya, Fernando Gonzalez and Nicolas Massu, because they can’t afford to leave the deuce court exposed. The warning to all opponents is that you cannot cheat against Ferrero. If you creep too far to the ad court to hit big forehands, he’ll make you pay. Ferrero can also open up the court with short, angled backhands across court. He defends well with his slice, and he is comfortable converting to the one-hand slice when he is pulled wide or if he is chasing a drop shot.

Court speed – They don’t call him “The Mosquito” for nothing. Just when you think you have him beaten, he’ll use his speed and anticipation to counter with a shot as good as or better than yours. His speed and mobility are among his greatest assets.

He is a very elastic player–he stretches like a rubber band. He’ll slide 10 feet and still have perfect balance and recover quickly to regain an equal footing in the point. Sometimes you get players who are quick but not elastic. They get to the ball, but they don’t recover so well for the next shot. Not so, Ferrero!

Volleys – I wouldn’t classify Ferrero as a natural volleyer. When he ventures to the net, it’s usually behind a forcing groundstroke that is likely to be rewarded with a relatively easy put-away volley. Despite preferring to play from the baseline, Ferrero has very good hands that allow him to hit solid volleys and to pick up some challenging half-volleys. It’s a part of his game that has been developing in recent years, and the more he exposes himself to the net, the better he will get. Because he can hold his own at net, Ferrero doesn’t need to gamble quite as much as other clay courters on overly aggressive approach shots. Other clay court players might go for too much from mid-court because they don’t want to see the ball come back.

Returns – Like most clay courters, Ferrero is a dangerous returner on slowe surfaces when he exploits the extra reaction time. He is devastating when returning the second serve, whether stepping into the court to meet it early or stepping back to rifle a big forehand. If stretched wide, he can defend well, often with a well-placed chip.

After losing to him in five sets at last year’s US Open, Todd Martin said that if you don’t stretch Ferrero or back up a big serve with a solid volley, then he’ll put you under a lot of pressure with his second shot, as his speed allows him to set up early for the pass.

Returning big first serves of guys like Roddick, Ferrero’s plan is to put as many balls back into play and then take a crack at the second shot. Having said that, I felt Ferrero made a mistake in the 2003 US Open final against Roddick when he changed his game plan and went for too much on the first-serve return.

Drop shot – On a slower surface, where the ball “holds” a little more, the drop shot becomes a potent weapon in Ferrero’s arsenal. On clay, if Ferrero backs an opponent 10 feet behind the baseline, it’s not easy to hit winners. So what does he do? He’ll go boom, boom with a couple of big forehands and then catch his opponent by surprise with the drop shot.

At one point, I thought the drop shot was disappearing from pro tennis, but the touch and disguise of guys like Ferrero have kept alive this wonderful part of our game. His deception is best on the forehand side, where he delays his grip change until he begins his swing. By the time the opponent sees his continental grip, it’s often too late. When he is the one running down a drop shot, Ferrero is equally good. His speed carries him to most balls, and he slides so well that he arrives perfectly balanced. When he beat Albert Costa in the 2003 Roland Garros semifinals, he used a lot of drop shots to great effect.

Other qualities
Surfaces – People who dismiss Ferrero as a clay courter don’t know much. Last year he became the first player since Lendl in 1980 to win 30 or more matches in both clay and hard courts. Footwork, balance, athleticism, and a compact game allow him to adopt to any surface. He’s tough to beat unless you use speed, so a slick court is perhaps the only troubling surface for him. But in recent years, even the Wimbledon grass has given baseliners a chance to succeed.

Fitness – He is in great shape and works veyr hard at tournaments. Don’t count on Ferrero tiring; he has the endurance and intensity to finish a five-set match the way he started it.

Tactics – When you see Ferrero play, you quickly realize how smart he is. He makes other people adjust to his game, which is the trait of a champion. He has a good feel for the game and a good sense of what is opponent is doing. Your best chance is to limit his options by serving big and making first serves instead of rallying. He is like a casino: The longer you play, the more the odds shift in his favor.

Mental toughness – Promising young players become great by facing serious pressure, and Ferrero has shown true mental toughness since helping Spain win the 2000 Davis Cup. He’s won four ATP Masters Series titles from five finals appearances, and in ’03 he won Roland Garros and reached the US Open final. He’s aggressive and tough–a perfect combination when the chips are down on big occasions.