from AP Sports
21 February 2003

ROTTERDAM, Netherlands – Top seeded Juan-Carlos Ferrero of Spain dropped out of the ABN Amro tournament Friday after injuring his ankle during a quarterfinals match against Raemon Sluiter of the Netherlands.

Leading 2-1 in the first set, Ferrero rolled his ankle during a long rally, and fell to the ground, clutching his right leg in pain. After receiving medical treatment, he eventually hobbled off the court.

Tournament doctors said he tore the outer ligament of his right ankle, and that he may also have suffered some damage to a bone in the same leg, near the calf. Tournament spokesman Richard Bezmalinovic said Ferrero will board the next possible flight to Madrid for further treatment.

Ferrero forfeited the match, and Sluiter will now face Sebastien Grosjean in the semifinals Saturday.

from Reuters by Pritha Sarkar
21 February 2003
ROTTERDAM, Netherlands (Reuters) – Top seed Juan Carlos Ferrero and defending champion Nicolas Escude hobbled out of the World Indoor Tournament on Friday, leaving the field resembling a battlefield as both joined the casualty list.
Switzerland’s Roger Federer, however, continued his bid for a second consecutive title of the year by steamrollering Dutchman Sjeng Schalken 6-2 6-4 to reach the semi-finals.
Ferrero’s quarter-final ended in agony after he retired with torn ankle ligaments against local favorite Raemon Sluiter while Escude, suffering from the hamstring injury which forced him out of last week’s Marseille Open, limped out midway through the third set against Davis Cup team mate Sebastien Grosjean.
Spaniard Ferrero had a breakpoint for a 3-1 lead when, chasing a Sluiter forehand, he twisted his right ankle awkwardly and fell to the ground grimacing in pain just behind the baseline.
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from the official Davis Cup website
9 February 2003
Spain showed no mercy to Belgium on the final day of their first-round Davis Cup by BNP Paribas tie on Sunday, with Juan Carlos Ferrero blasting past Kristof Vliegen 6-1 6-4 and Carlos Moya seeing off Christophe Rochus with a quicksmart 6-2 6-2.
Those comfortable singles wins completed a predictable 5-0 victory for Spain, who possess what is without doubt the strongest clay-court line-up in the world.
Ferrero kicked off the proceedings on Friday with an equally effective 6-3 6-2 7-5 victory over Christophe Rochus, who was surprisingly chosen ahead of his brother Olivier for the opening day’s singles. Moya then claimed a second straight-sets win over the Belgian number one Xavier Malisse 7-6 6-1 7-6 to make it 2-0.
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from the official Davis Cup website
8 February 2003
Juan Carlos Ferrero made short work of Belgium’s Christophe Rochus to claim a 63 62 75 victory on a bitterly cold morning in Seville on Friday and get Spain’s 2003 Davis Cup by BNP Paribas campaign off to a perfect start.
Ferrero took the first two sets in just 55 minutes with some dashing tennis from the back of a slow outdoor clay court and while the third set proved more troublesome, Rochus missing one set point, the world number three completed the win in one hour 45 minutes.
Rochus, surprisingly chosen for the singles ahead of his higher-ranked brother Olivier, did manage to cause Ferrero some problems briefly at the start and again at the end of the match.
The 24-year-old Belgian took Ferrero to deuce on his opening service game and again in game five, upsetting the Spaniard’s rhythm with a couple of astute drop shots.
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from the official Davis Cup website
7 February 2003
Clay court ace Juan Carlos Ferrero will lead off a strong Spanish challenge in the 2003 Davis Cup by BNP Paribas on Friday, taking on Christophe Rochus of Belgium in the opening singles rubber of their first-round World Group tie in Seville.
Thursday’s draw in the Andalucian city also matched up former French Open champion Carlos Moya with Belgian number one Xavier Malisse in the second singles on Friday.
Albert Costa will partner Alex Corretja in the doubles against Kristof Vliegen and Olivier Rochus on Saturday, with the reverse singles set for Sunday.
Spain, winners of the competition in 2000, have an awesome line-up on clay and they will start as overwhelming favourites to take the first-round tie against the Belgians.
Ferrero, Moya and Costa, the reigning French Open champion, are all ranked in the top 10, while Corretja is one of the wiliest clay-court campaigners around.
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Moya, Ferrero, Costa impressed by launch of all-new ATP Official Guide in Spanish.

Taking time out from preparing for this weekend’s opening round Davis Cup tie vs. Belgium in Seville, Spanish stars Juan Carlos Ferrero, Carlos Moya and Albert Costa became among the first people to get a look at the all-new ATP Official Guide in Spanish.

The “Spanish Armada” trio, who all played in the Tennis Masters Cup Shanghai last November, came away impressed with the “Guia oficial 2003.” Produced in conjunction with leading Spanish sports newspaper MARCA, the guide hit newsstands in Spain this week, and is now available for purchase online via ATPtennis.com.

Especially excited was Ferrero, who is featured on the guide’s cover in a striking image from Roland Garros last year, where he reached the final.

The 2003 ATP Official Guide in Spanish represents a major new venture that reflects the strength and growth of ATP tennis in Spain and Latin America. Fourteen Spanish players finished in the Top 100 of the 2002 ATP Champions Race, the seventh consecutive year that Spain has boasted more year-end Top 100 players than any other country, and many of the game’s brightest talents and rising stars – such as Gustavo Kuerten, Fernando Gonzalez and Guillermo Canas – hail from South America.

The guide offers Spanish-speaking fans more than 160 pages of behind-the-scenes features plus ATP player and tournament profiles. In addition, the guide features a selection of the best photography of the 2002 season and comprehensive facts and statistics.