original article from sohu.com – translated by kat
17 September 2005

Even though the organisers have arranged for Nadal to have his own private shower room, Nadal had never used it. According to some tournament volunteers, maybe it was because he felt too bored using his private room. Every time after practice or a match, he would go to the public shower room (shared with other players). Plus he also liked to talk to other players, although his English is not very good.

However another Spaniard, Ferrero’s habits are very different. Ferrero has high standards for the little things. Other players wouldn’t mind using the toiletries supplied by the hotel but Ferrero had never touched them. He only uses his own shampoo and shower gel brought from Spain. Plus he had rules about not giving autographs to staff after intervews which disappointed many people.

*Original article (in Chinese) can be found here*

original article from sina.com – translated by kat
16 September 2005
On the night of 16th September (Beijing time), JC won the quarter final match against Nalbandian 6-2 3-6 6-3 and is through to the semi final. He will possibly play against fellow Spaniard Rafael Nadal in the semi final.
At the after match press conference, Ferrero made these comments about the match. “I lost my two previous matches against Nalbandian. He is a very good player but I think it is normal for us to have a close match. We played at a similar level today so it was a great match. I am very happy to win and now have to prepare for the next match.”
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from Eurosport.com
30 November 2004
Spain Davis Cup captains Jordi Arrese, Juan Avendaño and José Perlas are counting on the 24-year old to perform at “La Cartuja”, even though the 2003 Roland Garros champion finished a season to forget 45 days ago.
After a 2004 marred by various ailments to his hips, knees, and shoulders, Ferrero hasn’t competed since the Madrid Masters which has raised concerns about his fitness and state of mind.
Spain’s coaches are doing whatever they can to raise up Ferrero’s confidence.
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from SportingLife.com
10 November 2004
Spain’s Juan Carlos Ferrero is aiming to end his disappointing season on a high by helping his country win the Davis Cup against the USA.
Ferrero has been named in the Spain team to contest this year’s final in Seville, along with Tommy Robredo, Carlos Moya and Rafael Nadal in what is an unchanged side to that which triumphed over France in the semi-finals.
Ferrero, a former French Open winner and a world number one for several weeks at the end of last season, has suffered a miserable campaign, which culminated in his second round exit at the Madrid Masters.
The Spaniard then opted out of last week’s tournament in Paris to prepare for the Davis Cup, even though those preparations have not been without their problems.
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from SportingLife.com
17 October 2004
Reigning champion Juan Carlos Ferrero is hoping to put a disappointing season behind him by retaining his crown at the Madrid Tennis Masters. Ferrero won last year’s final by defeating Chile’s Nicolas Massu in straight sets – a result that took him to number one in the ATP world rankings. The last 12 months have not been kind to the Spaniard and a combination of injuries, illness and loss of form have seen him drop to 13th in the list.
However, he will be hoping that the Madrid crowd can help him as they did last year and that he can take advantage of a slightly weaker line-up in the Madrid Masters to recapture former glory.
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from Equelite.com
15 October 2004

This past week, Equelite was graced once more by the presence of the beautiful reigning Wimbledon champion, Maria Sharapova. Besides the personal friendship that the lovely Russian has with Juan Carlos Ferrero, she was so impressed with the extensive installations in the tranquil countryside in her first visit, that the academy has become for her her “house in Europe”.

This opinion was shared by her new coach, ex-ATP tour player, Michael Joyce. He was equally impressed by the installations and the quiet setting. Yuri, Maria’s father, a fan of hiking, could also be seen enjoying the surroundings.

Throughout her stay, Maria was able to combine her rigorous training with moments of relax, almost like a regular teenager, like a night out to the movies. The Russian champion was absolutely graceful and charming to all she met, making her superpopular and a welcome guest always. All at Equelite wish her sincerely the best in her next tournaments and in the Porsche Race to the Championships.