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Spain: Ferrero or bust

kat — Wed, 01 Dec 2004 03:56:45 +0000

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.
In order to be able to measure his curent level the former world number one have been practicing with team mate Carlos Moya who is great shape.

On Saturday, the Spanish pair played two sets and they were tied at one set apiece, however on Monday Moya crushed Ferrero 6-1.

On the same day, Antonio Martinez scheduled a hard training session working a huge range of shots and by sunset Ferrero seemed to have regained confidence ahead of his first singles match on Friday.

DOUBLES A WORRY THAN A-ROD
Spain coach Juan Avendano told Spanish newspaper Marca that the Bryan brothers would be the hardest obstacle.

“For me, the doubles will be the most difficult rubber – on paper they are more experienced as a duo,” he said.

Avendano denied that his team had given up on overturning the big-serving Roddick.

“It is true that we have more possibilities against [Mardy] Fish but we have to think about winning against Roddick and in the doubles,” said Jose Perlas, another of the national coaches.

“We think we can take all five points.”

Ferrero chases Davis Cup success

kat — Thu, 11 Nov 2004 03:57:42 +0000

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.
“I have had a bit of a fever, although I will be OK in a day or so,” he said.

“It’s obvious this has not been the best year of my career. I started off well in Australia and Rotterdam, but then all of the problems started.

“First of all I got chicken pox, which complicated everything, and after that I had problems with my ribs.

“After that it was very hard to pick things up again.”

Spain captain Juan Avendano is full of optimism ahead of the final.

“This is the best team we could have picked for the final,” said Avendano.

“Even though the end of the season has not been kind to our players, we hope they all recover their form.

“There are plenty of reasons to think we can win.”

Ferrero Looking for Tonic

kat — Mon, 18 Oct 2004 04:00:54 +0000

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.
“I am feeling good, both at a physical level and also in terms of my tennis. I remember that last year I came here with slight problems in my heels and things worked out,” Ferrero said.

“The main opponents are going to be the same as always and it doesn’t matter that this time I am seeded lower. If you want to win, you always have to beat the best,” he said.

The indoor hard court does not especially favour Ferrero’s game, which like so many Spaniards is best suited to slower beaten clay.

The altitude in Madrid is also thought to be a factor favouring the bigger servers, such as Britain’s Tim Henman.

Henman will have unhappy memories of his two previous appearances in Madrid, both of which have seen him crash out in the first round, but he travels to Spain this time around finding himself top seed thanks to the withdrawal of several big names.

Carlos Moya, Andy Roddick, Lleyton Hewitt and Guillermo Coria all gave notice they would not be playing earlier this week and they were joined on Friday by world number one Roger Federer.

“[Federer] rang me at the last moment, he told me that he didn’t feel either physically or mentally prepared after the past few months of playing and so much travelling,” said tournament director Manolo Santana.

Federer would have been hot favourite to lift the title, but his absence, more than any of the others, throws the Madrid Masters wide open.

There are still some big names: Andre Agassi will hope to repeat his triumph of two years ago, when he beat an injured Jiri Novak by a walkover.

Marat Safin will always be a threat if he can hold his game together for a week, while David Nalbandian, Olympic champion Massu and even Paradorn Srichaphan will be wondering if this could be their week.

The crowd factor means the Spanish contingent cannot be ruled out either with Feliciano Lopez, Tommy Robredo, and Rafael Nadal all likely to put in a challenge and to receive the sometimes over-enthusiastic backing of the Madrid public.

Meanwhile, this year not all eyes will be on the players.

Organisers had the idea of employing female models aged between 19 and 27 years old to act as ball collectors on centre court for the evening sessions.

Equelite is “Home away from home” for Sharapova

kat — Sat, 16 Oct 2004 04:02:53 +0000

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.

Ferrero latest seed devoured in Lyon

kat — Fri, 08 Oct 2004 04:06:53 +0000

from Eurosport.com
7 October 2004

Spain face the United States from December 3 to 5 in Seville and Ferrero’s place in the starting line-up is far from guaranteed.

By bowing out in the second round, the former world number one continues on an alarming lacklustre run less than two months ahead of the Davis Cup final. The 23-year old must first defend his Madrid Masters title in less than two weeks.

Ferrero cruised through the first set but lost his rhythm at 5-5 in the second, allowing Ferrer to grab six games in a row to lead 4-0 in the third.

The 2003 winner at Roland Garros came back to 5-3 only to concede the match on his serve.

Ferrer will face Jonas Bjorkman in the quarter-finals on Friday.

The trip to Beijing is a chance / I am friends with my opponents

kat — Tue, 14 Sep 2004 04:12:57 +0000

original article from sina.com – translated by kat
13 September 2004

Because of the China Open, I had the chance to meet JC. JC is a quiet person which earned him the title of “gentleman of tennis” (?) But once we started chatting he is quite easygoing. He can passionately talk to you about other (older) spanish players while also lovingly miss his girlfriend in Spain. When we talked about this year’s US Open, he was rather quiet, but he said this with conviction, “Maybe this trip to Beijing will give me a chance.”

First night in Beijing was pretty good
When I met JC yesterday he looked refreshed, clearly he had been cleared of jetlag. “I slept very well yesterday, almost 10 hours. I have recovered now. I guess I’ve gotten used to the life of constant travelling.” JC said.
JC’s stay at Beijing had been carefully planned by the China Open officials. He’s staying at a special suite at the Shangri-La, where they have great food. JC is enjoying it all, “everything is great. I was only yearning for a hot shower but you guys have been great to me. The 1st night in Beijing was very good.”

Already adapted to Chinese courts
JC started practicising on the day he arrived. For “clay court specialist” JC, it is not unusual to take notice of court conditions. This is because if the courts are fast, it would not be advantageous to clay courters. After practicising a bit with Garcia-Lopez, JC was happy with the court conditions.

As a professional tennis player JC knew a bit about the materials that the courts were made of. “Your centre court does not have many layers of rubber (?), so the court is not very fast, but not slow. The bounce is good. Even though this is different to the courts in US Open, this is a very good court.”

Because his old friend Moya was still recovering from jetlag, JC had been practicising with Garcia-Lopez for the past couple of days. JC had a lot of praise for this Spanish youngster, ranked 116 in the world. “We have not known each other for very long, but I believe he is very talented. Very soon the world will know his name.” JC really has faith in his compatriot, and said to the reporter, if you want an interview with Garcia-Lopez, JC can arrange this.

My opponents are also my friends
Even though this is his 1st time in Beijing, JC does not feel like a stranger here. “There are many Spanish speaking players in this tournament, Moya is an old friend, also Nalbandian, even my friend Garcia-Lopez is here. The advantage of having friends here is that it will be easy to find hitting partners.” JC said. When he is with friends this “gentleman of tennis” will not be quiet anymore. “The thing I like the most is spending time with friends. When US Open ended I went back to Madrid to spend time with friends. It was a very good way to relax.”

But ultimately his friends can also be his opponents. JC said, “Every Spanish player is a good friend of mine. Maybe it’s because we practice together often we know a lot about each other. So winning/losing in matches is very normal. Moya & I… whoever can play best on the day has the chance to win.”

My father brought me to tennis
JC didn’t want to talk much about his results. But when talking about how there were many top Spanish players, he felt very proud of this. He is also very grateful to his father, who brought him to the tennis world. “Do you know why there are many top Spanish players? It is because in Spain, many likes to play tennis. My father played pretty well too. Even though we didn’t have a tennis court at home, my father would take me to the public courts. He said I was very talented. He also said I could play very well by the time I was 7 years old. Then I went to a tennis school for 3 years, and started playing on the junior tour.” Then JC continued with pride, “I have checked this, at the school where i have graduated, no other students have achieved what I have achieved. I was the only success story out of all those students. It is quite unbelievable.”

JC had some advice for Chinese players, “Every year you will gain experience, then you will feel more comfortable. You will know how to handle difficult situations and win points. If you can do this, you can relax when you are on court. I think in this condition you are at your best for the match.”

Will holiday in Madrid when the season finishes
When summing up his results this year (especially his results on hard courts), JC felt quite happy about it. “I played pretty well this year on hard courts, hopefully I can improve more next year.” After China Open, JC will prepare for Davis Cup and also the Masters Series events. The season will end in December. That might seem far away, because when we asked JC how he wil use this time, he thought for a long time. Then he smiled and said, “I haven’t thought about it! I guess I will holiday in Madrid.”

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

JC swamped with fans watching practice

kat — Tue, 14 Sep 2004 04:09:48 +0000

original article from ynet.com – translated by kat
13 September 2004

The reporter was waiting for JC in court 3 yesterday (following the practice schedule given by the China Open officials), only to find out his practice had been moved to centre court.

Yesterday afternoon at 5pm, JC appeared on centre court. On the opposite side there were fans screaming “JUAN CARLOS!” and then fans who gathered outside the players lounge also screamed “FERRERO!” in return. (co-ordinated ladies!) Within moments, the area outside the players lounge were swamped with fans and it was extremely difficult for JC to get out even when protected by security.
During the 1st part of practice JC didn’t react much to the fan’s cheering and clapping. He was concentrating on hitting shots with his hitting partner, and also having a few words with his coach on the side. After 20mins of warmup, JC rested on the side of the court. At this time, on the western part of the stands, there were fans wearing red T-shirts which spells out F-E-R-R-E-R-O standing in a row, waving the Spanish flag and screamed “JUAN CARLOS!” JC surely would’ve been moved by the gesture, but he didn’t do anything to show it. When the 2nd part of practice started, JC seems to be more relaxed and more at ease with all the fans there. When a stray ball ended up on the stands, fans (mainly female) started screaming. It only ended when a volunteer picked up the ball. JC also looked relieved at the person who picked up the ball.

Unknowingly, the lights around the court were turned on. But JC kept going with his volleys, smashes, and practicising serves. After every great shot, the fans clapped, coupled with girls screaming. Some fans who got in the courts quietly were hoping to get his autograph.

When JC was warming down (stretching), fans started screaming “SAFIN! SAFIN!” JC got up and said hi to Marat and they chatted for a bit. As JC packed up his gear and headed towards the exit, there were already heaps of fans there waiting.

With the help of security JC was escorted through another exit, but some smart fans still sneaked in and got their autograph. Those who didn’t get it ran outside for a 2nd chance. Then something interesting happened. A group of fans gathered outisde the southern exit and then more and more of them gathered. When JC finally got into a car, a girl’s crying became clear, the girl said…”I’ve been waiting for him for over 2 hours… and I finally got his autograph!”

JC said the court conditions in Beijing are quite good. The lights at night are just right but he’s surprised by the passionate fans.

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

Injured Ferrero edged out by Koubek

kat — Sat, 04 Sep 2004 04:20:37 +0000

from Reuters by Simon Cambers
3 September 2004

NEW YORK, Sept 3 (Reuters) – An injured Juan Carlos Ferrero suffered his third successive early exit from a grand slam on Friday when he was beaten 7-6 4-6 6-7 6-2 6-3 in the second round of the U.S. Open by Austria’s Stefan Koubek.

Last year’s losing finalist struggled with an adductor injury from the end of the third set and despite battling bravely, Ferrero was powerless to stop Koubek from reaching the third round at Flushing Meadows for the first time.
Since reaching the Australian Open semi-finals in January, Ferrero has struggled with injury and illness, losing in the second round of the French Open and the third at Wimbledon.

After winning four titles last year, including his first grand slam title at the French Open, he has failed to win a tournament in 2004.

“I want to forget this year,” he said. “It’s (more) frustrating than you can imagine. I don’t think I have played one tournament this year at 100 percent fit.”

His courage, though, was not in question as he won the third set on a tiebreak, on his eighth set point.

With the injury hampering his movement, the Spaniard was treated by an ATP trainer but the move eventually proved to be futile.

Koubek, who lost to Ferrero 8-6 in the fifth set at Wimbledon earlier this year, sensed his chance and took advantage to level the match.

Ferrero was docked a point for abusive behaviour but somehow dug deep to lead 2-0 in the decider.

However, Koubek reeled off five games in a row and clinched victory with his 13th ace.

“I thought I started playing well after the first set,” Ferrero said. “But the difference today was that I had the injury and couldn’t move as well.”

Koubek upsets seventh seeded Ferrero at US Open

kat — Sat, 04 Sep 2004 04:18:47 +0000

from ChannelNewsAsia.com
3 September 2004

NEW YORK : Spain’s Juan Carlos Ferrero, last year’s runner-up, was upset by Austria’s Stefan Koubek 7-6 (7/2), 4-6, 6-7 (6/8), 6-2, 6-3 in the second round of the 17.8 million dollar US Open.

This was the third match in the past couple of months between them, with the 27-year-old Koubek now having won two of those.

Ferrero, the 2003 Roland Garros champion, was playing in the US Open for the sixth straight year. Ferrero has been hobbled by injuries and illness after a stellar season last year.
“I was fighting a lot and I won the second and third set but then I started to feel a pain in my leg,” Ferrero said. “I couldn’t serve and move very well because of my leg.

“I am not happy with my year. This year is almost finished and I just want to forget it.

“I have some more tournaments to play but this has not been a good year for me.”

Koubek hammered 13 aces and blasted 62 winners in the four hour, two minute match.

The loss by seventh seeded Ferrero ends any chance of a rematch of the 2003 final between Ferrero and American Andy Roddick. Ferrero was in the same side of the draw as Roddick and they could have squared off in the quarters.

A disappointed Ferrero said making a good run in this year’s event was more important than avenging his loss to Roddick.

“It is disappointing that I didn’t do well here, not just that I won’t meet Roddick,” he said.

Koubek advances to play either American Jan-Michael Gambill or Sweden’s Joachim Johansson in the next round.

Ferrero falls in epic

kat — Sat, 04 Sep 2004 04:16:13 +0000

from BBC.co.uk
3 September 2004

Juan Carlos Ferrero’s miserable season continued when he was beaten in the US Open second round by Stefan Koubek.

Koubek upset the 2003 runner-up 7-6 (7-2) 4-6 6-7 (6-8) 6-2 6-3.

Ferrero, who has struggled with his fitness for most of the season, had treatment for a leg injury straight after winning the third set.

Koubek seized his chance to level the match and though Ferrero had a 2-0 lead in the decider, Koubek won five games in a row before clinching the win.
“I was fighting a lot and I won the second and third set but then I started to feel a pain in my leg,” said Ferrero.

“I couldn’t serve and move very well because of my leg.”

The 24-year-old admitted he was looking forward to the end of a torrid season, in which he has also suffered early defeats at the French Open and Wimbledon.

“I am not happy with my year. The year is almost finished and I just want to forget it,” he said.

“I have some more tournaments to play but this has not been a good year for me.”

Ferrero’s frustration was evident during the match when he was warned by the umpire for smashing a ball out of the stadium.

He was later penalized a point for abusing an official, prompting the Spaniard to refuse to shake hands with the umpire at the end of the match.