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JCF fans rejoice! 5.5 years we’ve waited…

kat — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 04:35:17 +0000

CONGRATULATIONS TO JCF FOR HIS WIN AT CASABLANCA!!!!

Can you believe it? He had not lost a set all week to take this title, the moment we’ve all been waiting for a LONG TIME.

Rd 1: d. Christophe Rochus 6-2 6-3
Rd 2: d. Potito Starace 6-4 7-6(1)
QF: d. Victor Hanescu 6-3 7-5
SF: d. Igor Andreev 7-6(9) 6-3
Final: d. Florent Serra 6-4 7-5

Ferrero Breaks Title Drought with Casablanca Crown
Former ATP World Tour No. 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero snapped a title drought dating back to October 2003 by defeating fifth-seeded Frenchman Florent Serra 6-4, 7-5 on Sunday in the final of the Grand Prix Hassan II in Casablanca to win the ATP World Tour 250 tennis tournament.

Victory for Ferrero earns him 250 South African Airways 2009 ATP Ranking points and €71,700 in prize money. The Spaniard reached the top spot in the South African Airways ATP Rankings on 8 September 2003, after reaching his third Grand Slam final at the US Open (l. to Roddick).

Ferrero was returning to Casablanca for the first time since making his ATP World Tour debut there as a 19 year old, when he reached the semi-finals (l. to A. Martin).

“This is a special tournament for me,” said Ferrero. “Ten years ago I played my first ATP World Tour tournament here and now I’m back winning the title. I’m very happy, it was a great week for me.”

The 29-year-old Ferrero’s last title came at ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Madrid (d. Massu) in October 2003. Since then, he had contested 110 tournaments without lifting the champion’s trophy. During that span he finished runner-up at six ATP World Tour tennis tournaments at 2004 Rotterdam, 2005 Barcelona and Vienna, 2006 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Cincinnati, 2007 Costa do Sauipe and 2008 Auckland.

Two breaks were exchanged early in the first set before Ferrero earned a decisive third break to close out a one-set lead 6-4. The players swapped two more breaks of serve in the second set before Ferrero once again made a key breakthrough in the 11th game to lead 6-5. The Villena resident then served out his first victory in three meetings with Serra after one hour and 36 minutes.

“It wasn’t easy because Florent was playing very aggressively and I felt a lot of pressure,” said Ferrero. “I wanted to take my chances and finally I could win which makes me very happy.”

“It is very important for my confidence that I won this tournament. This helps a lot coming back from an injury.”
Ferrero is closing on his 400th tour-level match win. Victory in Casablanca took the Spaniard to a 396-210 record. His match record in 2009 stands at 10-5, highlighted up till now by quarter-final showings at Costa do Sauipe (l. to Bellucci) and Buenos Aires (l. to Nalbandian).

The title was Ferrero’s first on clay since he captured his lone Grand Slam championship at Roland Garros (d. Verkerk) in June 2003. He improved to a 9-7 mark in clay-court finals, and to 12-16 on all surfaces. The right-hander has reached at least one ATP World Tour final in 11 consecutive seasons (since 1999).

At No. 115 in the South African Airways 2009 ATP Rankings, Ferrero is the lowest-ranked winner on the ATP World Tour this year. The only other player ranked outside the Top 100 to reach a final was Somdev Devvarman in Chennai (l. to Cilic).

The 47th-ranked Serra – one of nine Frenchmen in the Top 50 of the South African Airways 2009 ATP Rankings – was contesting his third ATP World Tour final and drops to a 2-1 lifetime. His two titles came at 2005 Bucharest (d. Andreev) and 2006 Adelaide (d. Hrbaty).

“It was a great week for me but I’m a bit disappointed today,” said Serra. “I was nervous at the beginning and Juan Carlos was playing really well. This city is special for me since my father was born here and I dedicate this final to him.”

The 28-year-old Bordeaux native, who has an 11-10 match record on the season, was looking to become the third successive Frenchman to lift the trophy in Casablanca after Paul-Henri Mathieu triumphed in 2007 and Gilles Simon prevailed in 2008.

Another article from the week inside….

Ferrero Aims For Return To Winners’ Circle
Former World No. 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero reached his first ATP World Tour final in 15 months after ousting top seed Igor Andreev 7-6(9), 6-3 on Saturday in the semi-finals of the Grand Prix Hassan II, an ATP World Tour 250 tennis tournament in Casablanca.

In a match featuring five breaks of serve, the unseeded Ferrero converted three of 10 break point opportunities to improve to a 4-1 lead over Russian Andreev after two hours and five minutes. He improved to 9-5 match record on the season and is closing in on his 400th tour-level match win – should he win the title he would move to a 396-210 mark.

“The first set was a bit crazy,” said Ferrero. “I was happy that I was strong mentally after the break. My tennis was so so today, but I was a hundred percent mentally during the whole match. It was also very windy today.”

The Spaniard is trying to capture his first ATP World Tour title since October 19, 2003 when he won ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Madrid (d. Massu). By reaching the final, he has extended his streak of reaching at least one ATP World Tour final for 11 consecutive years (since 1999). His last appearance in an ATP World Tour final came at Auckland (l. to Kohlschreiber) in January 2008.

Since his triumph in Madrid, the 29-year-old Ferrero has played 110 tournaments without holding the champion’s trophy. During that span, he has been runner-up six times.

The Villena resident is also attempting to clinch his first clay-court title since winning his lone Grand Slam championship at Roland Garros on June 8, 2003 (d.Verkerk). He is 8-7 in clay court finals (11-16 overall).

Ferrero, currently No. 115 in the South African Airways 2009 ATP Rankings, would be the lowest-ranked winner on the ATP World Tour this year – should he defeat No. 5 seed Florent Serra in Sunday’s final. The only other player ranked outside the Top 100 to reach a final was Somdev Devvarman in Chennai.

“I have never won against Serra and I hope that I will succeed tomorrow,” said Ferrero, who has a 0-2 record against the Frenchman. “We have played on grass and hard, but never on clay. We both haven’t lost a set this week which means that we are playing well. I have two goals for Sunday. I want to win the title here in Casablanca and beat Serra for the first time. I hope that I can show my best tennis since finals are always a different story.”

World No. 47 Serra (pictured) advanced to his third ATP World Tour final with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over third-seeded Spaniard Albert Montanes.

The fifth-seeded Frenchman dropped his own serve once, but converted three of five break point chances on Montanes’ serve to record victory over the Spaniard in 88 minutes. Victory for Serra avenged the loss he suffered to Montanes in the first round of ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Indian Wells last month.

“I had some difficult moments in the second set when I saved break points,” said Serra. “It was important to save those and remain aggressive. He had beaten me a month ago in Indian Wells and I’m happy that I made it this time. Now that I’m in the final I want to go one step further and win another title.”

The 28-year-old Serra is yet to drop a set en route to his first ATP World Tour final since January 2006. The Bordeaux native won his second ATP World Tour title in Adelaide (d. Hrbaty) on that occasion, having clinched his maiden title in September 2005 at Bucharest (d. Andreev). He has a 2-0 mark in ATP World Tour finals.

The right-hander improved to an 11-9 match record on the season, highlighted previously by quarter-final appearances in Brisbane (l. to Verdasco) and Delray Beach (l. to Fish).

“I have beaten Ferrero twice, but I have never played him on clay,” said Serra, looking ahead to the final. “I saw that he’s very strong physically this week. I will have to play my game and be aggressive again.”

Ferrero “deceived”, enjoying afternoon tea

kat — Mon, 19 Sep 2005 07:46:45 +0000

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

Yesterday afternnon Ferrero was at the hotel restaurant enjoying “coffee time”. (ed: I’m guessing this would be like afternoon tea time or similar) Maybe it was because he reached the semi finals he was in a good mood and allowed the journalist to approach and chat with him. On the one hand Ferrero was drinking his coffee, and on the other he was reading a thick novel. When the journalist was curious to know what that book is, Ferrero politely turned it over for the journalist to see. It was another bestselling novel by the “Da Vinci Code” author Dan Brown – “Deception Point”. When Ferrero realised the journalist also knows Dan Brown, he seemed very happy. But maybe he was too intrigued by the storyline he quickly went back to reading the novel.

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

Bought many DVDs during this trip, Ferrero eager to return next year

kat — Sun, 18 Sep 2005 07:44:30 +0000

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

Even though he has more supporters than Nadal, Ferrero lost the Spanish derby (semi final). At the after match interview Ferrero said although he has not confirmed his itinerary for next year, but Beijing has left him with a good impression so if it is possible, he will return next year.

Speaking of the semi final match against Nadal, Ferrero felt that Nadal was faster than him during the match. Although the match started off well, Nadal placed him under a lot of pressure later on. He did not take some chances and during both sets he was broken after it reached 4-4. Ferrero lost all four of his matches against Nadal this year, and he said that he haven’t played at his best level during all these matches. For example towards the end of today’s match he could not play according to his game plan. But he will continue to work on these deficiencies during practice.

Ferrero also said he will leave Beijing at about 11am on Sunday. He had good memories this week in Beijing and in his spare time, he bought many DVDs. Tomorrow is the traditional Chinese Mid-Autumn festival.When he heard the stories about mooncakes Ferrero nodded his head. Maybe he was thinking of buying some for his family and friends.

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

Nadal likes to use public shower rooms, Ferrero only uses his own toiletries

kat — Sat, 17 Sep 2005 13:48:37 +0000

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*

Ferrero embarrassed – faced with questions about girls, confident about beating Nadal

kat — Sat, 17 Sep 2005 07:50:30 +0000

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.”
In today’s match the fans were also very passionate. It seems Ferrero had more female fans. About the female fans, he said, “this… I don’t know. I don’t know why. But I do have many fans in China. I have very happy that they are here to support me. Maybe it’s because I play here every year so they tend to recognize me!”

After Ferrero reached the semis, his next opponent will either be Nadal or Wessels. Based on potential, Nadal has a better chance of reaching the semis. Ferrero has played against Nadal three times this year and lost all three matches on clay. When asked about the possibility of meeting his ‘nemesis’ Ferrero said, “Yes I lost my last three matches on clay against Nadal. He is a very good player and is always very confident when he is on court. But I am full of confidence in our possible fourth meeting. If I will be playing against him tomorrow, on hard courts it will be difficult for both of us but we both have a chance of winning. I will try my best and will probably have to play better than my previous matches.”

As the 2005 season draws to a close Ferrero was asked to compare this season with the last. He said, “I cannot compare with last year. This is because I did not play for 7 months. At that time I was injured. At the start of 2005 I had to begin with a ranking of 98! It’s just like starting out to be a professional player all over again. But I have performed quite well this season and I am happy about it. Now my ranking is getting closer to the top 10.”

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

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.