Juan Carlos Ferrero
Encyclopedia
Juan Carlos Ferrero Donat (born 12 February 1980) is a professional tennis player, and a former world no. 1 player, from Spain. He captured the men's singles title at the 2003 French Open
, and in September of that year, he became the 21st player to hold the world no. 1 ranking. He was also the runner-up at the 2002 French Open
and the 2003 US Open. His nickname is "Mosquito" due to his speed and his slight physical stature.
.
Ferrero's inspiration has been his mother, Rosario, who died from cancer when he was 17. He is one of only a handful of players in the tennis open era to have reached the quarterfinal stage at all four Grand Slam events.
In July 2007, he bought an old cottage in Bocairente, 50 minutes south from Valencia and refurbished it into "Hotel Ferrero", which features 12 luxury suites. He is also a part owner of the Valencia Open 500 tournament. His fitness trainer is Miguel Maeso, and he is coached by Antonio Martinez (since 1989) and Salvador Navarro (since May 2008), who travels most of the time with him.
for his attire and Prince Sports
for his racquets.
. He finished the year ranked the no. 17 junior. He then made his professional debut in 1998 by reaching the finals of his first Futures tournament in Italy, losing to Miguel Pastura, 4–6, 5–7. He then won two Futures events in Spain, defeating Gorka Fraile and Emilio Viuda-Hernandez in the respective finals. He ended the year ranked world no. 345.
In 1999, he made his first ATP main draw debut in Casablanca
in 1999 and reached the semifinals, where he lost to Alberto Martín
, 5–7, 4–6. He then won two more Challenger events in Naples and Maia, as well as making another final in Naples. As a result, Ferrero made his top 100 debut at no. 95. He made his Grand Slam debut at the 1999 US Open in August, losing to ninth seeded Greg Rusedski
in the first round. The following month, in just his fifth professional event, he won his first career title in Majorca, Spain at the 1999 Majorca Open
, defeating second seed Àlex Corretja
, 2–6, 7–5, 6–3, which propelled him from world no. 68 to 47. He ended the year at world no. 43 and won the ATP Newcomer of the year award.
In 2000, he made his Australian Open debut, making it to the third round, where he was defeated by Younes El Aynaoui
in a tight five-setter, 6–7, 6–4, 6–4, 6–7, 4–6. Shortly after, he reached the finals in the 2000 Dubai Tennis Championships
and the 2000 Barcelona Open
, where he lost to Nicolas Kiefer
and Marat Safin
, respectively. By doing so, Ferrero entered the top 20 for the first time at no. 18. His best performance of the year, however, was reaching the semifinals of his first French Open, where he lost to the eventual champion Gustavo Kuerten
in five sets, 5–7, 6–4, 6–2, 4–6, 3–6. He reached the semifinals of 2000 Paris Masters
, losing to eventual champion Marat Safin
, 2–6, 2–6. He also helped Spain win the Davis Cup
, winning all five of his matches. Although he did not win any titles in 2000, his significant performances in major tournaments helped him end the year ranked world no. 12.
. In the span of three months, Ferrero won four titles. His first was in Dubai defeating Marat Safin
, 6–2, 3–1 RET, in the finals. Then he won the 2001 Estoril Open
in an all-Spanish final, defeating Félix Mantilla
, 7–6, 4–6, 6–3. This placed him at no. 9 in the world, his top 10 debut. He then won Barcelona, defeating Carlos Moyá
, 4–6, 7–5, 6–3, 3–6, 7–5. He also won his first Masters title at the 2001 Rome Masters
, where he defeated Gustavo Kuerten
, 3–6, 6–1, 2–6, 6–4, 6–2, his first win over a world no. 1. He then he reached the finals of 2001 Hamburg Masters
, losing to Albert Portas
, 6–4, 2–6, 6–0, 6–7, 5–7, and then he reached the semifinals at the French Open for the second consecutive year, losing again to the no. 1 seed, defending champion, and eventual champion Gustavo Kuerten
. Ferrero also reached the finals in Gstaad, losing to Jiří Novák
, 6–1, 6–7, 7–5, and the semifinals of the 2001 Tennis Masters Cup
, losing to eventual champion Lleyton Hewitt
, 4–6, 3–6, and finished the year ranked world no. 5.
In 2002, Ferrero missed the Australian Open due to bursitis in his right knee. He also made a bad start, having a record of 7–8 up until the 2002 Monte Carlo Masters
, where he defeated Carlos Moyá
in straight sets, 7–5, 6–3, 6–4, in the finals to win the title. He was, however, unsuccessful in defending his Rome title, losing to Ivan Ljubičić
in the second round. However, at the 2002 French Open
, Ferrero reached his first Grand Slam final. However, despite being the strong favourite, he lost to compatriot Albert Costa
, 1–6, 0–6, 6–4, 3–6. His foot was injured during the tournament, and he played through, taking a lot of cortisone shots. He then reached the finals at Kitzbühel, losing to Àlex Corretja
, 4–6, 1–6, 3–6. He then lost in the semifinals in the 2002 Cincinnati Masters
, losing to eventual champion Carlos Moyá
, 3–6, 4–6. He the won his second title of the year in Hong Kong, avenging his lost to Carlos Moyá
by beating him in th finals, 6–3, 1–6, 7–6. He reached the finals of the 2002 Tennis Masters Cup
, losing once again to Lleyton Hewitt
, 5–7, 5–7, 6–2, 6–2, 4–6. This result saw the Spaniard finish the year ranked world no. 4.
In 2003, Ferrero started the year by reaching the finals in Sydney, losing to Hyung-Taik Lee, 6–4, 6–7, 6–7. He then reached the quarterfinals of the 2003 Australian Open
, losing to Wayne Ferreira
, 6–7, 6–7, 1–6. He won his first title of the year at the 2003 Monte Carlo Masters
, which he defended by defeating Guillermo Coria
, 6–2, 6–2. In his next four tournaments, he reached the semifinals in Barcelona, losing to Marat Safin
, 4–6, 3–6, and the semifinals at the 2003 Rome Masters, losing to Roger Federer
, 4–6, 2–4 RET. He also won the 2003 Open de Tenis Comunidad Valenciana
, defeating Christophe Rochus
, 6–2, 6–4, without losing a set. He then won his first Grand Slam at the 2003 French Open
, defeating Martin Verkerk
, 6–1, 6–3, 6–2, in the finals. He then reached the 4th Round of Wimbledon losing to Sébastien Grosjean
2–6, 6–4, 6–7, 6–7. He also went on to reach the final of the 2003 US Open, eliminating former world no. 1s and former US Open champions Lleyton Hewitt
and Andre Agassi
, before losing to Andy Roddick
, 3–6, 6–7, 3–6, in the final. This result saw Ferrero take the no. 1 spot from Agassi. He then competed in Bangkok for the first time as world no. 1, losing to Taylor Dent
in the finals, 3–6, 6–7. He took his next title in the Madrid, his first hard-court Masters title, by defeating Nicolás Massú
, 6–3, 6–4, 6–3, in the finals. He was presented with a "National Sportsman of the Year" award from King Juan Carlos. He ended the year ranked world no. 3, behind only Andy Roddick
and Roger Federer
.
), 4–6, 1–6, 4–6, and the finals of 2004 ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament
, losing to Lleyton Hewitt
, 7–6, 5–7, 4–6, chicken pox kept him out for the entire month of March. After a first-round loss in Monte Carlo in April, he required another month out for rest and recuperation. On 8 May, Ferrero fell during a practice session, injuring his ribs and his right wrist and went into the defence of his French Open crown under-prepared. He lost in the second round to Igor Andreev
and continued to struggle for the rest of the year, finishing outside the world's top 30 for the first time in five years.
Ferrero looked fresher and healthier in 2005 and began to climb back up towards the top echelons of the game. He reached the semifinals of the Monte Carlo Masters, losing to Guillermo Coria
, 2–6, 5–7, and Beijing, losing to Rafael Nadal
, 4–6, 4–6. He reached the finals of the Open Seat Godo in Barcelona to Rafael Nadal
, 1–6, 6–7, 3–6, in April, as well as the finals of Vienna
, where he lost to Ivan Ljubičić
. 2–6, 4–6, 6–7. He ended 2005 ranked world no. 17.
In 2006, Ferrero's performance was mediocre, reaching just one semifinal in Buenos Aires, where he lost to Carlos Moyá
, 6–3, 6–7, 4–6, and one final in Cincinnati. During the 2006 Western & Southern Financial Group Masters event in Cincinnati, Ferrero notched his first top-10 win of 2006 with a 6–2, 6–4 win over US no. 1 and world no. 5 player James Blake
. A few days later, Ferrero defeated world no. 2 Rafael Nadal
, 7–6, 7–6, and then world no. 7 Tommy Robredo
, 6–3, 6–4, to move into the final of an ATP Masters Series
event for the first time since 2003. In the final, Ferrero lost to Andy Roddick
, 3-6, 4-6. He ended the year ranked no. 23.
In 2007, Ferrero reached the final of the Brasil Open
, where he lost to Guillermo Cañas
, 6–7, 2–6. He reached the semifinals of the Abierto Mexicano TELCEL
tournament in Acapulco, Mexico, where he lost to Carlos Moyà
, 6–2, 2–6, 3–6, the semifinals of the 2007 Monte Carlo Masters
, losing to Roger Federer
, 3–6, 4–6, and the semifinals in Vienna, where he lost to Stanislas Wawrinka
, 5–7, 1–6. At the Australian Open, Ferrero lost in the second round to Danai Udomchoke
of Thailand. He was eliminated during the round-robin portion of the Copa Telemex
tournament in Buenos Aires, Argentina and the first round of the Heineken Open
in Auckland, New Zealand. He managed to reach the quarterfinals at Wimbledon
, losing 7–6, 3–6, 6–1, 6–3 to Roger Federer
. Ferrero could not reproduced his 2003 form at the 2007 year French Open, losing in the third round to Mikhail Youzhny
, 6–7, 7–6, 6–2, 6–2. He lost at the 2007 US Open to Feliciano López
in the first round. He ended the year ranked no. 24.
Ferrero started 2008 by reaching the final of the Heineken Open
in Auckland, New Zealand and defeating David Nalbandian
, 6–1, 6–2, 6–3 to advance to the fourth round of the Australian Open
. After the Australian Open, Ferrero suffered early losses to Nicolas Mahut
at the Open 13
in Marseille
and at the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament
in Rotterdam
to Teymuraz Gabashvili. Following these two losses, Ferrero lost to Andy Roddick
in Dubai, 6–2, 6–4. He made a fourth-round appearance at the Pacific Life Open
, but Nalbandian defeated him, 2-6, 2-6. At the Sony Ericsson Open
, Ferrero lost to Tomáš Berdych
in the third round. He lost to Marat Safin
in three sets at the Open de Tenis Comunidad Valenciana
in the first round. At the Monte Carlo Masters
, showings still were mediocre for the Spaniard, as he lost to Rafael Nadal, 4-6, 1-6.
However, Ferrero displayed excellent form at the 2008 Rome Masters
, beating Nicolas Kiefer
, 6–7, 6–3, 6–4, and then stunning world no. 2 Nadal. Ferrero had lost at Monte Carlo to Nadal two weeks earlier, and Nadal had won 17 successive matches on the Roman
tennis courts. However, Ferrero triumphed over him, 7–5, 6–1. However, he lost to Stanislas Wawrinka
in the following round, 4–6, 3–6. He then competed in the 2008 French Open
, retiring in the first round due to a leg injury against Marcos Daniel
after winning the first set 7–6, 2–2 RET. He then competed at Wimbledon, retiring in the second round against Mischa Zverev
, 4–6, 4–6, 1–2 RET, due to a hamstring injury. He then missed the next three months with a shoulder injury. He returned with a quarterfinal appearance at the 2008 China Open
, losing to eventual champion Andy Roddick
. His next tournaments were in Vienna, a second-round loss to Jürgen Melzer
and a quarterfinals appearance at Lyon, losing to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. He ended the year ranked no. 55, his lowest year-end ranking since 1998.
, the 2009 Heineken Open
, and the 2009 Australian Open
which made him drop out of the top 100 at 101 for the first time in almost 10 years. He, however, reached the quarterfinals of the 2009 Brasil Open
, losing to Thomaz Bellucci
, 6–7, 6–1, 3–6, and of the 2009 Copa Telmex
, losing to David Nalbandian
, 3–6, 0–3 RET.
In March 2009, Ferrero captured his first singles title since 2003 by defeating fifth-seeded Florent Serra
, 6–4, 7–5, in the final of the 2009 Grand Prix Hassan II
in Casablanca, Morocco. He, however, had early losses in rest of the clay-court season. He lost in first round of the 2009 Barcelona Open Banco Sabadell
, failed to qualify in Rome, and suffered second-round losses in 2009 Estoril Open
, 2009 Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open
, and the 2009 French Open
.
However, Ferrero's resurgence came on the grass courts, as he reached the semifinals of the 2009 AEGON Championships
, losing to Andy Murray, 2–6, 4–6, and the quarterfinals at Wimbledon
, defeating tenth seed Fernando González
in the third round, 4–6, 7–5, 6–4, 4–6, 6–4, in a match that lasted about 3 hours, and seventh seed Gilles Simon
in the fourth round, 7–6, 6–3, 6–2, before losing to Andy Murray, 5–7, 3–6, 2–6. These performances saw him climb from 90 to 37 in a month. He then reached the finals of the 2009 ATP Studena Croatia Open Umag
, losing to Nikolay Davydenko
, 3–6, 0–6. At the Legg Mason Tennis Classic
, Ferrero advanced to the third round, before losing to Tommy Haas
, 7–5, 2–6, 6–1, after beating Tommy Robredo
, 6–3, 6–2.
He then competed at the 2009 Rogers Cup
, where he needed to qualify to compete in the main draw despite his high ranking. He defeated Lleyton Hewitt
in the first round, 6–1, 6–4, ending Hewitt's three-match win streak against him. He then defeated 13th seed Gaël Monfils
, 6–3, 7–6 in the pair's first meeting, before losing to Andy Murray once again, 1-6, 3-6. He then lost in the first round of the 2009 Cincinnati Masters to Marin Čilić
, 3-6, 4-6. At the US Open
, he defeated Fabrice Santoro
in Santoro's last US Open match in the first round. In the second round against Philipp Petzschner
, Ferrero mounted a remarkable comeback from two sets down for the third time in his career to win 1–6, 3–6, 6–4, 6–2, 6–4. He then went on to defeat no. 9 seed Gilles Simon
, 1–6, 6–4, 7–6, 1–0 ret, but was defeated in the fourth round by Juan Martín del Potro
. Ferrero climbed impressively into the top 20, having been ranked 115 just 5 months before. In his first tournament after the US Open at the 2009 China Open
, he lost to Fernando Verdasco
, 7–5 6–4, in the second round, after defeating Nicolás Almagro
, 7–5, 7–6. He then competed in the 2009 Shanghai ATP Masters 1000
, where he missed being seeded by one rank. He was crushed in the first round by 13th seed Radek Štěpánek
, 6–3 6–0, winning only 7 points in the second set. He then lost in the first round of the 2009 If Stockholm Open
to Marcos Baghdatis
, 4-6, 2-6. He then competed in the 2009 Valencia Open 500
. However, he lost to Pablo Cuevas
in a 3three-set battle, 2–6, 7–6, 6–3, after serving for the set at 5–3 on the second set. He ended the year at no. 23, which was 32 spots higher than the previous year and won his first title in 6 years.
in Auckland, New Zealand, where he retired with and injury trailing 1–3 in the second round, after receiving a first round bye. At the Australian Open, he lost to Ivan Dodig
, after being two sets to love up and cruising to victory. His mind slipped mid-match and he got crushed during the last three sets in the match, 6–2, 6–1, 4–6, 1–6, 1–6.
Ferrero then competed in the 2010 Brasil Open
as the no. 1 seed. He earned his first win of the season against Eduardo Schwank
, 7–6, 6–3. He then defeated Nicolás Massú
, 6–2, 5–7, 6–2 (despite failing to serve out the match 5–4 in the second set), Carlos Berlocq
, 6–3, 6–2, in the quarterfinals, and Ricardo Mello
, 6–4, 6–2, in the semifinals. In the final, he crushed Łukasz Kubot, 6–1, 6–0, in 61 minutes, conceding one of his services games but in turn, breaking all of his opponent's service games.
In the 2010 Copa Telmex
as the no. 2 seed, he defeated top seed David Ferrer
in the finals, 5–7, 6–4, 6–3, after defeating Juan Mónaco
in the semifinals, 6–2, 7–6, Santiago Ventura
, 6–3, 3–6, 6–2, in the quarterfinals, Marcos Daniel
, 6–2, 6–4, in the second round, and Ricardo Mello
, 6–1, 6–2, in the first round. This was his second title in a row and extended his winning streak to 10. The victory also raised his ranking to world no. 16.
At the 2010 Abierto Mexicano Telcel
in Acapulco, he had comfortable victories over qualifier Diego Junqueira
, 6–2, 6–3, and Igor Andreev
, 6–4, 6–3. Carrying on his fiery form, he defeated defending champion Nicolás Almagro
, 6–1, 5–7, 6–2, in the quarterfinals, not facing any break points in the first and third sets and being broken only once. He then defeated Juan Mónaco
in the semifinals, when the Argentinian retired with an abdominal strain after losing the first set 7–5. Ferrero faced David Ferrer
in his third straight final and lost, 3–6, 6–3, 1–6. Both players admitted that Ferrero's fatigue played a major role in the final set. This ended his 14-match winning streak. Despite this loss, he rose to no. 14 in the world, the first time he was ranked that high since 11 October 2004, when he was ranked 13th.
He defeated Daniel Köllerer
, 6–3, 6–0, in the second round of the 2010 BNP Paribas Open
, earning his first hard-court victory of the season, losing only eight points on serve. He then faced Juan Mónaco
in the third round, their third meeting in a row, with Ferrero prevailing in the other two. He was upset, 7–6, 3–6, 6–3, in a match than lasted over three hours. At the 2010 Sony Ericsson Open
, he made the round of 16, losing to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga,2-6, 2-6, after defeating John Isner
, 6–2, 3–6, 6–3, and Daniel Köllerer
, 4–0 ret.
At the 2010 Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters
, he defeated Marcel Granollers
, 6–0, 6–3, and Benjamin Becker
, 6–3, 6–4. After defeating the German, Ferrero upset Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, 6–1, 3–6, 7–5, earning his first victory over the Frenchman. He, however, lost to Rafael Nadal
, 4-6, 2-6, in the quarterfinals. In the 2010 Barcelona Open Banco Sabadell
, Ferrero was upset by Thiemo de Bakker
in the third round, due to not playing well in the tie-breaks, 6-7, 6-3, 6-7.
At the 2010 Internazionali BNL d'Italia
, his form worsened as he surprisingly slumped to a 0–6, 3–6 loss to qualifier Santiago Giraldo
in the first round.
Ferrero went into the 2010 French Open
seeded 16th and tipped by some to make a good run in the tournament. He defeated Pablo Cuevas
of Uruguay in the first round, 6–4, 6–3, 6–1. He then met fellow Spaniard Pere Riba
in the second round, where he won in four sets, 7–6, 6–7, 6–2, 6–2. However, he was upset in the third round by unseeded American Robby Ginepri
. After coming back from a two-set deficit and being a break of serve up in the decider, Ferrero lost in the fifth set with a final score of 7–5, 6–3, 3–6, 2–6, 6–4. He may have been seen to have underachieved in the tournament but did improve on his previous year's performance and did therefore improve his ranking points. At the 2010 Gerry Weber Open
, his form continued to go down as he lost to a Lucky Loser Dominik Meffert
in the first round, 6–3, 7–5. His bad form continued, as he loses Xavier Malisse
in the first round of Wimbledon 2010 in five sets. He was now 9–8 since his good run at the South American clay season.
He then played in the 2010 MercedesCup
, losing to Albert Montañés
for the first time in six meetings in the semifinals, 6–3, 7–6, despite having two set points in the second set tiebreak. At the 2010 International German Open
, Ferrero defeated Jan Hájek
and Jarkko Nieminen
, before being upset by Florian Mayer
, 7-6, 2-6, 3-6, for the first time in five meetings. At the 2010 ATP Studena Croatia Open Umag
, Ferrero won his third title of the year, where he struggled against Pablo Cuevas
, 4–6, 6–4, 6–4, but cruised through against Alexandr Dolgopolov, Andreas Seppi
, and Potito Starace
in the finals. He then missed the 2010 Rogers Cup
and 2010 Western & Southern Financial Group Masters due to a knee injury. He then returned in the 2010 US Open
, where he defeated Martin Kližan
and Ricardo Mello
in straight sets, but lost to Jürgen Melzer
in the third round. He is missed the rest of the season due to knee and wrist injuries.
and 2011 Australian Open
. As the defending champion, he withdrew from the 2011 Brasil Open
and 2011 Copa Claro
. He also withdrew from the 2011 Abierto Mexicano Telcel
, 2011 BNP Paribas Open
, 2011 Sony Ericsson Open
, and 2011 Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters
to recover from his wrist and knee surgery.
He made his return at the 2011 Barcelona Open Banco Sabadell
, where he defeated Xavier Malisse
, 6–4, 6–1, Mischa Zverev
, 6–4, 7–5, and Simone Vagnozzi
, 7–6, 4–6, 6–4, but lost in the quarterfinals to Nicolás Almagro
, 3-6, 3-6 His next tournament was the 2011 Mutua Madrid Open
, where he lost in the first round to Thiemo de Bakker
, 6-2, 5-7, 4-6. He then missed the 2011 Internazionali BNL d'Italia
, 2011 French Open
, and 2011 Wimbledon due to same injury.
He came back again to competition at the 2011 MercedesCup
in Stuttgart. There, he defeated Bastian Knittel
, 6–4, 6–4, Mikhail Youzhny
, 6–7, 6–2, 6–2, Marcel Granollers
, 6–4, 6–3, Federico Delbonis, 3–6, 6–4, 6–4, and countryman Pablo Andujar
, 6–4, 6–0, to become 2011 MercedesCup
champion. Right after the win in Stuttgart, he went to the German Open Hamburg, where he lost in the first round to Cedrik-Marcel Stebe
, 3-6, 2-6. As the defending champion, he reached the semifinals of the 2011 Studena Croatia Open
to eventual champion Alexandr Dolgopolov 6-4, 6-4. At the 2011 Rogers Cup
, he lost to Ernests Gulbis
, 6-3, 1-6, 5-7 and the 2011 Western & Southern Open
to Feliciano Lopez
4-6, 6-3, 6-4 both in the first round.
Ferrero's next tournament was the 2011 US Open
, where he defeated Pablo Andujar
in the first round, 1–6, 7–5, 5–7, 6–1, 6–3. In the second round, he defeated Frenchman Gael Monfils
in an electrifying five-set match, 7–6, 5–7, 6–7, 6–4, 6–4. His next opponent was Spain's Marcel Granollers
, who retired in the second set; at the time of Granollers' retirement, Ferrero led the match 6–1, 4–3. In the fourth round, Ferrero lost to Janko Tipsarevic
, 5-7, 7-6, 5-7, 2-6. His next tournament was the 2011 China Open
, where he lost in the quarterfinals to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. He then played at the Shanghai Rolex Masters
reaching the third round falling to good friend David Ferrer
1-6, 7-5, 6-2 after having three match points in the second set, he defeated Mikhail Youzhny
and Fernando Verdasco
beforehand. His next tournament was the Valencia Open, where he lost in the quarterfinals to Argentine player Juan Monaco
6-3, 6-3. He then played in the Paris Masters
, where he lost in the first round to French Nicolas Mahut
6-2, 6-3. With this lose, Ferrero ended his 2011 season.
and Marat Safin
. He defeated both in straight sets. He also played in the semifinals, this time against the American Vince Spadea
, where he won in three, 4–6, 6–1, 6–4. His impressive Davis Cup form continued when he defeated Australians Patrick Rafter
and Lleyton Hewitt
in Barcelona, enabling Spain to capture the Davis Cup for the first time. In 2001, Spain fell to the Netherlands, and Ferrero lost his first match against Raemon Sluiter
, losing two tie-breakers and winning one. He, however, made up for this lost when Spain competed in the qualifying rounds for the Davis Cup World Group, where he defeated Oleg Ogorodov
of Uzbekistan in straight sets. Ferrero continued to be a key Davis Cup player in subsequent years. In both 2003 and 2004, Ferrero contributed to Spain's successive progress to the Davis Cup final. In 2004, Spain won the Davis Cup for the second time. In 2009, Ferrero won the fifth and decisive rubber against Andreas Beck
of Germany, 6–4, 6–4, 6–4, in the Davis Cup quarterfinals, putting Spain through to the semifinal. Again in the quarterfinals, Ferrero won the second live rubber against Israel, 6–4, 6–2, 6–0, putting Spain on track to win the Davis Cup for two consecutive years, the first nation to do so in 11 years (since Sweden in 1998). As Nadal returned from injury to play the final for Spain, Ferrero was not selected to Spain's final team. He attended all the live rubbers to support his teammates during the first two days of the Davis Cup final, but as a reserve only. He was not included in the 2009 Davis Cup presentation ceremony and celebrations on the final day.
2003 French Open
The 2003 French Open was the second Grand Slam event of 2003 and the 102nd edition of the French Open. It took place at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France, from May 26 through June 8, 2003.-Men's singles:...
, and in September of that year, he became the 21st player to hold the world no. 1 ranking. He was also the runner-up at the 2002 French Open
2002 French Open
The 2002 French Open was the second Grand Slam event of 2002 and the 101st edition of the French Open. It took place at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France, from late May through early June, 2002.-Men's singles:...
and the 2003 US Open. His nickname is "Mosquito" due to his speed and his slight physical stature.
Personal life
Ferrero began playing tennis at age seven with his father, Eduardo, who often travels with son. He has two sisters, Ana and Laura and admires the play of former no. 1 and two-time Roland Garros champion Jim CourierJim Courier
James Spencer "Jim" Courier, Jr. is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player from the United States. During his career, he won four Grand Slam singles titles, two at the French Open and two at the Australian Open...
.
Ferrero's inspiration has been his mother, Rosario, who died from cancer when he was 17. He is one of only a handful of players in the tennis open era to have reached the quarterfinal stage at all four Grand Slam events.
In July 2007, he bought an old cottage in Bocairente, 50 minutes south from Valencia and refurbished it into "Hotel Ferrero", which features 12 luxury suites. He is also a part owner of the Valencia Open 500 tournament. His fitness trainer is Miguel Maeso, and he is coached by Antonio Martinez (since 1989) and Salvador Navarro (since May 2008), who travels most of the time with him.
Playing Style & Equipment
Although Ferrero was known as one of the best clay-court players during his prime, he has distinguished himself as an all-court and all-round player through his solid performance on hard- and grass-court tournaments. He actually said during an interview that he prefers to play on hard courts. Tennis experts agreed that Ferrero's clay-court game translated well to the hard court due to his aggressive style of playing. He also has one of the greatest forehands in the game and immense speed on the court. He is sponsored by JomaJoma
Joma is a Spanish sports apparel manufacturer, which currently produces footwear and apparel for football, running and tennis. Its headquarters are located in the city of Toledo, Spain....
for his attire and Prince Sports
Prince Sports
Prince Sports, Inc., based in Bordentown, New Jersey, is a manufacturer of equipment for racquet sports, primarily for tennis, badminton, and squash....
for his racquets.
Early years
Born in Onteniente, Ferrero came to prominence in 1998, making the final of the French Open Juniors, losing to Fernando GonzálezFernando González
----Fernando Francisco González Ciuffardi is a professional tennis player from Chile. He is known for having one of the hardest forehands on the circuit. In Spanish he is called El Bombardero de La Reina and Mano de Piedra...
. He finished the year ranked the no. 17 junior. He then made his professional debut in 1998 by reaching the finals of his first Futures tournament in Italy, losing to Miguel Pastura, 4–6, 5–7. He then won two Futures events in Spain, defeating Gorka Fraile and Emilio Viuda-Hernandez in the respective finals. He ended the year ranked world no. 345.
In 1999, he made his first ATP main draw debut in Casablanca
Casablanca
Casablanca is a city in western Morocco, located on the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Grand Casablanca region.Casablanca is Morocco's largest city as well as its chief port. It is also the biggest city in the Maghreb. The 2004 census recorded a population of 2,949,805 in the prefecture...
in 1999 and reached the semifinals, where he lost to Alberto Martín
Alberto Martín
----Alberto Martín Magret is a retired tennis player from Spain. He turned professional in 1995.Martin's best Grand Slam performance was reaching the fourth round of Roland Garros in 2006. En route to this performance, Martín's first round win was his first victory over former World number 1 Andy...
, 5–7, 4–6. He then won two more Challenger events in Naples and Maia, as well as making another final in Naples. As a result, Ferrero made his top 100 debut at no. 95. He made his Grand Slam debut at the 1999 US Open in August, losing to ninth seeded Greg Rusedski
Greg Rusedski
Gregory "Greg" Rusedski is a British Canadian former tennis player who turned professional in 1991 and played until his retirement on 7 April 2007, at the age of 33...
in the first round. The following month, in just his fifth professional event, he won his first career title in Majorca, Spain at the 1999 Majorca Open
1999 Majorca Open
The 1999 Majorca Open was an Association of Tennis Professionals tennis tournament held in Majorca, Spain. The tournament was held from September 13 to September 20.-Men's Singles: Juan Carlos Ferrero defeated Àlex Corretja 2-6, 7-5, 6-3...
, defeating second seed Àlex Corretja
Àlex Corretja
Àlex Corretja i Verdegay is a former professional tennis player from Spain. During his career, he finished runner-up twice at the French Open . He won the ATP Tour World Championships in 1998 and reached his career-high singles ranking of world no. 2 in 1999...
, 2–6, 7–5, 6–3, which propelled him from world no. 68 to 47. He ended the year at world no. 43 and won the ATP Newcomer of the year award.
In 2000, he made his Australian Open debut, making it to the third round, where he was defeated by Younes El Aynaoui
Younes El Aynaoui
Younes El Aynaoui is a professional tennis player from Morocco.He is a five-time singles winner on the ATP Tour and reached his career-high singles ranking of No. 14 in 2003, at the age of 31. His long career has been plagued by injuries and he did not play competitive tennis between September...
in a tight five-setter, 6–7, 6–4, 6–4, 6–7, 4–6. Shortly after, he reached the finals in the 2000 Dubai Tennis Championships
Dubai Tennis Championships
The Dubai Tennis Championships is a professional tennis tournament owned and organized by Dubai Duty Free and held annually in Dubai, United Arab...
and the 2000 Barcelona Open
Torneo Godó
The Barcelona Open also known as Torneo Godó, Trofeo Conde de Godó, Open Banco Sabadell, is an annual tennis tournament for male professional players. The event has been held annually in Barcelona, Spain since 1953, and is played on clay courts. Originally an event of the Grand Prix tennis circuit...
, where he lost to Nicolas Kiefer
Nicolas Kiefer
Nicolas Kiefer , is a former German professional tennis player. His mother, Nicole, is French. He won a silver medal in men's doubles with partner Rainer Schüttler at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens....
and Marat Safin
Marat Safin
Marat Mikhailovich Safin is a retired Russian tennis player of Tatar descent. Safin won two grand slams and reached the world number 1 ranking during his career. He was also famous for his emotional outbursts and sometimes fiery temper on court. Safin also holds the record for most broken...
, respectively. By doing so, Ferrero entered the top 20 for the first time at no. 18. His best performance of the year, however, was reaching the semifinals of his first French Open, where he lost to the eventual champion Gustavo Kuerten
Gustavo Kuerten
Gustavo Kuerten is a retired former World No. 1 tennis player from Brazil. He won the French Open three times between 1997 and 2001, and was the Tennis Masters Cup champion in 2000...
in five sets, 5–7, 6–4, 6–2, 4–6, 3–6. He reached the semifinals of 2000 Paris Masters
2000 Paris Masters
The 2000 Paris Masters was a tennis tournament played on indoor carpet courts. It was the 26th edition of the Paris Masters, and was part of the ATP Masters Series of the 2000 ATP Tour. It took place at the Palais omnisports de Paris-Bercy in Paris, France, from November 13 through November 20,...
, losing to eventual champion Marat Safin
Marat Safin
Marat Mikhailovich Safin is a retired Russian tennis player of Tatar descent. Safin won two grand slams and reached the world number 1 ranking during his career. He was also famous for his emotional outbursts and sometimes fiery temper on court. Safin also holds the record for most broken...
, 2–6, 2–6. He also helped Spain win the Davis Cup
Davis Cup
The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. It is run by the International Tennis Federation and is contested between teams of players from competing countries in a knock-out format. The competition began in 1900 as a challenge between Britain and the United States. By...
, winning all five of his matches. Although he did not win any titles in 2000, his significant performances in major tournaments helped him end the year ranked world no. 12.
2001–2003
In 2001, Ferrero started the year at the Australian Open, losing in the second round to Australian Andrew IlieAndrew Ilie
Andrew Ilie is a former tennis player. Ilie fled Romania at age 10 with his family, spending a year at a refugee camp in Austria before emigrating to Australia. He turned professional in 1994 and became a citizen of Australia...
. In the span of three months, Ferrero won four titles. His first was in Dubai defeating Marat Safin
Marat Safin
Marat Mikhailovich Safin is a retired Russian tennis player of Tatar descent. Safin won two grand slams and reached the world number 1 ranking during his career. He was also famous for his emotional outbursts and sometimes fiery temper on court. Safin also holds the record for most broken...
, 6–2, 3–1 RET, in the finals. Then he won the 2001 Estoril Open
2001 Estoril Open
The 2001 Estoril Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts at the Estoril Court Central in Oeiras in Portugal and was part of the International Series of the 2001 ATP Tour and of Tier IV of the 2001 WTA Tour...
in an all-Spanish final, defeating Félix Mantilla
Félix Mantilla Botella
Félix Mantilla Botella is a former Spanish professional tennis player, born in Barcelona. In common with many of his fellow countrymen, Mantilla's best surface is clay. While not as successful away from the clay, Mantilla also produced good hardcourt results...
, 7–6, 4–6, 6–3. This placed him at no. 9 in the world, his top 10 debut. He then won Barcelona, defeating Carlos Moyá
Carlos Moyá
Carlos Moya Llompart is a retired former world no. 1 tennis player from Spain. He was the French Open singles champion in 1998 and was the singles runner-up at the 1997 Australian Open. In 2004, he helped his country win the Davis Cup. He currently resides in Switzerland...
, 4–6, 7–5, 6–3, 3–6, 7–5. He also won his first Masters title at the 2001 Rome Masters
2001 Rome Masters
The 2001 Rome Masters was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 58th edition of the Rome Masters and was part of the Tennis Masters Series of the 2001 ATP Tour and of Tier I of the 2001 WTA Tour. Both the men's and women's events took place at the Foro Italico in Rome in Italy...
, where he defeated Gustavo Kuerten
Gustavo Kuerten
Gustavo Kuerten is a retired former World No. 1 tennis player from Brazil. He won the French Open three times between 1997 and 2001, and was the Tennis Masters Cup champion in 2000...
, 3–6, 6–1, 2–6, 6–4, 6–2, his first win over a world no. 1. He then he reached the finals of 2001 Hamburg Masters
2001 Hamburg Masters
The 2001 Hamburg Masters was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 94th edition of the Hamburg Masters and was part of the Tennis Masters Series of the 2001 ATP Tour. It took place at the Am Rothenbaum in Hamburg in Germany from May 14 through May 20, 2001.The men's field...
, losing to Albert Portas
Albert Portas
Albert Portas Soy is a former professional tennis player.-Career:Portas turned professional in 1994...
, 6–4, 2–6, 6–0, 6–7, 5–7, and then he reached the semifinals at the French Open for the second consecutive year, losing again to the no. 1 seed, defending champion, and eventual champion Gustavo Kuerten
Gustavo Kuerten
Gustavo Kuerten is a retired former World No. 1 tennis player from Brazil. He won the French Open three times between 1997 and 2001, and was the Tennis Masters Cup champion in 2000...
. Ferrero also reached the finals in Gstaad, losing to Jiří Novák
Jirí Novák
Jiří Novák is a former Czech tennis player, who was born in Zlín, Czechoslovakia but resides nowadays in Monte Carlo, Monaco.-Career:Novák turned professional in 1993 and won 7 singles and 18 doubles titles during his career, winning $7,614,063 in prize money. For six years, he was the...
, 6–1, 6–7, 7–5, and the semifinals of the 2001 Tennis Masters Cup
2001 Tennis Masters Cup
The 2001 Tennis Masters Cup was a tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It was the 32nd edition of the year-end singles championships and was part of the 2001 ATP Tour. The tournament was held at the Sydney Superdome in Sydney, Australia from 12 November through 18 November 2001...
, losing to eventual champion Lleyton Hewitt
Lleyton Hewitt
Lleyton Glynn Hewitt born 24 February 1981) is an Australian professional tennis player and former world no. 1.In 2000, Hewitt had won ATP titles on all three major surfaces and reached one final on carpet. By 2001, he became the youngest male ever to be ranked no. 1 at the age of 20...
, 4–6, 3–6, and finished the year ranked world no. 5.
In 2002, Ferrero missed the Australian Open due to bursitis in his right knee. He also made a bad start, having a record of 7–8 up until the 2002 Monte Carlo Masters
2002 Monte Carlo Masters
The 2002 Monte Carlo Masters was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 96th edition of the Monte Carlo Masters and was part of the Tennis Masters Series of the 2002 ATP Tour. It took place at the Monte Carlo Country Club in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin in France from April 15...
, where he defeated Carlos Moyá
Carlos Moyá
Carlos Moya Llompart is a retired former world no. 1 tennis player from Spain. He was the French Open singles champion in 1998 and was the singles runner-up at the 1997 Australian Open. In 2004, he helped his country win the Davis Cup. He currently resides in Switzerland...
in straight sets, 7–5, 6–3, 6–4, in the finals to win the title. He was, however, unsuccessful in defending his Rome title, losing to Ivan Ljubičić
Ivan Ljubicic
----Ivan Ljubičić is a Croatian tennis player born in Bosnia and Herzegovina . His career-high ATP ranking to date has been no. 3, and he stands at no. 37....
in the second round. However, at the 2002 French Open
2002 French Open
The 2002 French Open was the second Grand Slam event of 2002 and the 101st edition of the French Open. It took place at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France, from late May through early June, 2002.-Men's singles:...
, Ferrero reached his first Grand Slam final. However, despite being the strong favourite, he lost to compatriot Albert Costa
Albert Costa
Albert Costa i Casals is a former professional tennis player from Spain. He is best remembered for winning the men's singles title at the French Open in 2002.-Tennis career:...
, 1–6, 0–6, 6–4, 3–6. His foot was injured during the tournament, and he played through, taking a lot of cortisone shots. He then reached the finals at Kitzbühel, losing to Àlex Corretja
Àlex Corretja
Àlex Corretja i Verdegay is a former professional tennis player from Spain. During his career, he finished runner-up twice at the French Open . He won the ATP Tour World Championships in 1998 and reached his career-high singles ranking of world no. 2 in 1999...
, 4–6, 1–6, 3–6. He then lost in the semifinals in the 2002 Cincinnati Masters
2002 Cincinnati Masters
The 2002 Western & Southern Financial Group Masters was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 101st edition of the Cincinnati Masters and was part of the Tennis Masters Series of the 2002 ATP Tour...
, losing to eventual champion Carlos Moyá
Carlos Moyá
Carlos Moya Llompart is a retired former world no. 1 tennis player from Spain. He was the French Open singles champion in 1998 and was the singles runner-up at the 1997 Australian Open. In 2004, he helped his country win the Davis Cup. He currently resides in Switzerland...
, 3–6, 4–6. He the won his second title of the year in Hong Kong, avenging his lost to Carlos Moyá
Carlos Moyá
Carlos Moya Llompart is a retired former world no. 1 tennis player from Spain. He was the French Open singles champion in 1998 and was the singles runner-up at the 1997 Australian Open. In 2004, he helped his country win the Davis Cup. He currently resides in Switzerland...
by beating him in th finals, 6–3, 1–6, 7–6. He reached the finals of the 2002 Tennis Masters Cup
2002 Tennis Masters Cup
The 2002 Tennis Masters Cup was a tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It was the 33rd edition of the year-end singles championships and was part of the 2002 ATP Tour. It took place at the Shanghai New International Expo Center in Shanghai in the People's Republic of China from November...
, losing once again to Lleyton Hewitt
Lleyton Hewitt
Lleyton Glynn Hewitt born 24 February 1981) is an Australian professional tennis player and former world no. 1.In 2000, Hewitt had won ATP titles on all three major surfaces and reached one final on carpet. By 2001, he became the youngest male ever to be ranked no. 1 at the age of 20...
, 5–7, 5–7, 6–2, 6–2, 4–6. This result saw the Spaniard finish the year ranked world no. 4.
In 2003, Ferrero started the year by reaching the finals in Sydney, losing to Hyung-Taik Lee, 6–4, 6–7, 6–7. He then reached the quarterfinals of the 2003 Australian Open
2003 Australian Open
The 2003 Australian Open was a tennis tournament held in 2003. It was the first Grand Slam event of the 2003 ATP Tour and the 2003 WTA Tour. It was the 91st edition of the event.-Men's Singles: Andre Agassi def...
, losing to Wayne Ferreira
Wayne Ferreira
Wayne Richard Ferreira is a former tennis player from South Africa. He attended Parktown Boys' High School....
, 6–7, 6–7, 1–6. He won his first title of the year at the 2003 Monte Carlo Masters
2003 Monte Carlo Masters
The 2003 Monte Carlo Masters was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 97th edition of the Monte Carlo Masters and was part of the Tennis Masters Series of the 2003 ATP Tour...
, which he defended by defeating Guillermo Coria
Guillermo Coria
Guillermo Sebastián Coria , nicknames include El Mago , is a retired professional tennis player from Argentina who was runner-up in the 2004 French Open...
, 6–2, 6–2. In his next four tournaments, he reached the semifinals in Barcelona, losing to Marat Safin
Marat Safin
Marat Mikhailovich Safin is a retired Russian tennis player of Tatar descent. Safin won two grand slams and reached the world number 1 ranking during his career. He was also famous for his emotional outbursts and sometimes fiery temper on court. Safin also holds the record for most broken...
, 4–6, 3–6, and the semifinals at the 2003 Rome Masters, losing to Roger Federer
Roger Federer
Roger Federer is a Swiss professional tennis player who held the ATP no. 1 position for a record 237 consecutive weeks, and 285 weeks overall. As of 28 November 2011, he is ranked World No. 3 by the Association of Tennis Professionals . Federer has won a men's record 16 Grand Slam singles titles...
, 4–6, 2–4 RET. He also won the 2003 Open de Tenis Comunidad Valenciana
2003 Open de Tenis Comunidad Valenciana
The 2003 CAM Open Comunidad Valenciana was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts in Valencia in Spain and was part of the International Series of the 2003 ATP Tour...
, defeating Christophe Rochus
Christophe Rochus
Christophe Rochus is a retired professional male tennis player from Belgium.Rochus is the older brother of Olivier Rochus, also a tennis player who has been slightly more successful than Christophe. He reached the singles finals of two ATP tournaments: Valencia and Rotterdam but lost them both...
, 6–2, 6–4, without losing a set. He then won his first Grand Slam at the 2003 French Open
2003 French Open
The 2003 French Open was the second Grand Slam event of 2003 and the 102nd edition of the French Open. It took place at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France, from May 26 through June 8, 2003.-Men's singles:...
, defeating Martin Verkerk
Martin Verkerk
Martin Willem Verkerk is a retired Dutch tennis player. As a relatively unknown player, he had a brilliant run at the French Open in 2003, reaching the final before losing to Spaniard Juan Carlos Ferrero...
, 6–1, 6–3, 6–2, in the finals. He then reached the 4th Round of Wimbledon losing to Sébastien Grosjean
Sébastien Grosjean
Sébastien René Grosjean is a retired tennis player from France. His career-high ATP Entry ranking is No. 4 . He retired from tennis on May 27, 2010.-Career:...
2–6, 6–4, 6–7, 6–7. He also went on to reach the final of the 2003 US Open, eliminating former world no. 1s and former US Open champions Lleyton Hewitt
Lleyton Hewitt
Lleyton Glynn Hewitt born 24 February 1981) is an Australian professional tennis player and former world no. 1.In 2000, Hewitt had won ATP titles on all three major surfaces and reached one final on carpet. By 2001, he became the youngest male ever to be ranked no. 1 at the age of 20...
and Andre Agassi
Andre Agassi
Andre Kirk Agassi is a retired American professional tennis player and former world no. 1. Generally considered by critics and fellow players to be one of the greatest tennis players of all time, Agassi has been called the best service returner in the history of the game...
, before losing to Andy Roddick
Andy Roddick
Andrew Stephen "Andy" Roddick is an American professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. He is currently the second highest-ranked American player, behind Mardy Fish....
, 3–6, 6–7, 3–6, in the final. This result saw Ferrero take the no. 1 spot from Agassi. He then competed in Bangkok for the first time as world no. 1, losing to Taylor Dent
Taylor Dent
Taylor Phillip Dent is a retired professional tennis player from the United States.-Early career and back injury:He won 4 ATP singles titles during his career: Newport , Bangkok , Memphis , and Moscow , and reached the finals of three other events on tour...
in the finals, 3–6, 6–7. He took his next title in the Madrid, his first hard-court Masters title, by defeating Nicolás Massú
Nicolás Massú
Nicolás Alejandro Massú Fried , nicknamed Vampiro , is a Chilean tennis player, a former world number nine in singles, and a two-time Olympic gold medalist...
, 6–3, 6–4, 6–3, in the finals. He was presented with a "National Sportsman of the Year" award from King Juan Carlos. He ended the year ranked world no. 3, behind only Andy Roddick
Andy Roddick
Andrew Stephen "Andy" Roddick is an American professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. He is currently the second highest-ranked American player, behind Mardy Fish....
and Roger Federer
Roger Federer
Roger Federer is a Swiss professional tennis player who held the ATP no. 1 position for a record 237 consecutive weeks, and 285 weeks overall. As of 28 November 2011, he is ranked World No. 3 by the Association of Tennis Professionals . Federer has won a men's record 16 Grand Slam singles titles...
.
2004–2008
Injuries, however, began to plague Ferrero throughout 2004, and his ranking and form dipped. Despite making the Australian Open semifinals early in the year (losing to Roger FedererRoger Federer
Roger Federer is a Swiss professional tennis player who held the ATP no. 1 position for a record 237 consecutive weeks, and 285 weeks overall. As of 28 November 2011, he is ranked World No. 3 by the Association of Tennis Professionals . Federer has won a men's record 16 Grand Slam singles titles...
), 4–6, 1–6, 4–6, and the finals of 2004 ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament
2004 ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament
The 2004 ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament was a tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts at the Ahoy Rotterdam in Rotterdam in the Netherlands and was part of the International Series Gold of the 2004 ATP Tour. The tournament ran from February 16 through February 22, 2004.The singles line up...
, losing to Lleyton Hewitt
Lleyton Hewitt
Lleyton Glynn Hewitt born 24 February 1981) is an Australian professional tennis player and former world no. 1.In 2000, Hewitt had won ATP titles on all three major surfaces and reached one final on carpet. By 2001, he became the youngest male ever to be ranked no. 1 at the age of 20...
, 7–6, 5–7, 4–6, chicken pox kept him out for the entire month of March. After a first-round loss in Monte Carlo in April, he required another month out for rest and recuperation. On 8 May, Ferrero fell during a practice session, injuring his ribs and his right wrist and went into the defence of his French Open crown under-prepared. He lost in the second round to Igor Andreev
Igor Andreev
Igor Valerievich Andreev is a Russian professional tennis player, born in Moscow.-2003:Andreev made his ATP debut in September 2003 at Bucharest, Romania as a qualifier and defeated top seed Nikolay Davydenko 7–5, 6–7, 6–0 in the first round, before losing in the next round to José Acasuso.At the...
and continued to struggle for the rest of the year, finishing outside the world's top 30 for the first time in five years.
Ferrero looked fresher and healthier in 2005 and began to climb back up towards the top echelons of the game. He reached the semifinals of the Monte Carlo Masters, losing to Guillermo Coria
Guillermo Coria
Guillermo Sebastián Coria , nicknames include El Mago , is a retired professional tennis player from Argentina who was runner-up in the 2004 French Open...
, 2–6, 5–7, and Beijing, losing to Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal
Rafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera is a Spanish professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. , he is ranked No. 2 by the Association of Tennis Professionals...
, 4–6, 4–6. He reached the finals of the Open Seat Godo in Barcelona to Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal
Rafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera is a Spanish professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. , he is ranked No. 2 by the Association of Tennis Professionals...
, 1–6, 6–7, 3–6, in April, as well as the finals of Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, where he lost to Ivan Ljubičić
Ivan Ljubicic
----Ivan Ljubičić is a Croatian tennis player born in Bosnia and Herzegovina . His career-high ATP ranking to date has been no. 3, and he stands at no. 37....
. 2–6, 4–6, 6–7. He ended 2005 ranked world no. 17.
Carlos Moyá
Carlos Moya Llompart is a retired former world no. 1 tennis player from Spain. He was the French Open singles champion in 1998 and was the singles runner-up at the 1997 Australian Open. In 2004, he helped his country win the Davis Cup. He currently resides in Switzerland...
, 6–3, 6–7, 4–6, and one final in Cincinnati. During the 2006 Western & Southern Financial Group Masters event in Cincinnati, Ferrero notched his first top-10 win of 2006 with a 6–2, 6–4 win over US no. 1 and world no. 5 player James Blake
James Blake
James Riley Blake is an American professional tennis player. Blake is known for his speed and powerful, flat forehand. As of August 2011, Blake is ranked no. 63 among active male players with 24 career finals appearances...
. A few days later, Ferrero defeated world no. 2 Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal
Rafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera is a Spanish professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. , he is ranked No. 2 by the Association of Tennis Professionals...
, 7–6, 7–6, and then world no. 7 Tommy Robredo
Tommy Robredo
Tommy Robredo Garcés is a Spanish professional tennis player. On 8 May 2006, he broke into the world's top ten for the first time. His highest singles ranking to date is No...
, 6–3, 6–4, to move into the final of an ATP Masters Series
ATP Masters Series
The ATP Masters Series was a series of nine tennis tournaments that formed part of the Association of Tennis Professionals tour, held annually throughout the year in Europe, North America...
event for the first time since 2003. In the final, Ferrero lost to Andy Roddick
Andy Roddick
Andrew Stephen "Andy" Roddick is an American professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. He is currently the second highest-ranked American player, behind Mardy Fish....
, 3-6, 4-6. He ended the year ranked no. 23.
In 2007, Ferrero reached the final of the Brasil Open
Brasil Open
The Brasil Open is a tennis tournament held annually in Costa do Sauípe, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. A part of the ATP World Tour 250 series, it is currently the main event in the Brazilian tennis calendar. Since 2004, it has been a part of the South American clay court circuit but was held on hard...
, where he lost to Guillermo Cañas
Guillermo Cañas
Guillermo Ignacio Cañas , often referred to as Willy Cañas, is a retired Argentine professional tennis player. He was born in Argentina's capital, Buenos Aires, and named after Argentine tennis star Guillermo Vilas. His highest singles ranking was 8th . After retirement Cañas took on coaching, he...
, 6–7, 2–6. He reached the semifinals of the Abierto Mexicano TELCEL
Abierto Mexicano Telcel
The Abierto Mexicano Telcel is a tennis tournament held in Acapulco, Mexico. It is an event on both the ATP Tour and the WTA Tour...
tournament in Acapulco, Mexico, where he lost to Carlos Moyà
Carlos Moyá
Carlos Moya Llompart is a retired former world no. 1 tennis player from Spain. He was the French Open singles champion in 1998 and was the singles runner-up at the 1997 Australian Open. In 2004, he helped his country win the Davis Cup. He currently resides in Switzerland...
, 6–2, 2–6, 3–6, the semifinals of the 2007 Monte Carlo Masters
2007 Monte Carlo Masters
The 2007 Monte Carlo Masters was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 101st edition of the Monte Carlo Masters and was part of the ATP Masters Series of the 2007 ATP Tour. It took place at the Monte Carlo Country Club from April 14 through April 22, 2007.-Review:Rafael...
, losing to Roger Federer
Roger Federer
Roger Federer is a Swiss professional tennis player who held the ATP no. 1 position for a record 237 consecutive weeks, and 285 weeks overall. As of 28 November 2011, he is ranked World No. 3 by the Association of Tennis Professionals . Federer has won a men's record 16 Grand Slam singles titles...
, 3–6, 4–6, and the semifinals in Vienna, where he lost to Stanislas Wawrinka
Stanislas Wawrinka
Stanislas Wawrinka is a Swiss professional tennis player. He also holds German citizenship as his father is German. His career ranking high is no. 9, achieved on 9 June 2008. He considers clay his best surface and his backhand his best shot...
, 5–7, 1–6. At the Australian Open, Ferrero lost in the second round to Danai Udomchoke
Danai Udomchoke
Danai Udomchoke is a professional tennis player from Thailand. He was born in Bangkok, where he still resides.Udomchoke turned professional in 1997, and is coached by Jan Stoce. He is sponsored by Dunlop Sport for his racquets and apparel. His career-best ranking is World No...
of Thailand. He was eliminated during the round-robin portion of the Copa Telemex
ATP Buenos Aires
The ATP Buenos Aires is an annual tennis event for male tennis players held in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The tournament is an ATP World Tour 250 series event on the Association of Tennis Professionals tour and it is played on outdoor clay courts at the 5,500 capacity Buenos Aires Lawn Tennis Club,...
tournament in Buenos Aires, Argentina and the first round of the Heineken Open
Heineken Open (tennis)
The Heineken Open is a tennis tournament on the ATP International Series played in Auckland, New Zealand. It was also a combined mens and womens tournament until 1981.-History:...
in Auckland, New Zealand. He managed to reach the quarterfinals at Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon , is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, considered by many to be the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London since 1877. It is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the other three Majors...
, losing 7–6, 3–6, 6–1, 6–3 to Roger Federer
Roger Federer
Roger Federer is a Swiss professional tennis player who held the ATP no. 1 position for a record 237 consecutive weeks, and 285 weeks overall. As of 28 November 2011, he is ranked World No. 3 by the Association of Tennis Professionals . Federer has won a men's record 16 Grand Slam singles titles...
. Ferrero could not reproduced his 2003 form at the 2007 year French Open, losing in the third round to Mikhail Youzhny
Mikhail Youzhny
Mikhail Mikhailovich Youzhny , is a professional Russian tennis player, noted for his consistency and all-court play style. He has been coached by Boris Sobkin for 17 years....
, 6–7, 7–6, 6–2, 6–2. He lost at the 2007 US Open to Feliciano López
Feliciano López
Feliciano López Diaz-Guerra is a Spanish professional male tennis player. He was born in Toledo and now lives in the Spanish capital Madrid....
in the first round. He ended the year ranked no. 24.
Ferrero started 2008 by reaching the final of the Heineken Open
Heineken Open (tennis)
The Heineken Open is a tennis tournament on the ATP International Series played in Auckland, New Zealand. It was also a combined mens and womens tournament until 1981.-History:...
in Auckland, New Zealand and defeating David Nalbandian
David Nalbandian
David Pablo Nalbandian is an Argentine professional tennis player and former world no. 3. He was runner-up at the 2002 Wimbledon Championships and the winner of the Tennis Masters Cup in 2005.-Biography:...
, 6–1, 6–2, 6–3 to advance to the fourth round of the Australian Open
2008 Australian Open
The 2008 Australian Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 96th edition of the Australian Open, and the first Grand Slam event of the year. It took place at the Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia, from 14 through 27 January 2008.After twenty years of playing on...
. After the Australian Open, Ferrero suffered early losses to Nicolas Mahut
Nicolas Mahut
Nicolas Pierre Armand Mahut is a French tennis player. Mahut is right-handed and has previously won the Orange Bowl in 1999, becoming professional in 2000. He is a good serve and volleyer and a doubles expert, having won many tournaments with his doubles partner Julien Benneteau. His career high...
at the Open 13
2008 Open 13
The 2008 Open 13 was a tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It was the 16th edition of the Open 13, and was part of the International Series of the 2008 ATP Tour. It took place at the Palais des Sports in Marseille, France, from February 11 through February 17, 2008.The field featured...
in Marseille
Marseille
Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...
and at the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament
2008 ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament
The 2008 ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament was a tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It was the 36th edition of the event known that year as the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament, and was part of the ATP International Series Gold of the 2008 ATP Tour...
in Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
to Teymuraz Gabashvili. Following these two losses, Ferrero lost to Andy Roddick
Andy Roddick
Andrew Stephen "Andy" Roddick is an American professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. He is currently the second highest-ranked American player, behind Mardy Fish....
in Dubai, 6–2, 6–4. He made a fourth-round appearance at the Pacific Life Open
2008 Indian Wells Masters
The 2008 Indian Wells Masters was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 32nd edition of the Indian Wells Masters, and was part of the ATP Masters Series of the 2008 ATP Tour, and of the Tier I Series of the 2008 WTA Tour...
, but Nalbandian defeated him, 2-6, 2-6. At the Sony Ericsson Open
2008 Miami Masters
The 2008 Miami Masters was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 24th edition of the Miami Masters, and was part of the ATP Masters Series of the 2008 ATP Tour, and of the Tier I Series of the 2008 WTA Tour...
, Ferrero lost to Tomáš Berdych
Tomáš Berdych
Tomáš Berdych is a professional tennis player from the Czech Republic. His most notable achievements are reaching the final of the 2010 Wimbledon Championships, and the semifinals of the 2010 French Open. He defeated the Croatian player Ivan Ljubičić in five sets to win the Paris Masters in 2005...
in the third round. He lost to Marat Safin
Marat Safin
Marat Mikhailovich Safin is a retired Russian tennis player of Tatar descent. Safin won two grand slams and reached the world number 1 ranking during his career. He was also famous for his emotional outbursts and sometimes fiery temper on court. Safin also holds the record for most broken...
in three sets at the Open de Tenis Comunidad Valenciana
2008 Open de Tenis Comunidad Valenciana
The 2008 Open de Tenis Comunidad Valenciana was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 13th edition of the Open de Tenis Comunidad Valenciana, and was part of the International Series of the 2008 ATP Tour. It took place at the Club de Tenis Valencia in Valencia, Spain, from...
in the first round. At the Monte Carlo Masters
2008 Monte Carlo Masters
The 2008 Masters Series Monte-Carlo was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 102nd edition of the Monte Carlo Masters, and was part of the ATP Masters Series of the 2008 ATP Tour...
, showings still were mediocre for the Spaniard, as he lost to Rafael Nadal, 4-6, 1-6.
However, Ferrero displayed excellent form at the 2008 Rome Masters
2008 Rome Masters
The 2008 Rome Masters was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 65th edition of the Rome Masters, and was part of the ATP Masters Series of the 2008 ATP Tour, and of the Tier I Series of the 2008 WTA Tour...
, beating Nicolas Kiefer
Nicolas Kiefer
Nicolas Kiefer , is a former German professional tennis player. His mother, Nicole, is French. He won a silver medal in men's doubles with partner Rainer Schüttler at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens....
, 6–7, 6–3, 6–4, and then stunning world no. 2 Nadal. Ferrero had lost at Monte Carlo to Nadal two weeks earlier, and Nadal had won 17 successive matches on the Roman
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
tennis courts. However, Ferrero triumphed over him, 7–5, 6–1. However, he lost to Stanislas Wawrinka
Stanislas Wawrinka
Stanislas Wawrinka is a Swiss professional tennis player. He also holds German citizenship as his father is German. His career ranking high is no. 9, achieved on 9 June 2008. He considers clay his best surface and his backhand his best shot...
in the following round, 4–6, 3–6. He then competed in the 2008 French Open
2008 French Open
The 2008 French Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 107th edition of the French Open, and the second Grand Slam event of the year. It took place at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France, from May 25 through June 8, 2008....
, retiring in the first round due to a leg injury against Marcos Daniel
Marcos Daniel
Marcos Diniz Daniel is a professional tennis player from Brazil who turned professional in 1997. The right-hander reached his highest singles ATP-ranking on September 14, 2009, when he became World No. 56...
after winning the first set 7–6, 2–2 RET. He then competed at Wimbledon, retiring in the second round against Mischa Zverev
Mischa Zverev
Mikhail "Mischa" Zverev is a German professional tennis player. He is the son of former Russian tennis player Alexander Zverev, who is also his coach. He now resides in Monte-Carlo, Monaco and represents Germany internationally...
, 4–6, 4–6, 1–2 RET, due to a hamstring injury. He then missed the next three months with a shoulder injury. He returned with a quarterfinal appearance at the 2008 China Open
2008 China Open (tennis)
The 2008 China Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 10th edition of the China Open, and was part of the International Series of the 2008 ATP Tour, and of the Tier II Series of the 2008 WTA Tour...
, losing to eventual champion Andy Roddick
Andy Roddick
Andrew Stephen "Andy" Roddick is an American professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. He is currently the second highest-ranked American player, behind Mardy Fish....
. His next tournaments were in Vienna, a second-round loss to Jürgen Melzer
Jürgen Melzer
Jürgen Melzer is an Austrian tennis player. He reached a career-high ranking of no. 8 on 18 April 2011, and a doubles ranking of no. 6 on 13 September 2010. He is the only current player on the ATP Tour to be ranked in the top 10 in both singles and doubles. He is a left-handed tennis player, but...
and a quarterfinals appearance at Lyon, losing to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. He ended the year ranked no. 55, his lowest year-end ranking since 1998.
2009
Ferrero started the year with early losses in the 2009 Brisbane International2009 Brisbane International
The 2009 Brisbane International was a professional tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the first edition of the event known as the Brisbane International and resulted from the merger of the Next Generation Adelaide International on the men's tour with the Mondial Australian...
, the 2009 Heineken Open
2009 Heineken Open
The 2009 Heineken Open is a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It is the 34th edition of the Heineken Open, and part of the ATP World Tour 250 series of the 2009 ATP Tour...
, and the 2009 Australian Open
2009 Australian Open
The 2009 Australian Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 97th edition of the Australian Open, and the first Grand Slam event of the year. It took place at the Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia, from 19 January through 1 February 2009. The 2009 men's...
which made him drop out of the top 100 at 101 for the first time in almost 10 years. He, however, reached the quarterfinals of the 2009 Brasil Open
2009 Brasil Open
The 2009 Brasil Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 9th edition of the Brasil Open, and was part of the ATP World Tour 250 series of the 2009 ATP Tour. It took place in Costa do Sauípe, Brazil, from February 9 through February 14, 2008.The singles line up was led...
, losing to Thomaz Bellucci
Thomaz Bellucci
Thomaz Cocchiarali Bellucci , a professional tennis player, is the top ranked Brazilian tennis player. He achieved a career high ranking of #21 on July 26, 2010....
, 6–7, 6–1, 3–6, and of the 2009 Copa Telmex
2009 Copa Telmex
The 2009 Copa Telmex was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 12th edition of the Copa Telmex, and was part of the International Series of the 2009 ATP Tour. It took place in Buenos Aires, Argentina, from February 16 through February 22, 2009.The singles line up is led by...
, losing to David Nalbandian
David Nalbandian
David Pablo Nalbandian is an Argentine professional tennis player and former world no. 3. He was runner-up at the 2002 Wimbledon Championships and the winner of the Tennis Masters Cup in 2005.-Biography:...
, 3–6, 0–3 RET.
In March 2009, Ferrero captured his first singles title since 2003 by defeating fifth-seeded Florent Serra
Florent Serra
Florent Lucien Serra is a French male tennis player. A right-hander, he has won two ATP titles during his career and is coached by Pierre Cherret.-Early life and junior career:...
, 6–4, 7–5, in the final of the 2009 Grand Prix Hassan II
2009 Grand Prix Hassan II
The 2009 Grand Prix Hassan II was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 25th edition of the Grand Prix Hassan II, and was an ATP Tour World 250 event on the 2009 ATP World Tour. It took place at the Complexe Al Amal in Casablanca, Morocco, from April 6 through April 12,...
in Casablanca, Morocco. He, however, had early losses in rest of the clay-court season. He lost in first round of the 2009 Barcelona Open Banco Sabadell
2009 Barcelona Open Banco Sabadell
The 2009 Barcelona Open Banco Sabadell was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 57th edition of the event known that year as the Barcelona Open Banco Sabadell, and was part of the ATP World Tour 500 series of the 2009 ATP World Tour...
, failed to qualify in Rome, and suffered second-round losses in 2009 Estoril Open
2009 Estoril Open
The 2009 Estoril Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 20th edition of the Estoril Open, and was part of the ATP World Tour 250 series of the 2009 ATP World Tour, and of the International-level tournaments of the 2009 WTA Tour...
, 2009 Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open
2009 Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open
The 2009 Madrid Masters is a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It is the 8th edition of the event on the ATP and 1st on the WTA. It is classified as an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event on the 2009 ATP World Tour and a Premier Mandatory event on the 2009 WTA Tour...
, and the 2009 French Open
2009 French Open
The 2009 French Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 108th edition of the French Open, and the second Grand Slam event of the year...
.
However, Ferrero's resurgence came on the grass courts, as he reached the semifinals of the 2009 AEGON Championships
2009 AEGON Championships
The 2009 AEGON Championships was a tennis tournament played on outdoor grass courts. It was the 38th edition of the event known that year as the AEGON Championships, and was part of the ATP World Tour 250 series of the 2009 ATP World Tour...
, losing to Andy Murray, 2–6, 4–6, and the quarterfinals at Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon , is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, considered by many to be the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London since 1877. It is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the other three Majors...
, defeating tenth seed Fernando González
Fernando González
----Fernando Francisco González Ciuffardi is a professional tennis player from Chile. He is known for having one of the hardest forehands on the circuit. In Spanish he is called El Bombardero de La Reina and Mano de Piedra...
in the third round, 4–6, 7–5, 6–4, 4–6, 6–4, in a match that lasted about 3 hours, and seventh seed Gilles Simon
Gilles Simon
Gilles Simon is a French professional tennis player and former world no. 6. He is a nine-time winner on the ATP World Tour...
in the fourth round, 7–6, 6–3, 6–2, before losing to Andy Murray, 5–7, 3–6, 2–6. These performances saw him climb from 90 to 37 in a month. He then reached the finals of the 2009 ATP Studena Croatia Open Umag
2009 ATP Studena Croatia Open Umag
The 2009 ATP Studena Croatia Open Umag was a tennis tournament played on outdoor red clay courts. It was the 19th edition of the event known that year as the ATP Studena Croatia Open Umag and was part of the ATP World Tour 250 series of the 2009 ATP World Tour...
, losing to Nikolay Davydenko
Nikolay Davydenko
Nikolay Vladimirovich Davydenko is a Ukrainian-Russian tennis player. Davydenko's best result in a Grand Slam tournament has been reaching the semifinals, which he has done on four occasions: twice each at the French Open and the U.S. Open. His biggest achievement to date was winning the 2009 ATP...
, 3–6, 0–6. At the Legg Mason Tennis Classic
Legg Mason Tennis Classic
The Legg Mason Tennis Classic is an annual late-summer men's tennis tournament played in Washington, D.C. as part of the ATP Tour. It was first held in 1969. It was later known as the Sovran Bank Classic. . Originally an event of the Grand Prix Tennis Tour and part of the Grand Prix Championship...
, Ferrero advanced to the third round, before losing to Tommy Haas
Tommy Haas
Tommy Haas is a German and recently naturalized American professional tennis player. He has competed on the ATP Tour since 1996. After breaking into the world top 100 in 1997, and reaching a career-high ranking of world no...
, 7–5, 2–6, 6–1, after beating Tommy Robredo
Tommy Robredo
Tommy Robredo Garcés is a Spanish professional tennis player. On 8 May 2006, he broke into the world's top ten for the first time. His highest singles ranking to date is No...
, 6–3, 6–2.
He then competed at the 2009 Rogers Cup
2009 Rogers Cup
The 2009 Canada Masters was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 120th edition of the Canada Masters, and was part of the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 of the 2009 ATP World Tour, and of the Premier 5 of the 2009 WTA Tour...
, where he needed to qualify to compete in the main draw despite his high ranking. He defeated Lleyton Hewitt
Lleyton Hewitt
Lleyton Glynn Hewitt born 24 February 1981) is an Australian professional tennis player and former world no. 1.In 2000, Hewitt had won ATP titles on all three major surfaces and reached one final on carpet. By 2001, he became the youngest male ever to be ranked no. 1 at the age of 20...
in the first round, 6–1, 6–4, ending Hewitt's three-match win streak against him. He then defeated 13th seed Gaël Monfils
Gaël Monfils
Gaël Sébastien Monfils is a French professional tennis player. he was the highest-ranked French tennis player, ranked no. 7 in the world ATP rankings. He was the runner-up at the Paris Masters in 2009 and 2010 and a semifinalist at the 2008 French Open.-2002:In 2002, Monfils finished 24th at the...
, 6–3, 7–6 in the pair's first meeting, before losing to Andy Murray once again, 1-6, 3-6. He then lost in the first round of the 2009 Cincinnati Masters to Marin Čilić
Marin Cilic
Marin Čilić , is a Croatian professional tennis player. His career high ATP ranking is no. 9, achieved on 22 February 2010, following his best-ever performance at a Grand Slam, reaching the semi-finals in the 2010 Australian Open...
, 3-6, 4-6. At the US Open
2009 US Open (tennis)
The 2009 US Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts, held from August 31 to September 14, 2009 in the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center at Flushing Meadows, New York City, United States. Originally, it was scheduled to end with the mens' singles final match on Sunday,...
, he defeated Fabrice Santoro
Fabrice Santoro
Fabrice Vetea Santoro is a retired French professional male tennis player from Tahiti. Though not counted among the top ranked players, he had an unusually long professional career – with many of his accomplishments coming toward the end of his career – and he is popular among spectators and other...
in Santoro's last US Open match in the first round. In the second round against Philipp Petzschner
Philipp Petzschner
Philipp Petzschner is a professional German tennis player. He is known for his hard-hitting and incredible bursts of speed around the court, and now for controversy in the US Open Men's Doubles Final which he won partnered with Jurgen Melzer against the Polish team of Fystenberg/Matkowski...
, Ferrero mounted a remarkable comeback from two sets down for the third time in his career to win 1–6, 3–6, 6–4, 6–2, 6–4. He then went on to defeat no. 9 seed Gilles Simon
Gilles Simon
Gilles Simon is a French professional tennis player and former world no. 6. He is a nine-time winner on the ATP World Tour...
, 1–6, 6–4, 7–6, 1–0 ret, but was defeated in the fourth round by Juan Martín del Potro
Juan Martin Del Potro
Juan Martín del Potro is an Argentine professional tennis player. Del Potro achieved a top-10 ranking by the Association of Tennis Professionals for the first time on October 6, 2008. In January 2010, he reached a career-high ranking of world no. 4...
. Ferrero climbed impressively into the top 20, having been ranked 115 just 5 months before. In his first tournament after the US Open at the 2009 China Open
2009 China Open (tennis)
The 2009 China Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 11th edition of the China Open, and was part of the ATP 500 Series of the 2009 ATP Tour, and of the Premier Series of the 2009 WTA Tour...
, he lost to Fernando Verdasco
Fernando Verdasco
Fernando Verdasco Carmona is a professional tennis player. He is currently ranked no. 22 in the world. Verdasco started playing tennis at four years of age and had a full-time coach when he was eight...
, 7–5 6–4, in the second round, after defeating Nicolás Almagro
Nicolás Almagro
Nicolas Almagro Sanchez Rolle is a professional Spanish tennis player, ranked 10 on the ATP World Tour.-2005:...
, 7–5, 7–6. He then competed in the 2009 Shanghai ATP Masters 1000
2009 Shanghai ATP Masters 1000
The 2009 Shanghai ATP Masters 1000 was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 1st edition of the Shanghai ATP Masters 1000, and was classified as an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event on the 2009 ATP World Tour...
, where he missed being seeded by one rank. He was crushed in the first round by 13th seed Radek Štěpánek
Radek Štepánek
Radek Štěpánek is a professional tennis player from the Czech Republic.-Career:Štěpánek turned professional in 1997. He started on tour as a doubles specialist, winning 12 ATP titles. Since 2002, Štěpánek has focused on being a better singles player while still playing top-level doubles...
, 6–3 6–0, winning only 7 points in the second set. He then lost in the first round of the 2009 If Stockholm Open
2009 If Stockholm Open
The 2009 If Stockholm Open was a tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It was the 41st edition of the event known that year as the If Stockholm Open, and was part of the ATP World Tour 250 Series of the 2009 ATP World Tour...
to Marcos Baghdatis
Marcos Baghdatis
At the French Open, Baghdatis lost in the second round in five sets to Frenchman Julien Benneteau, 6-3, 4-6, 3-6, 7-6, 4-6.At Wimbledon, Baghdatis defeated British player Andy Murray in the fourth round in straight sets. In the quarterfinals, Baghdatis beat the 2002 champion and former world no. 1...
, 4-6, 2-6. He then competed in the 2009 Valencia Open 500
2009 Valencia Open 500
The 2009 Valencia Open 500 was a tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It was the 15th edition of the Open de Tenis Comunidad Valenciana, and was part of the 500 Series of the 2009 ATP Tour...
. However, he lost to Pablo Cuevas
Pablo Cuevas
Pablo Gabriel Cuevas Urroz is a Uruguayan professional tennis player. Cuevas won the 2008 French Open Men's Doubles title with Luis Horna....
in a 3three-set battle, 2–6, 7–6, 6–3, after serving for the set at 5–3 on the second set. He ended the year at no. 23, which was 32 spots higher than the previous year and won his first title in 6 years.
2010
Ferrero had a bad start to the 2010 season. Ferrero started the year at the 2010 Heineken Open2010 Heineken Open
The 2010 Heineken Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 35th edition of the Heineken Open, and was part of the ATP World Tour 250 series of the 2010 ATP World Tour...
in Auckland, New Zealand, where he retired with and injury trailing 1–3 in the second round, after receiving a first round bye. At the Australian Open, he lost to Ivan Dodig
Ivan Dodig
Ivan Dodig is a Croatian tennis player. His career-high rank ATP singles ranking is No. 32 and his best doubles rank is No. 129.-2010:...
, after being two sets to love up and cruising to victory. His mind slipped mid-match and he got crushed during the last three sets in the match, 6–2, 6–1, 4–6, 1–6, 1–6.
Ferrero then competed in the 2010 Brasil Open
2010 Brasil Open
The 2010 Brasil Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 10th edition of the event known as the Brasil Open, and was part of the ATP World Tour 250 series of the 2010 ATP World Tour...
as the no. 1 seed. He earned his first win of the season against Eduardo Schwank
Eduardo Schwank
Eduardo Jonatan Schwank is a professional tennis player from Argentina on the ATP Tour. He is currently coached by Javier Nalbandian, the brother of David Nalbandian....
, 7–6, 6–3. He then defeated Nicolás Massú
Nicolás Massú
Nicolás Alejandro Massú Fried , nicknamed Vampiro , is a Chilean tennis player, a former world number nine in singles, and a two-time Olympic gold medalist...
, 6–2, 5–7, 6–2 (despite failing to serve out the match 5–4 in the second set), Carlos Berlocq
Carlos Berlocq
Carlos Alberto Berlocq is an Argentine professional male tennis player. He is nicknamed Charly. Berlocq's favourite surface is clay and he is currently coached by Jorge Gerosi.-Career:...
, 6–3, 6–2, in the quarterfinals, and Ricardo Mello
Ricardo Mello
Ricardo Mello is a Brazilian tennis player. His preference is for clay courts. He has had the occasional win in hard court tournaments. His best singles rank was no. 50 in 2005...
, 6–4, 6–2, in the semifinals. In the final, he crushed Łukasz Kubot, 6–1, 6–0, in 61 minutes, conceding one of his services games but in turn, breaking all of his opponent's service games.
In the 2010 Copa Telmex
2010 Copa Telmex
The 2010 Copa Telmex was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 13th edition of the Copa Telmex, and was part of the International Series of the 2010 ATP World Tour...
as the no. 2 seed, he defeated top seed David Ferrer
David Ferrer
David Ferrer Ern is a Spanish professional tennis player who lives in Valencia, Spain who is currently no. 5 in the ATP Rankings and the second-highest ranked Spaniard behind world no. 2 Rafael Nadal. He turned professional in 2000...
in the finals, 5–7, 6–4, 6–3, after defeating Juan Mónaco
Juan Mónaco
Juan Mónaco , nicknamed "Pico", is a male tennis player from Argentina. He reached a career-high ranking of World No. 14 on February 4, 2008. He is sponsored by Adidas and Yonex.-Biography:...
in the semifinals, 6–2, 7–6, Santiago Ventura
Santiago Ventura Bertomeu
Santiago Ventura is a retired tennis player from Spain. He was born in Castellón, Spain and lives in Burriana, Spain. He is a clay court specialist and is known for the considerable use of drop-shots during his matches.-Singles :...
, 6–3, 3–6, 6–2, in the quarterfinals, Marcos Daniel
Marcos Daniel
Marcos Diniz Daniel is a professional tennis player from Brazil who turned professional in 1997. The right-hander reached his highest singles ATP-ranking on September 14, 2009, when he became World No. 56...
, 6–2, 6–4, in the second round, and Ricardo Mello
Ricardo Mello
Ricardo Mello is a Brazilian tennis player. His preference is for clay courts. He has had the occasional win in hard court tournaments. His best singles rank was no. 50 in 2005...
, 6–1, 6–2, in the first round. This was his second title in a row and extended his winning streak to 10. The victory also raised his ranking to world no. 16.
At the 2010 Abierto Mexicano Telcel
2010 Abierto Mexicano Telcel
The 2010 Abierto Mexicano Telcel was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 17th edition of the Abierto Mexicano Telcel, and was part of the 500 series of the 2010 ATP World Tour, and was in the International category of tournaments on the 2010 WTA Tour...
in Acapulco, he had comfortable victories over qualifier Diego Junqueira
Diego Junqueira
Diego Junqueira is a professional tennis player who plays left-handed from Argentina...
, 6–2, 6–3, and Igor Andreev
Igor Andreev
Igor Valerievich Andreev is a Russian professional tennis player, born in Moscow.-2003:Andreev made his ATP debut in September 2003 at Bucharest, Romania as a qualifier and defeated top seed Nikolay Davydenko 7–5, 6–7, 6–0 in the first round, before losing in the next round to José Acasuso.At the...
, 6–4, 6–3. Carrying on his fiery form, he defeated defending champion Nicolás Almagro
Nicolás Almagro
Nicolas Almagro Sanchez Rolle is a professional Spanish tennis player, ranked 10 on the ATP World Tour.-2005:...
, 6–1, 5–7, 6–2, in the quarterfinals, not facing any break points in the first and third sets and being broken only once. He then defeated Juan Mónaco
Juan Mónaco
Juan Mónaco , nicknamed "Pico", is a male tennis player from Argentina. He reached a career-high ranking of World No. 14 on February 4, 2008. He is sponsored by Adidas and Yonex.-Biography:...
in the semifinals, when the Argentinian retired with an abdominal strain after losing the first set 7–5. Ferrero faced David Ferrer
David Ferrer
David Ferrer Ern is a Spanish professional tennis player who lives in Valencia, Spain who is currently no. 5 in the ATP Rankings and the second-highest ranked Spaniard behind world no. 2 Rafael Nadal. He turned professional in 2000...
in his third straight final and lost, 3–6, 6–3, 1–6. Both players admitted that Ferrero's fatigue played a major role in the final set. This ended his 14-match winning streak. Despite this loss, he rose to no. 14 in the world, the first time he was ranked that high since 11 October 2004, when he was ranked 13th.
He defeated Daniel Köllerer
Daniel Köllerer
Daniel Köllerer is a former professional tennis player from Austria who turned professional in 2002. Nicknamed "Crazy Dani" for his controversial behaviour while on court, he achieved his career-high ranking of #55 on October 19, 2009. He is serving a lifetime ban from the sport for match-fixing...
, 6–3, 6–0, in the second round of the 2010 BNP Paribas Open
2010 BNP Paribas Open
The 2010 BNP Paribas Open was a tennis tournament played at Indian Wells, California in March 2010. It was the 36th edition of the event, known this year as the BNP Paribas Open, and is classified as an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event on the 2010 ATP World Tour and a Premier Mandatory event on...
, earning his first hard-court victory of the season, losing only eight points on serve. He then faced Juan Mónaco
Juan Mónaco
Juan Mónaco , nicknamed "Pico", is a male tennis player from Argentina. He reached a career-high ranking of World No. 14 on February 4, 2008. He is sponsored by Adidas and Yonex.-Biography:...
in the third round, their third meeting in a row, with Ferrero prevailing in the other two. He was upset, 7–6, 3–6, 6–3, in a match than lasted over three hours. At the 2010 Sony Ericsson Open
2010 Sony Ericsson Open
The 2010 Sony Ericsson Open , was a tennis tournament for men and women held from March 22 to April 4, 2010. It was the 26th edition of the Miami Masters event and is played on outdoor hard courts at the Tennis Center at Crandon Park in Key Biscayne, Florida, located near Miami...
, he made the round of 16, losing to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga,2-6, 2-6, after defeating John Isner
John Isner
John Robert Isner is an American professional tennis player. He achieved his career-high rank of no. 18 on July 5, 2010, and has been as high as the second-ranked American tennis player behind Andy Roddick...
, 6–2, 3–6, 6–3, and Daniel Köllerer
Daniel Köllerer
Daniel Köllerer is a former professional tennis player from Austria who turned professional in 2002. Nicknamed "Crazy Dani" for his controversial behaviour while on court, he achieved his career-high ranking of #55 on October 19, 2009. He is serving a lifetime ban from the sport for match-fixing...
, 4–0 ret.
At the 2010 Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters
2010 Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters
The 2010 Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters, a tennis tournament for male professional players, was played from April 10 through April 18, 2010, on outdoor clay courts. It was the 104th edition of the annual Monte Carlo Masters tournament, which is sponsored by Rolex for the second time...
, he defeated Marcel Granollers
Marcel Granollers
Marcel Granollers i Pujol is a professional tennis player from Spain who turned professional in 2003. He reached his highest singles ranking of World Number 33 on August 1, 2011, and his highest doubles ranking of World Number 5.-2006:Granollers made the first round of the Wimbledon tournament in...
, 6–0, 6–3, and Benjamin Becker
Benjamin Becker
Benjamin Becker is a German professional tennis player. Becker's primary weapon is a very big serve that he can hit at up to 220km/h, along with powerful groundstrokes....
, 6–3, 6–4. After defeating the German, Ferrero upset Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, 6–1, 3–6, 7–5, earning his first victory over the Frenchman. He, however, lost to Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal
Rafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera is a Spanish professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. , he is ranked No. 2 by the Association of Tennis Professionals...
, 4-6, 2-6, in the quarterfinals. In the 2010 Barcelona Open Banco Sabadell
2010 Barcelona Open Banco Sabadell
The 2010 Barcelona Open Banco Sabadell was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 58th edition of the event known this year as the Barcelona Open Banco Sabadell, and was part of the ATP World Tour 500 series of the 2010 ATP World Tour...
, Ferrero was upset by Thiemo de Bakker
Thiemo de Bakker
Thiemo de Bakker is a Dutch tennis player, who is currently ranked 99th in the world, and is the second ranked Dutch tennis player...
in the third round, due to not playing well in the tie-breaks, 6-7, 6-3, 6-7.
At the 2010 Internazionali BNL d'Italia
2010 Internazionali BNL d'Italia
The 2010 Internazionali BNL d'Italia was a tennis tournament, being played on outdoor clay courts at the Foro Italico in Rome, Italy. It was the 67th edition of the event and was classified as an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event on the 2010 ATP World Tour and a Premier 5 event on the 2010 WTA Tour...
, his form worsened as he surprisingly slumped to a 0–6, 3–6 loss to qualifier Santiago Giraldo
Santiago Giraldo
Santiago Giraldo Salazar is a Colombian male tennis player from Pereira in Colombia. He plays on the ATP tour and represents Colombia in the Davis Cup competition.-ATP Tour:...
in the first round.
Ferrero went into the 2010 French Open
2010 French Open
The 2010 French Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 109th edition of the French Open, and the second Grand Slam event of the year...
seeded 16th and tipped by some to make a good run in the tournament. He defeated Pablo Cuevas
Pablo Cuevas
Pablo Gabriel Cuevas Urroz is a Uruguayan professional tennis player. Cuevas won the 2008 French Open Men's Doubles title with Luis Horna....
of Uruguay in the first round, 6–4, 6–3, 6–1. He then met fellow Spaniard Pere Riba
Pere Riba
Pere Riba Madrid is a Spanish professional tennis player. Riba competes on the ATP Challenger Tour and the ATP World Tour, both in singles and doubles. He reached his highest ATP singles ranking, No. 65, on May 16, 2011, and his highest ATP doubles ranking, No. 81, on June 7, 2010...
in the second round, where he won in four sets, 7–6, 6–7, 6–2, 6–2. However, he was upset in the third round by unseeded American Robby Ginepri
Robby Ginepri
Robert Louis Ginepri is an American professional tennis player.-Early life:Robby Ginepri is of Luxembourgish ancestry....
. After coming back from a two-set deficit and being a break of serve up in the decider, Ferrero lost in the fifth set with a final score of 7–5, 6–3, 3–6, 2–6, 6–4. He may have been seen to have underachieved in the tournament but did improve on his previous year's performance and did therefore improve his ranking points. At the 2010 Gerry Weber Open
2010 Gerry Weber Open
The 2010 Gerry Weber Open was a tennis tournament to played on outdoor grass courts. It was the 18th edition of the event known that year as the Gerry Weber Open and was part of the ATP World Tour 250 series of the 2010 ATP World Tour...
, his form continued to go down as he lost to a Lucky Loser Dominik Meffert
Dominik Meffert
Dominik Meffert is a German professional tennis player. He qualified for the 2007 US Open, to this date his first and only Grand Slam competition, but lost in the first round. He is 6'6" tall and 210 lbs...
in the first round, 6–3, 7–5. His bad form continued, as he loses Xavier Malisse
Xavier Malisse
Xavier Malisse is a Belgian tennis player. Born in Kortrijk, Belgium, he is the only men's player from his country to have been ranked in the top 20 of the ATP tour. He is sponsored by Prince and Lotto. His nickname is "The X-Man"....
in the first round of Wimbledon 2010 in five sets. He was now 9–8 since his good run at the South American clay season.
He then played in the 2010 MercedesCup
2010 MercedesCup
The 2010 MercedesCup was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 32nd edition of the MercedesCup, and is part of the ATP World Tour 250 series of the 2010 ATP World Tour...
, losing to Albert Montañés
Álbert Montañés
Albert Montañés Roca is a professional tennis player from Spain.He first entered the top-100 in 2001 and has been in the top-100 for all but 20 weeks since then...
for the first time in six meetings in the semifinals, 6–3, 7–6, despite having two set points in the second set tiebreak. At the 2010 International German Open
2010 International German Open
The 2010 International German Open was a tennis tournament to played on outdoor red clay courts. It was the 103rd edition of the event known that year as the International German Open and was part of the ATP World Tour 500 series of the 2010 ATP World Tour...
, Ferrero defeated Jan Hájek
Jan Hájek (tennis)
Jan Hájek is a male professional tennis player from the Czech Republic. He is right-handed with a double handed backhand. He reached his highest singles ATP-ranking on November 6, 2006, when he reached world number 71....
and Jarkko Nieminen
Jarkko Nieminen
Jarkko Kalervo Nieminen is a professional tennis player from Finland.His highest ranking is 13th, which was achieved on July 10, 2006. He has won one ATP singles title and two doubles titles in his career so far. His best performances in Grand Slam tournaments have been reaching the quarter-finals...
, before being upset by Florian Mayer
Florian Mayer
Florian Mayer is a German professional tennis player. He plays on both the ATP Tour and the Challenger Tour. He has won nine Challenger events, which has helped him stay in the top 50 on the rankings....
, 7-6, 2-6, 3-6, for the first time in five meetings. At the 2010 ATP Studena Croatia Open Umag
2010 ATP Studena Croatia Open Umag
The 2010 Studena Croatia Open Umag was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 20th edition of the Croatia Open Umag, and was part of the ATP World Tour 250 Series of the 2010 ATP World Tour...
, Ferrero won his third title of the year, where he struggled against Pablo Cuevas
Pablo Cuevas
Pablo Gabriel Cuevas Urroz is a Uruguayan professional tennis player. Cuevas won the 2008 French Open Men's Doubles title with Luis Horna....
, 4–6, 6–4, 6–4, but cruised through against Alexandr Dolgopolov, Andreas Seppi
Andreas Seppi
Andreas Seppi is a professional tennis player from South Tyrol, northern Italy, who turned professional in 2000. He considers clay and hard courts his favourite surfaces. and is coached by Massimo Sartori....
, and Potito Starace
Potito Starace
Potito Starace is an Italian professional tennis player on the ATP Tour. He achieved his career-high ranking of 27th on October 15, 2007 and prefers to play on red clay...
in the finals. He then missed the 2010 Rogers Cup
2010 Rogers Cup
The 2010 Canada Masters was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts in Canada. It was the 121st edition of the Canada Masters, and was part of the ATP Masters Series of the 2010 ATP World Tour, and of the Premier Series of the 2010 WTA Tour...
and 2010 Western & Southern Financial Group Masters due to a knee injury. He then returned in the 2010 US Open
2010 US Open (tennis)
The 2010 US Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts, held from August 30 to September 13, 2010 in the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center at Flushing Meadows, Queens, New York City, United States....
, where he defeated Martin Kližan
Martin Kližan
Martin Kližan is a Slovak tennis player. In 2005 he won European Junior Championship in the Under 16 category, in both, singles and doubles...
and Ricardo Mello
Ricardo Mello
Ricardo Mello is a Brazilian tennis player. His preference is for clay courts. He has had the occasional win in hard court tournaments. His best singles rank was no. 50 in 2005...
in straight sets, but lost to Jürgen Melzer
Jürgen Melzer
Jürgen Melzer is an Austrian tennis player. He reached a career-high ranking of no. 8 on 18 April 2011, and a doubles ranking of no. 6 on 13 September 2010. He is the only current player on the ATP Tour to be ranked in the top 10 in both singles and doubles. He is a left-handed tennis player, but...
in the third round. He is missed the rest of the season due to knee and wrist injuries.
2011
Ferrero withdrew from the 2011 Heineken Open2011 Heineken Open
The 2011 Heineken Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 36th edition of the Heineken Open, and was part of the ATP World Tour 250 series of the 2011 ATP World Tour...
and 2011 Australian Open
2011 Australian Open
The 2011 Australian Open was a tennis tournament featuring six different competitions, and part of the 2011 ATP World Tour, the 2011 WTA Tour, ITF Junior Tour and the NEC Tour, as tournaments for professional, junior and wheelchair players were held...
. As the defending champion, he withdrew from the 2011 Brasil Open
2011 Brasil Open
The 2011 Brasil Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 11th edition of the event known as the Brasil Open, and was part of the ATP World Tour 250 series of the 2011 ATP World Tour...
and 2011 Copa Claro
2011 Copa Claro
The 2011 Copa Claro was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 14th edition of the Copa Claro, and was part of the ATP World Tour 250 series of the 2011 ATP World Tour...
. He also withdrew from the 2011 Abierto Mexicano Telcel
2011 Abierto Mexicano Telcel
The 2011 Abierto Mexicano Telcel was a professional tennis tournament played on clay courts. It was the 18th edition of the tournament which was part of the 2011 ATP World Tour and the 2011 WTA Tour...
, 2011 BNP Paribas Open
2011 BNP Paribas Open
The 2011 BNP Paribas Open was a tennis tournament played at Indian Wells, California in March 2011. It was the 36th edition of the event, known as the BNP Paribas Open, and was classified as an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event on the 2011 ATP World Tour and a Premier Mandatory event on the 2011...
, 2011 Sony Ericsson Open
2011 Sony Ericsson Open
The 2011 Sony Ericsson Open , a men's and women's tennis tournament, was held from March 21 to April 3, 2011. It was the 27th edition of the Miami Masters event and played on outdoor hard courts at the Tennis Center at Crandon Park in Miami...
, and 2011 Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters
2011 Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters
The 2011 Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters, a tennis tournament for male professional players, was played from April 9 through April 17, 2011, on outdoor clay courts. It was the 105th edition of the annual Monte Carlo Masters tournament, which was sponsored by Rolex for the third time...
to recover from his wrist and knee surgery.
He made his return at the 2011 Barcelona Open Banco Sabadell
2011 Barcelona Open Banco Sabadell
The 2011 Barcelona Open Banco Sabadell was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 59th edition of the event known this year as the Barcelona Open Banco Sabadell, and was part of the ATP World Tour 500 series of the 2011 ATP World Tour...
, where he defeated Xavier Malisse
Xavier Malisse
Xavier Malisse is a Belgian tennis player. Born in Kortrijk, Belgium, he is the only men's player from his country to have been ranked in the top 20 of the ATP tour. He is sponsored by Prince and Lotto. His nickname is "The X-Man"....
, 6–4, 6–1, Mischa Zverev
Mischa Zverev
Mikhail "Mischa" Zverev is a German professional tennis player. He is the son of former Russian tennis player Alexander Zverev, who is also his coach. He now resides in Monte-Carlo, Monaco and represents Germany internationally...
, 6–4, 7–5, and Simone Vagnozzi
Simone Vagnozzi
Simone Vagnozzi is an Italian professional tennis player.-Runner-Up :-External links:...
, 7–6, 4–6, 6–4, but lost in the quarterfinals to Nicolás Almagro
Nicolás Almagro
Nicolas Almagro Sanchez Rolle is a professional Spanish tennis player, ranked 10 on the ATP World Tour.-2005:...
, 3-6, 3-6 His next tournament was the 2011 Mutua Madrid Open
2011 Mutua Madrid Open
The 2011 Madrid Masters was played on outdoor clay courts at the Park Manzanares in Madrid, Spain from April 30 – May 8. It was the 10th edition of the event on the ATP and 3rd on the WTA...
, where he lost in the first round to Thiemo de Bakker
Thiemo de Bakker
Thiemo de Bakker is a Dutch tennis player, who is currently ranked 99th in the world, and is the second ranked Dutch tennis player...
, 6-2, 5-7, 4-6. He then missed the 2011 Internazionali BNL d'Italia
2011 Internazionali BNL d'Italia
The 2011 Internazionali BNL d'Italia was a tennis tournament, being played on outdoor clay courts at the Foro Italico in Rome, Italy. It was the 68th edition of the event and was classified as an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event on the 2011 ATP World Tour and a Premier 5 event on the 2011 WTA Tour...
, 2011 French Open
2011 French Open
The 2011 French Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 110th edition of the French Open, and the second Grand Slam event of the year...
, and 2011 Wimbledon due to same injury.
He came back again to competition at the 2011 MercedesCup
2011 MercedesCup
The 2011 MercedesCup was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 34th edition of the MercedesCup, and was part of the ATP World Tour 250 series of the 2011 ATP World Tour...
in Stuttgart. There, he defeated Bastian Knittel
Bastian Knittel
Bastian Knittel is a German tennis player playing on the ATP Challenger Tour. On February 28, 2011, he reached his highest ATP singles ranking of 157.-Singles: 2 :-Doubles: 3 :-External links:...
, 6–4, 6–4, Mikhail Youzhny
Mikhail Youzhny
Mikhail Mikhailovich Youzhny , is a professional Russian tennis player, noted for his consistency and all-court play style. He has been coached by Boris Sobkin for 17 years....
, 6–7, 6–2, 6–2, Marcel Granollers
Marcel Granollers
Marcel Granollers i Pujol is a professional tennis player from Spain who turned professional in 2003. He reached his highest singles ranking of World Number 33 on August 1, 2011, and his highest doubles ranking of World Number 5.-2006:Granollers made the first round of the Wimbledon tournament in...
, 6–4, 6–3, Federico Delbonis, 3–6, 6–4, 6–4, and countryman Pablo Andujar
Pablo Andújar
Pablo Andújar Alba is a professional male tennis player from Spain. Andújar has played since he was 6 years old and has won 4 Challengers and several futures. He trained in Valencia, Spain in the Tennis Club El Collao. He has been in the 2010 Australian Open, but he lost to Gilles Simon 6–4, 6–1,...
, 6–4, 6–0, to become 2011 MercedesCup
2011 MercedesCup
The 2011 MercedesCup was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 34th edition of the MercedesCup, and was part of the ATP World Tour 250 series of the 2011 ATP World Tour...
champion. Right after the win in Stuttgart, he went to the German Open Hamburg, where he lost in the first round to Cedrik-Marcel Stebe
Cedrik-Marcel Stebe
Cedrik-Marcel Stebe is a German professional tennis player. He reached his career high No. 81 on November 21, 2011.-2011:...
, 3-6, 2-6. As the defending champion, he reached the semifinals of the 2011 Studena Croatia Open
2011 ATP Studena Croatia Open
The 2011 ATP Studena Croatia Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 21st edition of the ATP Studena Croatia Open, and was part of the ATP World Tour 250 Series of the 2011 ATP World Tour...
to eventual champion Alexandr Dolgopolov 6-4, 6-4. At the 2011 Rogers Cup
2011 Rogers Cup
The 2011 Canada Masters was a tennis tournament to be played on outdoor hard courts in Canada. It was the 122nd edition of the Canada Masters, and was part of the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 of the 2011 ATP World Tour, and of the Premier Series of the 2011 WTA Tour...
, he lost to Ernests Gulbis
Ernests Gulbis
Ernests Gulbis is a Latvian professional tennis player. In 2008, Gulbis won his first ATP Tour doubles title at the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships, teaming with Rainer Schüttler, and in 2010 won his first ATP Tour singles title in the Delray Beach, defeating Ivo Karlović in the final...
, 6-3, 1-6, 5-7 and the 2011 Western & Southern Open
2011 Western & Southern Open
The 2011 Cincinnati Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio, near Cincinnati, United States. The tournament was a joint men's and women's event, with six new courts being built for the tournament...
to Feliciano Lopez
Feliciano López
Feliciano López Diaz-Guerra is a Spanish professional male tennis player. He was born in Toledo and now lives in the Spanish capital Madrid....
4-6, 6-3, 6-4 both in the first round.
Ferrero's next tournament was the 2011 US Open
2011 US Open (tennis)
The 2011 US Open was a tennis tournament played on the outdoor hard courts at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows Park, of Queens, New York City, United States...
, where he defeated Pablo Andujar
Pablo Andújar
Pablo Andújar Alba is a professional male tennis player from Spain. Andújar has played since he was 6 years old and has won 4 Challengers and several futures. He trained in Valencia, Spain in the Tennis Club El Collao. He has been in the 2010 Australian Open, but he lost to Gilles Simon 6–4, 6–1,...
in the first round, 1–6, 7–5, 5–7, 6–1, 6–3. In the second round, he defeated Frenchman Gael Monfils
Gaël Monfils
Gaël Sébastien Monfils is a French professional tennis player. he was the highest-ranked French tennis player, ranked no. 7 in the world ATP rankings. He was the runner-up at the Paris Masters in 2009 and 2010 and a semifinalist at the 2008 French Open.-2002:In 2002, Monfils finished 24th at the...
in an electrifying five-set match, 7–6, 5–7, 6–7, 6–4, 6–4. His next opponent was Spain's Marcel Granollers
Marcel Granollers
Marcel Granollers i Pujol is a professional tennis player from Spain who turned professional in 2003. He reached his highest singles ranking of World Number 33 on August 1, 2011, and his highest doubles ranking of World Number 5.-2006:Granollers made the first round of the Wimbledon tournament in...
, who retired in the second set; at the time of Granollers' retirement, Ferrero led the match 6–1, 4–3. In the fourth round, Ferrero lost to Janko Tipsarevic
Janko Tipsarevic
Janko Tipsarević is a Serbian tennis player. His career-high ranking is No. 9, achieved on 14 November 2011. He is the 117th player in history to crack the top 10....
, 5-7, 7-6, 5-7, 2-6. His next tournament was the 2011 China Open
2011 China Open (tennis)
The 2011 China Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 13th edition of the China Open, and was part of the ATP 500 Series of the 2011 ATP World Tour, and of the Premier Series of the 2011 WTA Tour...
, where he lost in the quarterfinals to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. He then played at the Shanghai Rolex Masters
2011 Shanghai Rolex Masters
The 2011 Shanghai Rolex Masters was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the third edition of the Shanghai ATP Masters 1000, classified as an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event on the 2011 ATP World Tour. It took place at Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena in Shanghai, People's...
reaching the third round falling to good friend David Ferrer
David Ferrer
David Ferrer Ern is a Spanish professional tennis player who lives in Valencia, Spain who is currently no. 5 in the ATP Rankings and the second-highest ranked Spaniard behind world no. 2 Rafael Nadal. He turned professional in 2000...
1-6, 7-5, 6-2 after having three match points in the second set, he defeated Mikhail Youzhny
Mikhail Youzhny
Mikhail Mikhailovich Youzhny , is a professional Russian tennis player, noted for his consistency and all-court play style. He has been coached by Boris Sobkin for 17 years....
and Fernando Verdasco
Fernando Verdasco
Fernando Verdasco Carmona is a professional tennis player. He is currently ranked no. 22 in the world. Verdasco started playing tennis at four years of age and had a full-time coach when he was eight...
beforehand. His next tournament was the Valencia Open, where he lost in the quarterfinals to Argentine player Juan Monaco
Juan Mónaco
Juan Mónaco , nicknamed "Pico", is a male tennis player from Argentina. He reached a career-high ranking of World No. 14 on February 4, 2008. He is sponsored by Adidas and Yonex.-Biography:...
6-3, 6-3. He then played in the Paris Masters
Paris Masters
The Paris Masters is an annual tennis tournament for male professional players held in Paris, France. It is played indoors at the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy. The event is part of the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 on the Association of Tennis Professionals Tour...
, where he lost in the first round to French Nicolas Mahut
Nicolas Mahut
Nicolas Pierre Armand Mahut is a French tennis player. Mahut is right-handed and has previously won the Orange Bowl in 1999, becoming professional in 2000. He is a good serve and volleyer and a doubles expert, having won many tournaments with his doubles partner Julien Benneteau. His career high...
6-2, 6-3. With this lose, Ferrero ended his 2011 season.
Davis Cup
Ferrero made his Davis Cup debut for Spain in the quarterfinals match-up against Russia in 2000, where he won both his matches against Yevgeny KafelnikovYevgeny Kafelnikov
Yevgeny Aleksandrovich Kafelnikov is a former World No. 1 tennis player from Russia. He won two Grand Slam singles titles , four Grand Slam doubles titles, and the men's singles gold medal at the Sydney Olympic Games. He also helped Russia win the Davis Cup in 2002...
and Marat Safin
Marat Safin
Marat Mikhailovich Safin is a retired Russian tennis player of Tatar descent. Safin won two grand slams and reached the world number 1 ranking during his career. He was also famous for his emotional outbursts and sometimes fiery temper on court. Safin also holds the record for most broken...
. He defeated both in straight sets. He also played in the semifinals, this time against the American Vince Spadea
Vince Spadea
Vincent Spadea [SPAY-dee-ya] is an ATP Tour professional tennis player from the United States. He is one of only four players in history to defeat Roger Federer 6–0 in set, at a major event....
, where he won in three, 4–6, 6–1, 6–4. His impressive Davis Cup form continued when he defeated Australians Patrick Rafter
Patrick Rafter
Patrick "Pat" Michael Rafter is an Australian former World No. 1 tennis player. He twice won the men's singles title at the US Open and was twice the runner-up at Wimbledon. Rafter was elected to the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2006. He was known for his natural serve-and-volley style of...
and Lleyton Hewitt
Lleyton Hewitt
Lleyton Glynn Hewitt born 24 February 1981) is an Australian professional tennis player and former world no. 1.In 2000, Hewitt had won ATP titles on all three major surfaces and reached one final on carpet. By 2001, he became the youngest male ever to be ranked no. 1 at the age of 20...
in Barcelona, enabling Spain to capture the Davis Cup for the first time. In 2001, Spain fell to the Netherlands, and Ferrero lost his first match against Raemon Sluiter
Raemon Sluiter
Raemon Sluiter is a professional male tennis player from the Netherlands. His career-high Association of Tennis Professionals Entry ranking is Number 46...
, losing two tie-breakers and winning one. He, however, made up for this lost when Spain competed in the qualifying rounds for the Davis Cup World Group, where he defeated Oleg Ogorodov
Oleg Ogorodov
Oleg Ogorodov is a former tennis player, who turned professional in 1995. He represented Uzbekistan at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia. His career high singles rank came on May 13, 1996 when he was ranked 101st in men's singles tennis rankings...
of Uzbekistan in straight sets. Ferrero continued to be a key Davis Cup player in subsequent years. In both 2003 and 2004, Ferrero contributed to Spain's successive progress to the Davis Cup final. In 2004, Spain won the Davis Cup for the second time. In 2009, Ferrero won the fifth and decisive rubber against Andreas Beck
Andreas Beck (tennis)
Andreas Beck is a professional male tennis player of Germany. His career high rank was #33, achieved on November 2, 2009.- 2008 :...
of Germany, 6–4, 6–4, 6–4, in the Davis Cup quarterfinals, putting Spain through to the semifinal. Again in the quarterfinals, Ferrero won the second live rubber against Israel, 6–4, 6–2, 6–0, putting Spain on track to win the Davis Cup for two consecutive years, the first nation to do so in 11 years (since Sweden in 1998). As Nadal returned from injury to play the final for Spain, Ferrero was not selected to Spain's final team. He attended all the live rubbers to support his teammates during the first two days of the Davis Cup final, but as a reserve only. He was not included in the 2009 Davis Cup presentation ceremony and celebrations on the final day.