David Ferrer ” World Tour Finals contenders
Originally published on: 19/11/10 12:55
Age: 28 (April 2 1982)
Birthplace: Javea, Spain
ATP ranking: 7th
Qualified: 7th
Season best: Winner – Acapulco, Valencia Open 500 Runner-up – Buenos Aires, Masters 1000 Rome, Beijing
Season win-loss record: 60-21
Prize money (2010): $2,198,353
Record vs. top eight: Rafael Nadal 3-11; Roger Federer 0-10; Novak Djokovic 4-5; Robin Soderling 4-8; Andy Murray 3-1; Tomas Berdych 5-2; Andy Roddick 4-3
2010 Grand Slam record: Australian Open R64; Roland Garros R16; Wimbledon R32; US Open R16
Barclays ATP World Tour Finals best: Making second appearance; runner-up in 2007
Season review: Despite disappointing displays in the four Grand Slams, Ferrer’s consistent performances on the tour were enough to merit him a place amongst the top eight to qualify for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals.
After breezing past Frederico Gil in the opening round of the Australian Open the Spaniard looked in great shape. He continued this form in the early stages of his second round encounter against Marcus Baghdatis to take a commanding two set lead but the Cypriot battled back to upset the 17th seed.
Ferrer was quick to put this result behind him, reaching the semis in Johannesburg. The Spaniard then opted to travel to Argentina to compete on his beloved clay to try and boost his form. This turned out to be an excellent decision as he made the final in Buenos Aires, before heading north to Mexico to claim his eighth career title, defeating Juan Carlos Ferrero in the final.
Remaining on the red dirt the Spaniard helped his country to another Davis Cup victory. Ferrer headed to America for the Masters Series events in Indian Wells, losing to James Blake in the second round and then succumbing to Rafael Nadal in the fourth round in Miami.
In the clay court stretch, Ferrer began to really find his stride producing a string of fantastic results. A semi-final in Monte Carlo set the ball rolling, quickly followed by a last four appearance in Barcelona. The scintillating form continued in Rome, where he dispatched Andy Murray, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Verdasco to reach his second final of the year but the clay court king Nadal came up trumps. Another impressive run took him to the last four in Madrid, marking him as one of the leading contenders to challenge Nadal for the French Open title.
Quite a lot was expected of Ferrer in Paris. Things started well winning his first two round with ease but was unexpectedly sent crashing to a third round defeat to eventual semi-finalist Jurgen Melzer.
The Spaniard was then involved in a couple of epic three hours at Wimbledon, winning against Florent Serra and then Jeremy Chardy before being ousted by Robin Soderling in a thrilling five setter.
The Swede then inflicted more misery on Ferrer at the clay court event in Bastad, prompting a down turn in his performances that endured during the American hard court swing, losing to David Nalbandian at the Rogers Cup in Toronto and then a last 16 defeat to Nikolay Davydenko in Cincinnati.
At the US Open, Ferrer surrendered a two-set advantage to lose in a dramatic fifth set tiebreak against Verdasco. He showed tremendous character to yet again put a tough result behind him by reaching the semis in Kuala Lumpur and then notably finishing runner-up to Djokovic in Beijing, results that put him back in contention for London.
With the pressure mounting for a place for the O2, Ferrer lost in the third round in Shanghai to Soderling but bolstered his chances significantly with victory in home city of Valencia, defeating compatriot Marcel Granollers in the final. A last-16 appearance in Paris sealed his place amongst the top eight.
Last year’s Barclays ATP World Tour Finals: DNP
Ferrer on London: “It is great to qualify again. Last year I was watching the final on TV. I am so happy to be playing in London this year.”
Chances: Much like Nikolay Davydenko last year, Ferrer has produced the consistent results on the tour but is not considered as a serious contender for the title. But as the Russian showed in 2009, Ferrer cannot be counted out, especially having reached the final of the season-closer in 2007 and coming in with good form after winning indoors in Valencia.
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