Juan Carlos Ferrero: A Career Summary
Born on February 12th 1980, in Onteniente, Spain, Juan Carlos Ferrero had his first go at tennis when he was 7, and from then on the Spaniard had little doubt what he wanted his future vocation to be. From the very start, Ferrero’s father, Eduardo, took charge of his son’s mentorship and frequently accompanies his son when he tours. The Spaniard grew up idolising former world number one and two-time French Open winner Jim Courier. Coach Antonio Martinez undertook the task of training Ferrero from 1989 till October 2009 when Ferrero decided to pass the job over to Samuel Lopez.
The Spaniard first gained acclaim in 1998 when he marched all the way to the final of the French Open junior tournament where he eventually lost out to Fernando Gonzalez. Ferrero then decided to inaugurate his professional career the same year. In 1999, he made his initial ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) main draw appearance at the Casablanca event, where he made it to the semi-finals before losing out to Alberto Martin. The same year saw Ferrero contest the first Grand Slam event of his career at the U.S. Open where he crashed out in the first round. The next month, what marked only the fifth professional competition of Ferrero’s career so far, the Spaniard landed his first title in Spain at the year’s Majorca Open. Ferrrero overcame number two seed Alex Corretja in the final, a feat that elevated him to 47 in the world rankings and bagged him the ATP Newcomer of the year award.
In 2000, the Spaniard made waves after making it to the semi-finals of the first ever French Open event of his career, where he was out performed by Brazil’s Gustavo Kuerten. Ferrero also assisted Spain in her 2000 Davis Cup triumph. Despite not taking any titles that year, Ferrero nevertheless produced several solid performances that saw him ranked world number 12 at the conclusion of the year. In 2001, Ferrero set tongues rolling after landing an impressive four titles within the course of three months. For a second year in the running, Ferrero fought all the way to the French Open semi finals, where he once again fell afoul of prevailing champion Gustavo Kuerten.
The Spaniard’s 2002 campaign began less than smoothly when a knee injury ruled him out of the Australian Open. Yet Ferrero’s form gained momentum as the season progressed and he carved his way to the first French Open final of his career. Here, in spite of being the bookie’s favourite, Ferrero eventually fell to fellow countryman Alberto Costa. His triumphs at the year’s Hong Kong and Monte Carlo Masters events ensured he ended the year ranked number four in the world. In 2003, Ferrero took the first ever Grand Slam of his career at Roland Garros after overcoming Martin Verkerk in the final showdown and was crowned “National Sportsman of the Year” by Spainish King Juan Carlos Ferrero.
The Spaniard’s 2004 campaign was frustrated throughout by fitness issues, and his world ranking dipped. Yet Ferrero’s form improved considerably the following three years as he began his journey up the ATP rankings once more. A shoulder injury marred the Spaniard’s 2008 campaign which had seen him put on some excellent shows at the year’s Rome Masters tournament where he shocked world number 2 Rafael Nadal, ending Nadal’s 17-match unbeaten streak on the Roman tennis courts. In 2009, Ferrero ended his 6 year title drought after winning ATP World Tour’s Casablanca event where he demolished fifth seed Florent Serra. The Spaniard has struggled to find form throughout the ongoing 2010 campaign and at present is ranked number 21 in the world.
Ferrero also harbours many passions far removed from the tennis arena. He is an avid motor bike and car collector, the Renault Spider make being his most liked. Ferrero is a supporter of Spanish football club Real Madrid, and famously gets on with fellow countryman and professional golfer Sergio Garcia.
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