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Post by TennisHack on Nov 10, 2004 15:41:50 GMT -5
I'm reading the other JC sites. I didn't know he owned the Valencia event Wow. From ElMundo: Ferrero: "La Davis es el único objetivo que me queda" ELMUNDODEPORTE | AGENCIAS elmundodeporte.elmundo.es/elmundodeporte/2004/11/09/tenis/1100026522.html MADRID | VALENCIA.- Juan Carlos Ferrero, miembro del equipo español que disputará del 3 al 5 de diciembre la final de la Copa Davis frente a Estados Unidos en Sevilla, aseguró que el hecho de jugar en casa y sobre tierra batida confería cierta ventaja al combinado nacional. Además, su entrenador, Antonio Martínez Cascales, anunció que el jugador dejará de pertenecer al Club de Tenis Valencia y que se llevará el Open de Tenis de la Comunidad Valenciana a otra instalación por divergencias con la directiva del ese club. "El equipo que juega en casa siempre es el favorito y más si jugamos en una superficie que nos va muy bien, pero Estados Unidos cuenta con jugadores importantes como Roddick, Fish o los hermanos Bryan, aunque nosotros también tenemos un buen equipo y quizás partimos con un poco más de ventaja", señaló. El ex número 1 del mundo comentó que tras el mal año que ha pasado, debido a diversos problemas físicos, la consecución de la ensaladera de la Copa Davis sería una buena forma de acabar de forma feliz la temporada. "Es el único objetivo que me queda de aquí a final de año. Sería una bonita manera de acabar después de todo el año que he tenido", indicó. Ferrero también quiso destacar el ambiente que se registrará en La Cartuja de Sevilla, donde, probablemente, se bata el récord de asistencia en una eliminatoria de Copa Davis. "Pude vivir las sensaciones de ganar en 2000 y todo el ánimo y el apoyo que hubo en Barcelona. Ahora, espero que sea un poco más de lo mismo y, si hay más gente, se notará más". Por otra parte, Cascales, anunció que el tenista de Onteniente abandonará el Club de tenis de Valencia por disensiones con la junta direciva. Decisión que traerá consigo la marcha del Open de la Comunidad Valenciana, del que Ferrero posee los derechos, a otro club. "A partir de ahora, Ferrero deja el CT Valencia y pasará a competir con licencia del club que lleva su nombre en Villena, la escuela Equelite". Tanto el de Onteniente como su entrenador buscarán otras instalaciones para desarrollar la tercera edición del Open "que queremos que siga siendo en Valencia", apostilló Cascales. También cabe la posibilidad de que cambie de superficie y de fechas "porque el tenis valenciano merece un torneo así", concluyó.
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Post by The Chloe on Nov 10, 2004 15:50:46 GMT -5
I didn't know that either, but I knew that he was the reason Valencia had an event, so I'm not surprised
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Post by RogiFan on Nov 26, 2004 22:03:22 GMT -5
Tennis: Ferrero prize signing for men's event Juan Carlos Ferrero will play in Auckland with two of his countrymen. 27.11.04 by David Leggat Sydney's loss is Auckland's gain with January's international men's tournament now boasting as good a field as it's ever had. The signing of Spanish star Juan Carlos Ferrero yesterday may have come as a surprise for organisers of the Australian event running concurrently with Auckland, starting on January 10. At one point, Sydney's website listed the former world No 1 as one of its drawcards. Instead, Ferrero will join two of his Davis Cup final team-mates, Tommy Robredo and Rafael Nadal, in the field for the US$404,000 ($561,141) Heineken Open. "He was the sort of player we'd been targeting from early on and he wasn't sure what he was up to," tournament director Graham Pearce told the Weekend Herald yesterday. When he agreed to return to Auckland - he played in the 2000 event, beating current world No 1 Roger Federer 6-4, 6-4 on his way to the quarter-finals - Pearce was delighted. "He's a pedigree player, the cream on our cake," he said of a field which includes five players in the world top 21. Pearce was unsure whether the presence of Robredo and Nadal in Auckland would have been a factor in the decision of last year's French Open champion to come here - "but it certainly wouldn't have hurt". "The Spaniards like to move in a little group at times. There's a lot of them, they are highly competitive and he's obviously comfortable coming here." Ferrero, winner of 11 ATP tournaments and over US$9.5 million, is the fifth player in recent years to have played in Auckland having already scaled the game's heights as world No 1. The others are Jim Courier, Marcelo Rios, Marat Safin and Gustavo Kuerten, and Pearce believes having Ferrero to complement a field spearheaded by world No 7 Guillermo Coria of Argentina can only help the open's standing as a high-quality event. "It has a good reputation and people have seen solid fields over recent years. This carries on that tradition, continues the credibility of the event and it doesn't hurt for the following year," he said. As the field stands, Ferrero will be no higher than sixth seed. That gives an indication of what awaits the fans in January. Ferrero's French Open triumph last year came in a golden run of form for the 24-year-old ardent Real Madrid soccer fan, one of three children born in Onteniente, south of Valencia. He racked up 10 of his 11 wins in a two-year period between April 2001 and 2003. He finished each of those three years in the world top five. He was as hot as any player on the planet at that time. En route to winning the French Open last year, beating Dutchman Martin Verkerk in the final, he dropped just three sets in the course of seven matches. But injuries this year have caused him to slip back to 31 in the rankings. His big ambition next month is to help Spain win the Davis Cup final against the United States in Seville, before he heads to Auckland, then the Australian Open. The initial full entry list for Auckland will be revealed on Wednesday. www.nzherald.co.nz/
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Post by RogiFan on Jan 8, 2005 11:14:39 GMT -5
Time to cheer on our Juanqui! 08.01.2005 - 12:55 EL VALENCIANO INICIA SU OCTAVA TEMPORADA COMO PROFESIONAL Ferrero: "Todo lo que me ha pasado me ha hecho sentar la cabeza" Una entrevista de JOAN SOLSONA Juan Carlos Ferrero acabó 2003 como el gran dominador de la tierra batida. Se estrenó en Roland Garros y alcanzó el sueño de ser el número uno. Sólo Andy Roddick pudo arrebatarle el trono ATP en los dos últimos torneos. Un año después, Ferrero inicia el lunes en Auckland (Nueva Zelanda) la temporada del regreso a la elite, después de un pasado ejercicio marcado por las lesiones y enfermedades, que le dejaron con el casillero de títulos en blanco. ¿Qué tal se encuentra físicamente para afrontar un año que promete ser muy duro? La verdad es que muy bien. Las vacaciones me las tomé antes de la final de Copa Davis, por lo que llevo más de un mes entrenando para estar a tope en Australia. Supongo que le benefició acabar en diciembre para no perder el ritmo de competición. Bueno, en Sevilla no creo que cogiera ritmo de partidos porque apenas jugué. Usted alcanzó las semifinales en el último Open de Australia. ¿Cuáles son sus opciones para repetir a partir del 17 de enero en el Melbourne Park? Ahora mismo, no quiero marcarme metas en los torneos iniciales. Lo mejor será ir partido a partido. Quiero pensar que en 2004 perdí en primera ronda en Sidney y luego llegué a semifinales en el Abierto ‘aussie’. ¿Pero es consciente que casi todos sus puntos se ponen en juego el primer mes de competición con las semifinales de Australia (450) y la final de Rotterdam (210)? Sería una tontería obsesionarse con lo que defiendo ahora en Australia. Una presión extra no me favorece. Aunque no obtenga resultados, me queda toda la temporada para recuperar posiciones. Pasando balance de su último mal año. ¿Hay tiempo para sacar conclusiones positivas de tantos percances? Te ayuda a madurar. Todo lo que ha pasado, me ha ayudado a sentar la cabeza. Todo profesional del deporte tiene un año mal y yo ya lo pasé. ¿Qué pide al 2005 para el Ferrero tenista? Lo único que quiero es volver a sentirme competitivo en una pista. Usted estaba acostumbrado a luchar por los ‘Grand Slam’ y Masters Series. Desde 2001 se plantó tres veces consecutivas en el torneo de maestros que cierra el calendario de la ATP. ¿Cuáles son hoy sus objetivos? Volver a ganar un ‘Grand Slam’ y también estar ahí en los Masters Series. Pero todo ello pasa por regresar al nivel que estaba antes. El lunes empieza la primera reválida para Ferrero en el torneo de Auckland. Ya tengo ganas de empezar a jugar partidos después de una dura pretemporada en la que he cuidado mucho el aspecto físico, tanto en Villena como los últimos días en Brasil. Usted voló el pasado jueves de Salvador de Bahia a Nueva Zelanda. ¿Pasar la última semana de entrenamientos en Brasil ayuda a adaptarse a las actuales condiciones climáticas de las antípodas? Seguro. Allí es pleno verano y el calor y la humedad son factores que influyen en el resultado, especialmente en un ‘Grand Slam’ al mejor de cinco sets. Después de la dulce resaca de Copa Davis, con su segunda Ensaladera con 24 primaveras, la primera semana de marzo visitan a la Eslovaquia de Dominik Hrbaty y Karol Beck. Yo veo el sorteo bastante parecido al de 2004, cuando tuvimos que ganar a un rival complicado como la República Checa. La diferencia es que esta vez nos tocan las dos primeras eliminatorias fuera de casa. Lo positivo, al menos para los equipos finalistas, es que la competición de la Ensaladera se inicia en marzo y no en febrero, con más tiempo de margen para llegar en condiciones. El tenis español vive inmerso en un proceso electoral que dará el 29 de enero un nuevo presidente para la Federación. ¿Sigue desde la distancia lo que está pasando entre los candidatos? No es algo de lo que me mantenga muy informado desde la distancia. Espero que, gane quien gane las elecciones, haga lo mejor para el tenis nacional. A excepción de Carlos Moyá (28 años), usted tiene 24, pero detrás suyo están Feliciano López con 23, Tommy Robredo con 22, Fernando Verdasco con 21 y Rafa Nadal con 18. ¿Estamos delante de la mejor generación de la historia? Está claro que sí, sobre todo por el potencial que han demostrado todos estos jugadores. Ojalá muy pronto estemos todos muy arriba en el ránking. Hablando de posiciones de privilegio en las listas del circuito masculino. ¿Qué le parece lo que está haciendo Roger Federer? Creo que está siendo una sorpresa para el mundo del tenis. Pero esta campaña juega con la presión de repetir todos sus éxitos y ya veremos cómo lo afronta. No será fácil ganar once torneos, tres de ellos del ‘Grand Slam’... Ferrero se hizo profesional en 1998, cuando aún funcionaban en lo más alto jugadores como Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi o Patrick Rafter. También se codeaban entre los grandes Carlos Moyá y Álex Corretja. ¿No tiene la sensación de que ahora hay más competencia entre los ‘top ten’? Es cierto que se ha puesto muy caro un lugar entre los diez primeros del tenis masculino. En el último año han vuelto a luchar por estar ahí Safin, Hewitt o Henman. www.marca.com/edicion/notici...,579727,00.html VAMOS, Juanqui!!!
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Post by RogiFan on Jan 8, 2005 18:50:51 GMT -5
Nice one, Juanqui! But Sete Gibernau's stuff is making the most money. (Poor Sergio Garcia! ) cgi.es.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=630&item=7124671540&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVWGalácticos del deporte, solidarios en eBay - Pujando por los guantes del campeón del mundo de motociclismo (250 c.c.) Dani Pedrosa se puede ayudar a construir viviendas en la India. La Asociación de Baloncesto en Móstoles (ABM), en colaboración con eBay España y celebridades del mundo del deporte, ha organizado una subasta solidaria online, que tendrá lugar del 4 al 14 de enero en www.ebay.es. El precio de salida de los artículos firmados será de 1 euro. Los beneficios de la subasta irán íntegramente destinados a la construcción de viviendas y el mantenimiento de un Hospital en Anatapur (India), a través de la Fundación Vicente Ferrer. Las estrellas del mundo del deporte que han colaborado firmando sus prendas favoritas son Dani Pedrosa: los guantes con los que corrió y ganó el Gran Premio de Malasia en 2004, circuito en el cual se alzó con el título de Campeón del Mundo de 125 c.c. en 2003. De Sete Gibernau se subastan botas y camisa oficial del equipo. Juan Carlos Ferrero participa subastando su equipación completa de competición y chaqueta de chándal de entrenamiento. Y así muchos otros. Más información en www.ebay.com. www.noticiaspyme.com/
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Post by TennisHack on Jan 22, 2005 1:16:23 GMT -5
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Post by TennisHack on Feb 17, 2005 20:31:42 GMT -5
From Bob Larson:
Men's Match of the Day
Rotterdam - Second Round Radek Stepanek def. Juan Carlos Ferrero 6-4 6-7(6-8) 6-3
For Juan Carlos Ferrero, there is only one bit of good news, and it fairly small: He took on one of the hottest guys on the Tour, on what may be his best surface, and he made it extremely close.
Not much consolation. Sure, Radek Stepanek came in at #12 in the Race, and is now up to #11 -- but Juan Carlos Ferrero used to be #1. These are the matches he's supposed to be winning, not merely keeping close.
And, because Ferrero was last year's Rotterdam finalist, this will cut deeply. He came in at #64. Since he made it to the second round, he should stay Top 100, barely. But he'll still lose more than 30 places. Barring a miraculous recovery, he'll be playing qualifying for the clay Masters. And a miraculous recovery seems unlikely; he's #55 in the Race, and will probably stay around #50.
Well, we take it back: There is one other small consolation. This should be the last major rankings hit Ferrero takes; he's out of big results to defend. From now on, he should move up if he moves at all. But he has to start winning before that can happen.
=========================================
Who seriously thinks he's going to have to play quallies for the clay Masters events? I think he has good chances for WCs, being a past champion/finalist at all three sites.
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Post by Vera on Feb 18, 2005 2:28:09 GMT -5
Who seriously thinks he's going to have to play quallies for the clay Masters events? I think he has good chances for WCs, being a past champion/finalist at all three sites. Emmm, I was :red:. Okay, I do know they'll probably give him WC because they would want him to play regardless of his ranking. But somehow, just the idea that his ranking should require him to play qualifying is quite embarrassing. But if he can't make his ranking go up enough, he'll just have to suck it up and get qualify, or bet for a WC.
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Post by Francine on Feb 18, 2005 7:57:12 GMT -5
He'll probably get a couple of WC's. And if not, playing qualifications might not be such a bad thing. Besides, if he doesn't even manage to qualify for a clay tourney he probably won't get far in the main draw on a WC either.
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Post by Brinyi on Mar 10, 2005 10:06:32 GMT -5
Good interview with JCF: www.as.com/articulo.html?d_date=&xref=20050309dasdaimas_1&type=Tes&anchor=dasmasB00- The narrow Federer loss gave him confidence that he is rounding into his best form - There are mucho points at stake in the next 4 months and he's hopeful that he'll be back among the top players come summer time - When you fall to the 90s you find out who your real friends are - He seemed a bit ticked off when he was asked about the people who say he has relaxed and doesn't train as hard as before, which he denies. - He thinks the past year has made him stronger mentally - He was obviously a bit put off at the way he was pulled from singles in the DC final. He says that it was his preference not to go to Bratislava because he wanted to prepare for IW and Miami, but if they had asked him to he would have gone. He intends to play the playoff round in September. - Since Perlas left the G3, now the G2, communication is not good and it's not like it was when he was there. The players should decide if Arrese and Avendaño continue on as co-captains.
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Post by Francine on Mar 10, 2005 13:23:15 GMT -5
Good interview, apart from the photo
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Post by Brinyi on Mar 11, 2005 16:48:09 GMT -5
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Post by Lee on Mar 11, 2005 17:29:43 GMT -5
Congrat JCF winning in about an hour 6-3 6-3 vs Andreev
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Post by Francine on Apr 10, 2005 10:45:50 GMT -5
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Post by TennisHack on Apr 10, 2005 11:16:13 GMT -5
OMG that is HILARIOUS!!!! I esp like the last page, with Rafa's hit and run :lmao:
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Post by TennisHack on Apr 23, 2005 8:51:13 GMT -5
Ferrero confirms revival with place in Barcelona final 2005-04-23 13:05:13 GMT (Reuters)
BARCELONA, April 23 (Reuters) - Juan Carlos Ferrero claimed a place in his first ATP final in more than a year with a 7-6 6-1 victory over Russian Nikolay Davydenko in the semi-finals of the Barcelona Open on Saturday.
The former world number one will face the winner of the match between fellow Spaniard Rafael Nadal and Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic in Sunday's final of the 850,000 euro ($1.11 million) claycourt tournament.
Ferrero, who beat French Open champion Gaston Gaudio in the quarter-finals, began to find his rhythm midway through the first set, pressuring the Davydenko serve in the seventh game and then breaking in the ninth to go 5-4 up.
The Russian broke back in the following game with a fine backhand pass and earned himself a set point at 6-5 only to see Ferrero produce brilliant baseline defence as he held his serve.
Ferrero piled on the pressure to win the tiebreak 7-1 and then took a 3-0 lead at the start of the second set.
Davydenko crumbled under the pressure and was forced into a string of errors. Ferrero rattled through the second set to earn himself a place in his first final since Rotterdam in February 2004.
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Post by Brinyi on Apr 28, 2005 13:33:55 GMT -5
Spain's Juan Carlos Ferrero gestures to Carlos Moya, also from Spain, during their Estoril Open second round tennis match Thursday, April 28 2005, in Oeiras, outside Lisbon, Portugal.
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Post by Francine on Apr 29, 2005 10:32:08 GMT -5
Snubbed Ferrero Considers Return to QualifyingBy Barnaby Chesterman 2 hours, 26 minutes ago ESTORIL (Reuters) - Former world number one Juan Carlos Ferrero may have to take part in qualifying for an ATP tour event for the first time since 1999 as part of his build-up for the French Open. After losing a tight three-setter to top seed Carlos Moya in the second round of the Estoril Open claycourt event, Ferrero said qualifying might be his only option to get some match practice before Paris next month. The 2003 Roland Garros winner was denied a wildcard for the Masters series in Rome next week and is still waiting to hear after applying for the Hamburg Masters the week after. "I definitely won't play in Rome and if I want to play in Hamburg, maybe I will have to do qualifying," the Spaniard said aft,er losing to Moya. "I thought they were going to give me wildcards in both tournaments but they didn't. "For sure it's not good for me to be missing two Masters tournaments but I haven't played qualifying for a long time. I don't know yet what I'm going to do." Get over yourself Senor Ferrero, playing quallies won't kill you. Just three more matches against guys you probably would've lost to last year.After a brilliant 2003 in which he became world number one and won the French Open as well as reaching the US Open final, Ferrero suffered from injury and illness in 2004. He dropped out of the top 30 for the first time in five years and has spent 2005 trying to regain his form. This month he reached the Monte Carlo Masters semi-finals and lost in the Barcelona final to man-of-the-moment Rafael Nadal last week. news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20050429/sp_nm/atp_estoril_ferrero_dc_2
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Post by TennisHack on May 11, 2005 13:33:28 GMT -5
Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain in action during his match against Marat Safin of Russia during the Masters Series Hamburg at Rothenbaum on May 11, 2005 in Hamburg, Germany. (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Bongarts/Getty Images) Juan Carlos Ferrero from Spain serves during his match against Marat Safin from Russia at the ATP Masters Series tennis tournament in Hamburg, northern Germany, on Wednesday, May 11, 2005. (AP Photo/Fabian Bimmer) Tennis player Juan Carlos Ferrero from Spain returns a ball during his match against Marat Safin from Russia at the ATP Masters Series tournament in Hamburg, northern Germany, on Wednesday, May 11, 2005. (AP Photo/Fabian Bimmer) Juan Carlos Ferrero from Spain celebrates after his match against Russia's Marat Safin at the second round of the ATP Masters tennis tournament in Hamburg, northern Germany, on Wednesday, May 11, 2005. Ferrero won the match 4-6, 6-4 and 6-2. (AP Photo/Christof Stache)
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Post by Francine on May 28, 2005 13:04:42 GMT -5
Well Juan Carlos played good, but Marat played better, soit. Today's loss is a lot easier to take than last year's. And his interview isn't as whiny either Day 6 - Juan Carlos Ferrero Saturday, May 28, 2005 Q. Very, very few points decided this match today because three sets were so close. Thinking about the match now, is there anything you could have done different? JUAN CARLOS FERRERO: Well, I think that I could make it the chance that I had in the first set with 5‑3, and the second as well with 3‑Love and 4‑1. So I had many chances to could win that two sets. But finally was too close and was 7‑6, 7‑5 for him. So, you know, was very tough to record. But, anyway, I fight until the final, you know, and I think that I had my chance in the fourth with a break as well to get the set. But, you know, sometimes when you don't get the chances, finally you go to the shower losing. Q. That's the 10th time you've played him now. Marat said it's turning into the classic rivalry between you two. How do you assess his form compared to when you played him before? JUAN CARLOS FERRERO: Well, today he surprised me physically. He was really, really good physically in the court. Doing a lot of rallies with me, you know. He didn't look so tired. So, you know, he fighted until the end, as me. And, you know, he did better than me at the tiebreak. So I think was one of the chances. Q. You were champion, a year later you weren't fit enough to properly defend your title. You're clearly on your way back now. How far away from your peak do you think you still are? JUAN CARLOS FERRERO: Well, I don't know. Is difficult to say, you know. Every year is different, is very difficult to compare. But today I was not 100% in my tennis. I fight until the end, and I played really good points. But I think I didn't play my best tennis. But anyway, physically, I was feeling so good in the court. I was running so well, so fast. So, you know, the tennis will come along in the next weeks. I expect to get a good result in the next weeks. Q. Do you think, therefore, following my colleague's question, that you are near to the form when you were champion? JUAN CARLOS FERRERO: Again, it's really difficult to compare. It's really difficult, you know. That time I won every matches in three sets, less two. So, you know, that time I played seeded in third round, but less dangerous than Safin. You know, here, in third round against Safin, you know, you have to be 100% to win. So it's really different years to compare. It's not easy. Q. If you remember, Marat wasn't very happy in Hamburg a few weeks ago. JUAN CARLOS FERRERO: Uh‑hmm. Q. Have you spoken to each other much since then? JUAN CARLOS FERRERO: Not too much. Not too much. Q. How do you see the rest of the tournament in the men's draw? Do you have a favorite, do you think, for the tournament? If so, who is it? JUAN CARLOS FERRERO: Well, you know, Nadal is favorite, of course. You know, he is playing so good. Physically, so strong. Coria is playing so well as well. Federer and Moya, we'll see, because, you know, it's very tough match to say. And, you know, Gaudio. It's very open this year. It's very difficult to say. THE MODERATOR: Spanish questions, please. Q. You talked about missed opportunities. Do you think this was because you didn't play them well enough or because Marat was playing too well? JUAN CARLOS FERRERO: I don't think I made that many mistakes. I think we made about the same number. But Marat puts a lot of pressure. And when he's taking the initiative, it's very difficult to pass him. Every time I had an opportunity, 5‑4, 4‑1, he really resisted from a psychological point of view. Maybe I could have insisted a little bit more, and insisted on my forehand, but he was bringing in some backhands crosscourt and I couldn't take the initiative. I really had to wait for an opportunity, wait for an opening, and try to attack as soon as I could. In any case, I think that he played very well in the critical moments. Q. You played a wonderful match, but you just didn't win it. JUAN CARLOS FERRERO: Yes, I played well. But I think my tennis wasn't 100%. It was a good match, with very good shots on both sides. And I'm not, of course, entirely satisfied because physically speaking, I felt 100% fit. I think that I could have perhaps gone further in this tournament. During the first two sets I had a lot of opportunities to win those two sets. And then I would have had a good opportunity to win the match if I had won those two sets. Q. What were the differences between this match and the match in Hamburg? JUAN CARLOS FERRERO: Well, Hamburg, I think the difference was that the balls are very heavy and he was trying to strike too hard and he made too many unforced errors. Today he had more patience and he had very good moments. I think it was quite different from that point of view. Q. Juan Carlos, this match after what you lived throughout the last year, has it given you more confidence? Do you think that you're back at the top? JUAN CARLOS FERRERO: Well, I think I didn't need this match to know that I was back in good shape. I've had good victories. I think I have demonstrated that I'm back at the top. Q. What do you think were the most difficult points, the point where really the match was decided? JUAN CARLOS FERRERO: It's very difficult to give a few points. Maybe I should have attacked more on the forehand. But in any case, that was a bit risky, and I would have taken the risk of making unforced errors. But I did have difficulties. We had a side wind, and I think it was difficult for both of us. Q. He seems to have improved his concentration from a psychological point of view. JUAN CARLOS FERRERO: I think that when he is playing a difficult match, he can concentrate really well. He was very concentrated today and very calm on the difficult moments, such as the third set where he was feeling a bit tired all of a sudden. I think that we both made an effort. I was trying to play my best tennis, but it doesn't always work out that way. Q. Over the next few days, do you think you can focus more on the fact that you're back in good shape, or that you missed an opportunity going forward in this tournament? JUAN CARLOS FERRERO: Well, obviously, in a tournament like this it's always nice to go far. But when you're facing Safin third round, you can lose. It's complicated. I've played well, and I lost. But normally, this doesn't happen to me when I'm playing well. But then it's Safin, and we know that when he's playing well, he has fabulous shots. Q. Could you tell us a little bit more about Nadal? You said in English that he was your favorite. Do you think that overall the situation is one that he can go through, or that he is going to be affected by the pressure? > JUAN CARLOS FERRERO: I think he has a lot of experience. He played the final in the Davis Cup. I don't think the pressure is any different from a Grand Slam tournament. The difference is that on one hand you play two matches, and on the other hand you play seven. But if things go his way, obviously, he's a favorite. If he continues to win matches in three sets ‑ because, obviously, five sets, it's always a bit more difficult, you can always have a problem ‑ but I can see that he's very fit and he's playing very well. Q. What are you going to do next? Are you going to play a tournament before Wimbledon? JUAN CARLOS FERRERO: I don't know. I have to think about it. I might play some, yes.
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Post by Francine on Jun 13, 2005 10:31:06 GMT -5
I'm going to post a permanent link to this girl's livejournal here, because she draws hilarious stuff. I think I already posted some of Donde here before www.livejournal.com/users/mbp12
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Post by Francine on Jun 26, 2005 4:09:58 GMT -5
Ferrero the dangerous floater no longer in a sea of mediocrityJames Corrigan at Wimbledon 26 June 2005 Of all the dangerous floaters left in the men's draw none bears fins as sharp or as noticeable as those of Juan Carlos Ferrero. They will have to be, mind you, for tomorrow he plays Roger Federer in the fourth round. And nature's greatest predators don't get any more great or any more whiter than white than that. Ferrero, however, rather than tiptoe warily into the nerve-infested environs of Centre Court, will fairly skip in there, splashing around in the joy of it all. Because the depths to which this Spanish 25-year-old has sunk, only too recently, has things that can bite 10 times more fiercely: namely desperation, frustration, and, most painful of all, self-doubt. Actually, in the true sense of the word, thanks to a system here that now all but hands seedings out free with a glass of lemon barley, Ferrero is not a floater at all. But when you've been No 1 in the world not even two years ago, then being down at 23 sure feels like it. Especially when in the time it takes to contract chickenpox, shake it off and then suffer back, rib, knee and wrist injuries after falling over, some young upstart has come and nicked your status as "finest Spanish player". Witnessing the rise of Rafael Nadal in the last year or so has been one of many bad times to have blighted Ferrero since September 2003, when the then French Open champion acceded to the pinnacle of the men's game. As he sat then, atop the world, he wasn't to know what about to befall him in 2004 when his world, not to mention his ranking, was to turn upside down. First came shooting pains up his legs, followed swiftly by the debilitating viral infection and then the injuries that spiralled him down all the way to No 90 in the world. "The difficult moments were when I knew that I had the chickenpox and that it would take two or three months to recover," he said. "I had to start again physically because the virus left me at zero per cent. When I started to come back I broke a few things when I fell on court and that was another two months out. Those five months were pretty difficult for me. I have a lot of confidence in me that I will be the same Juan Carlos as I was before." He certainly looked like the old Juan Carlos to Florian Mayer on No 1 Court yesterday, although not when the match began. Indeed, the unfortunate German must have believed he was on the brink of a big scalp when racing through the first set in 23 minutes, but he was then left tearing his own hair out when his opponent reeled off the next three in 86 minutes flat. On his day - and this was his day - Ferrero is control and elegance personified; this long-limbed, elegant individual covers the court in the blink of an eye, reaching balls that should really be unreachable with humbling ease. Well, Mayer felt humble anyway as he was dragged into a fight from the baseline that was only ever going to have one victor. After having the tactics dictated to him in the first set, Ferrero suddenly remembered who he was - or at least who he had once been - by coming into the net just twice in the second and third (two winners) as he completely altered the shape of the match with the force of giddying groundstrokes that found the back of the court with unerring accuracy and impressive depth. To say Mayer, who reached last year's quarter-finals here, was at a loss to find a way out of this trap was an understatement. Florian was utterly flummoxed. "Gawwwwd," he said at one (lost) point in the fourth set as the game slipped away from him. "I was good today - eventually," said Ferrero, after giving yet more weight to the ever-burgeoning theory that the Wimbledon of the new century is nowhere as near as unfriendly as it once was to slow-court specialists. "But I came here with a lot of confidence because for the first time I had the opportunity to play a tournament on grass before Wimbledon. At Halle I won two important matches against specialist players on grass. That brought me here on a high." And he is certain to stay there, despite the imposing figure of Federer bearing down on him. "Well, Roger is playing so good on this surface and he's winning almost everything that he's entering. But I'm playing well here and I go in with a lot of motivation. The last time I played him on a hard court [in Dubai] I had two match points against him. So, you know, if I play good I have a chance to put up a good fight." The resulting first Wimbledon quarter-final would not only eclipse his previous best finish here - the fourth round two years ago - but also hurtle his ranking towards his hardly surprising mission. "Do I expect to return to No 1 one day?" he asked. "Yeah, why not? I've done it once, I can do it again. This year, I expect to get into the top 10 or top 12, something like that. Once there, well..." Federer is in Ferrero's sights, both short-term and long-term. sport.independent.co.uk/tennis/story.jsp?story=649706
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Post by TennisHack on Aug 9, 2005 20:29:04 GMT -5
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Post by Kiro on Aug 9, 2005 20:38:54 GMT -5
How I miss ST :cry: I don't like Head's clothes. He's got a racquet contract with Head...don't know if the contract's going to cover clothes and shoes too...? What kind of shoes is he wearing? Hmm...I wonder if Hewitt's going to wear Yonex
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Post by TennisHack on Aug 9, 2005 20:44:12 GMT -5
I'm hoping it's a temporary measure. I have no idea why ST would want to let him go...
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Post by TennisHack on Aug 9, 2005 20:47:18 GMT -5
He's off their official site. Weird! ST was so classy, went right with his image Hope he doesn't go back to Nike
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Post by Kiro on Aug 9, 2005 20:51:01 GMT -5
I'm hoping it's a temporary measure. I have no idea why ST would want to let him go... I hope so too. Don't know who will be ST's next image...Nobody could compare to him at this, IMO. Well, the 4 year contract start from 2001, after 2000 DC finals, so it's about to end this year. I was hoping they stick to each other...too bad they didn't.
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Post by TennisHack on Aug 9, 2005 20:57:45 GMT -5
It's weird that they called it quits in the middle of the season, though. Hmm.
They don't have any big names on the men's side without him. They have Robredo, and the the Italians, and the Rochus bros...Damn!
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Post by Kiro on Aug 9, 2005 21:03:30 GMT -5
He's off their official site. Weird! ST was so classy, went right with his image Hope he doesn't go back to Nike Hmm...interesting. Talking about those brands... Nike: keeping: Federer, Nadal, Moya/top women, including Serena, Sharapova, Davenport, Momo, Myskina, etc. lost: Hewitt, AA got: ? Adidas: keeping: Safin, Coria, Srichaphan, Bryans, etc. / Justine lost: ? got: AA Fila: keeping: (Rainer? Scud? BTW where're they on the ranking now? )?? /Klijsters? lost ? got: ? Reebok: keeping: Andreev / Venus lost: Roddick got: ? Lacoste: keeping: Frenchies lost: ? got: Roddick Yonex: keeping: Nalby, Pimpim? lost: ? got: ? So ST's gonna have Robredo as their highest ranked star?
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Post by TennisHack on Aug 10, 2005 0:25:32 GMT -5
Fila: keeping: (Rainer? Scud? BTW where're they on the ranking now? )?? /Klijsters? lost ? got: ? Fila's supposedly getting out of the business of having the big stars. They might sponsor some juniors but don't have many big stars. They have Kim and Kuznetsova as their biggest women stars, but most of their sponsorees are no-names. I don't think Venus is under contract with them anymore. Dementieva, Maleeva for the women. They'll probably get Potatoman, it seems nobody else wants him And Volandri, lucky them!
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