Don't write off Juan Carlos Ferrero when the China Open begins next month – the man they call "the Mosquito" has spent much of his career proving the critics wrong.
As a teenager, he enjoyed only moderate success on the junior circuit and most tennis observers felt he lacked the size and strength to make his way up the professional ranks. Ferrero has since racked up 11 ATP titles.
After three heartbreaking losses at the French Open – twice in the semi-finals and once in the final – people wondered if he had the mental strength to win a Grand Slam. He responded by lifting the trophy at Roland Garros last year.
Being Spanish and a baseliner, he was quickly labelled as a clay court specialist – but several of his titles have come on hardcourts and he was runner-up at the 2003 US Open.
People who doubt Ferrero give little credit to his determination and fighting ability. "I want to be remembered as one of the best players in history and that is why I am working so hard," he says. "I believe in myself all the time. I want to show people that I'm not just a clay court player. I believe I can play well on grass, on hardcourts and also indoors. I think I'm showing that to everybody."
Ferrero was a sensation during his first year on the ATP Tour in 1999. He reached the semi-finals in Casablanca in his first career ATP event and six months later claimed his first title with a victory over compatriot Alex Corretja in Mallorca.
The experienced Corretja was convinced he had just lost to a budding superstar. "I am completely impressed with this guy," he said. "Juan Carlos is an unbelievably good player. The good thing is that he is even a better guy than a player and that is really important. He didn't show any nerves or anything. He is going to be really good and he is heading for the top 10, for sure."
Corretja was right. Ferrero finished 1999 ranked number 43, a staggering 302-position improvement from the previous season, and was named "ATP Newcomer of the Year"
Ferrero might not have won a title in 2000 – he was runner-up in Barcelona and Dubai – but he achieved something even more memorable when he led Spain to its first ever Davis Cup title, beating Patrick Rafter and Lleyton Hewitt in his singles matches as the Australians were defeated 3-1.
"It is a dream come true," a joyous Ferrero said following his Cup-clinching win over Hewitt, while the watching King Juan Carlos of Spain told him it was one of the best victories he had ever seen.
Ferrero's exploits were making the world of tennis sit up and take notice. Even the outspoken John McEnroe – a notoriously stern judge of emerging talent – was impressed. "Ferrero has got a chance at going a long, long way," said the three-time Wimbledon champion. "This guy could be the best Spanish player ever. That's saying something."
Then the silverware really started rolling in. Ferrero captured four titles in 2001, two in 2002 and four last year, including the French Open. "Every year you gain more experience and you feel a bit better," he said.
"You're able to know what to do whenever you come up against a difficult situation. You know how to make a point. If you can, you know how to relax on the court, and how to be under less stress. I think you approach your game in a better way."
His successes in 2003 saw him lead the ATP Champions Race and he seemed destined to end the year with the number one ranking, only for Andy Roddick and Roger Federer to edge past him in the final weeks of the season.
His good friend Carlos Moya – another contender for the China Open crown – says Ferrero is one of his toughest opponents. "The thing is, I don't feel Juan Carlos has a weak point where I can attack him," says Moya. "He is really difficult to play against. You try to make as many winners as you can, but the ball keeps coming back. He runs so fast, he has a great forehand and his backhand is pretty strong as well."
It was Ferrero's stunning run to last year's US Open final that removed once and for all any doubts that he was a man for all surfaces. Forced to play on four successive days at rain-plagued Flushing Meadow, he saw off Todd Martin in the fourth round, Hewitt in the quarter-finals and Andre Agassi in the semis before coming up short against an inspired Roddick.
"At the beginning of the tournament, I didn't expect to be in the final," Ferrero reflected afterwards. "But, you know, I have been working towards this level, to be able to take on and beat big players like Martin, Hewitt and Agassi on the hardcourts.
"I am a little bit sad to have lost the final, but I think I did a great job over the two weeks. I learned that I can play pretty good tennis on a hardcourt and I can play against everybody."
Ferrero should be perfectly at home during the inaugural China Open. The star-studded tournament, to be held from September 10-26 at the new Beijing Tennis Centre, will be played on medium-pace hardcourts.
"I have had great results on clay but I have also done very well on hardcourts," he says. "I am at the stage in my career where I feel that I can play great tennis on both clay and hardcourts.
"I am very excited about coming to play at the China Open. I am sure it will become a very significant tournament and I would like very much to be the first person in history to win it. The atmosphere will be electrifying and I'm looking forward to playing my best tennis for the people of China."
The China Open will be held in the 2008 Olympic City at the newly built state-of-art Beijing Tennis Center featuring a 10,000-seat Center Court and an additional 15 match courts. The Tournament includes competitions for ATP and WTA players, ITF junior players in singles, doubles and mixed doubles.
The China Open aims to become Asia's premier sports event and the leading event in China's preparations for the 2008 Olympics and will be televised nationwide by CCTV for over 150 hours. Ticket sales were launched in late July under very strong demand from fans. It features the world's best ATP players including ATP's former French Open champions Juan Carlos Ferrero, Carlos Moya, former US Open champion Marat Safin, top 10 stars David Nalbandian and Rainer Schuettler and Asian number one Paradorn Srichaphan and Dominik Hrbaty, Taylor Dent, Younes El Aynaoui, Hicham Arazi, Sjeng Schalken and many others. The women's field includes China's new tennis star Zheng Jie, newly crowned Queen of Wimbledon and Princess of tennis Maria Sharapova, WTA top 10 Kuznetsova, Zvonareva and fourteen-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams and famous Serbia player Jelena Dokic.
(www.chinaopen.cn September 10, 2004)
