 Ferrero in June 2011 | |
| Full name | Juan Carlos Ferrero Donat |
|---|---|
| Country (sports) |  Spain |
| Born | (1980-02-12)12 February 1980 (age 45) Ontinyent, Spain |
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) |
| Turned pro | 1998 |
| Retired | 2012 |
| Plays | Right-handed (two-handed backhand) |
| Prize money | $13,992,895 |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 479–262 (64.6%) |
| Career titles | 16 |
| Highest ranking | No.1 (8 September 2003) |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Australian Open | SF (2004) |
| French Open | W (2003) |
| Wimbledon | QF (2007,2009) |
| US Open | F (2003) |
| Other tournaments | |
| Tour Finals | F (2002) |
| Olympic Games | QF (2000) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 6–24 (20.0%) |
| Career titles | 0 |
| Highest ranking | No. 198 (3 February 2003) |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| Australian Open | 1R (2004,2005) |
| Wimbledon | 1R (2002,2003) |
| US Open | 1R (2006) |
| Team competitions | |
| Davis Cup | W (2000,2004,2009) |
| Coaching career(2017–) | |
Juan Carlos Ferrero Donat (Spanish pronunciation:[xwaŋˈkaɾlosfeˈreɾoðoˈnat];[a] born 12 February 1980) is a Spanish former professionaltennis player and coach. He was ranked as theworld No. 1 in men's singles by theAssociation of Tennis Professionals (ATP). Ferrero won 16ATP Tour-level singles titles, including the2003 French Open and fourMasters events. He was also runner-up at the2002 French Open and2003 US Open. He was nicknamed "El Mosquito" for his speed and slender physical build.[1] Ferrero retired from the sport in 2012.[2] Since his playing career, he has coachedAlexander Zverev and currently coachesCarlos Alcaraz.
Nicknamed Juanki, JC, and "El Mosquito", Ferrero began playing tennis at age seven with his father, Eduardo Ferrero Micó (1943–2022), who often traveled with him.[3][4][5] He has two sisters, Ana and Laura. He has cited his mother, Rosario, who died of cancer when he was sixteen, as his inspiration throughout his tennis career.[6] Ferrero married Eva Alonso in Valencia in July 2015.[7] They had their first child, a daughter, in September 2014, and they have had two more children since.[8][9]
In July 2007, Ferrero bought an old cottage inBocairent, south of Valencia, and refurbished it into the "Hotel Ferrero", which features 12 luxury suites.[10] He used to be a joint owner of theValencia Open tournament along with fellow tennis playerDavid Ferrer. He currently serves as CEO and director of theFerrero Tennis Academy inAlicante,Villena, where he himself was trained.
Born inOntinyent, Ferrero came to prominence in 1998 when he made the final of the Junior French Open, losing toFernando González. He finished the year ranked as the No. 17 junior. He then made his professional debut in 1998 by reaching the finals of his first Futures tournament in Italy. He won two Futures events in Spain, and ended the year ranked No. 345.
Ferrero made his ATP main draw debut at theGrand Prix Hassan II as a qualifier, where he reached the semi-finals. He followed this up by winning a Challenger event in Naples. He then received a wildcard at theBarcelona Open, where he reached the third round, losing toCarlos Moyá. He reached back–to–back finals at his next two tournaments, after which he debuted in the top 100 at No. 95. He reached his fourth Challenger final of the year at Graz, where he lost toTomáš Zíb.[11] He then played at theAustrian Open, where he earned his first top 20 win in the second round against No. 15Tommy Haas, before losing in the quarterfinals. He made his Grand Slam debut at theUS Open in August, losing to ninth seededGreg Rusedski in the first round. The following month, at just his fifth Tour-level event, he won his first career title at theMajorca Open, which propelled him from No. 68 to 47. He ended the year at No. 43 and won theATP Newcomer of the Year award.
Ferrero began the year at theAuckland Open, where he made the quarterfinals. He reached the third round in hisAustralian Open debut, where he was defeated byYounes El Aynaoui in a tight five–setter. InDubai, he earned his first top 10 win over 9th-rankedNicolás Lapentti in the second round, before losing toNicolas Kiefer in the final. He backed this up with a semifinal at theFranklin Templeton Tennis Classic, which he lost to AustralianLleyton Hewitt. He lost his first matches atIndian Wells toMichael Chang and inMiami toGeorge Bastl. He then represented Spain at theDavis Cup for the first time, where he won of both his matches.
During the European clay season, Ferrero made back–to–back quarterfinals at theEstoril Open and theMonte Carlo Open, his first Masters quarterfinal. He lost toNicolás Lapentti andGastón Gaudio respectively. He made it to his second final of the year at theBarcelona Open, which he lost toMarat Safin. By doing so, Ferrero entered the top 20 for the first time, ranked No. 18. Ferrero only made the third round of theItalian Open, where he lost toMariano Puerta, and the second round of theGerman Open, where he lost toAndrei Pavel. He bounced back by reaching the semifinals of his firstFrench Open after defeating No. 10Àlex Corretja, before losing to the eventual championGustavo Kuerten in five sets. He chose not to compete atWimbledon.
At theUS Open, Ferrero reached the fourth round but lost in straight sets to eventual championMarat Safin. He represented Spain at theOlympics in Sydney, where he reached the quarterfinals, losing to France'sArnaud di Pasquale. He then suffered losses in the first match at his next four events: inVienna toRichard Krajicek, inToulouse toMagnus Gustafsson, at theSwiss Indoors toRichard Krajicek, and at theStuttgart Masters toYounes El Aynaoui. The drought ended when he reached the semifinals of theParis Masters, where he lost once again to eventual champion Safin. Ferrero lost in the first round of theStockholm Open toAdrian Voinea. Ferrero then played for Spain in the Davis Cup final against Australia. He won both his matches againstPatrick Rafter andLleyton Hewitt, leading Spain to their first Davis Cup title.[12] Although Ferrero did not win any titles in 2000, his performances in the slam tournaments helped him end the year ranked No. 12.[13]
Ferrero began the year poorly, suffering three consecutive losses. This streak began with a second round loss at theAustralian Open to AustralianAndrew Ilie in five sets, followed by losses at theDavis Cup to DutchRaemon Sluiter, in five sets, and in the first round atRotterdam toIvan Ljubičić. Ferrero bounced back with a title win inDubai, where he upset World No. 5Magnus Norman in the quarterfinals before defeatingMarat Safin in the final. He suffered a first round loss atIndian Wells in three tie–break sets toNicolás Massú, and a fourth round loss toGastón Gaudio inMiami.
Ferrero began the European clay season by winning theEstoril Open in an all–Spanish final, defeatingFélix Mantilla. With this win he became No. 9 in the world, his first entry into the top ten. Ferrero then suffered an early exit at the second round of theMonte Carlo Masters toGalo Blanco. He recovered by winning two tournaments in a row: theBarcelona Open, where he defeatedCarlos Moyá, and theRome Masters, where he defeatedGustavo Kuerten. This was Ferrero's first win over a No. 1-ranked opponent, and his first Masters title. Ferrero made it to a third consecutive final at theHamburg Masters, which he lost toAlbert Portas. He reached the semifinals at theFrench Open for the second consecutive year after defeatingLleyton Hewitt in straight sets. He then lost to No. 1 seed, defending champion, and eventual champion Kuerten in straight sets. Ferrero then played his firstWimbledon, where he reached the third round before losing to Britain'sGreg Rusedski in straight sets.
Ferrero reached the finals atGstaad, where he lost toJiří Novák. He lost toNicolás Lapentti in the quarterfinals of theAustrian Open, and toPatrick Rafter in the quarterfinals of theCanada Masters. Ferrero's results in the US were disappointing: he lost toHicham Arazi in the second round ofCincinnati, and was upset by compatriotTommy Rebredo in a tight five setter in the third round of theUS Open. Ferrero then helped hisDavis Cup team get back to the World Group stage by defeating Uzbekistan'sOleg Ogorodov. He made the quarterfinals of theSalem Open, where he lost toRainer Schüttler, and ofLyon, where he lost toYounes El Aynaoui. Ferrero then lost in the first round of theStuttgart Masters, toThomas Enqvist and theSt. Petersburg Open, toRainer Schüttler. At the final Masters event of the year inParis, he lost to Arazi in the third round. Ferrero qualified for theTennis Masters Cup. In the round robin stage, he lost toYevgeny Kafelnikov, but defeatedGustavo Kuerten andGoran Ivanišević to advance to the semifinals. In the semis, he lost to eventual championLleyton Hewitt. He finished the year ranked World No. 5.[14]
Ferrero missed the 2002 Australian Open due to bursitis in his right knee.[15] He instead started his year at theMilan Indoor, where he was upset by eventual championDavide Sanguinetti in the second round. Ferrero represented Spain in itsDavis Cup tie against Morocco, where he won againstHicham Arazi but lost toYounes El Aynaoui. He made his first quarterfinal of the year at theOpen 13, where he was upset by No. 99Cédric Pioline. AtRotterdam, Ferrero lost his opening match against eventual championNicolas Escudé. As the defending champion inDubai, he retired in his second-round match 1–2 down against El Aynaoui with a pulled abductor. Ferrero's form continued to dip as he suffered more early exits: in the first round ofIndian Wells againstGreg Rusedski, in the third round ofMiami againstAdrian Voinea, and in the second round of theEstoril Open againstDavid Nalbandian.
Ferrero bounced back at theMonte Carlo Masters, where he earned his first top-10 wins of the year againstTommy Haas andSébastien Grosjean, before defeatingCarlos Moyá in straight sets to clinch the title. However, Ferrero was unable to keep his form. He lost toAlberto Martín at the third round atBarcelona, toIvan Ljubičić in the second round ofRome, and toAlberto Costa in the first round ofHamburg. Due to this bad run of results, Ferrero fell out of the top 10 for the first time in a year. At the2002 French Open, Ferrero reached his first Grand Slam final, after upsetting No. 4Andre Agassi in four sets and No. 2Marat Safin in straight sets. Despite being the strong favourite, Ferrero lost to Alberto Costa in four sets. His foot was injured during the tournament, but he played through it with the aid of some cortisone shots.
Ferrero lost early atWimbledon to 98th-ranked AmericanJeff Morrison in straight sets. He reached the finals at theGenerali Open, where he lost toÀlex Corretja. He made it to the semifinals of theCincinnati Masters, where he lost to eventual championCarlos Moyá. At theUS Open, Ferrero lost in the third round toFernando González. He won his second title of the year in Hong Kong, avenging his recent loss to Moyá by beating him in the final. Ferrero then lost in the quarterfinals of theMadrid Masters toAndre Agassi, and the semifinals of theSwiss Indoors toFernando González. Ferrero again qualified to play theTennis Masters Cup. In the round robin stage, Ferrero recorded a loss againstRoger Federer but wins overAndre Agassi andJiří Novák to advance to the semifinals. He defeated compatriotCarlos Moyá to advance to the final, which he lost to World No. 1Lleyton Hewitt. Ferrero ultimately finished the year ranked No. 4.[16]
Ferrero made a strong start to 2003 by reaching the finals of theSydney International, where he lost toHyung-Taik Lee. He went on to reach the quarter–finals of theAustralian Open, where he lost toWayne Ferreira. Ferrero once again represented Spain atDavis Cup in a tie against Belgium, where he won both of his matches, defeatingChristophe Rochus andKristof Vliegen. Ferrero then entered theRotterdam Open, but was forced to retire with a sprained ankle in the quarterfinals againstRaemon Sluiter. Ferrero lost in the round-of-32 at the next two Masters events,Indian Wells andMiami, toBrian Vahaly andMarcelo Ríos respectively. At the quarterfinals of the Davis Cup, where Spain was drawn against Croatia, Ferrero won his only match againstMario Ančić.
Ferrero won his first title of the year as defending champion at theMonte Carlo Masters, where he defeatedGuillermo Coria. Ferrero reached the semifinals inBarcelona, where he lost toMarat Safin. He also reached the semifinals of the2003 Rome Masters, but retired againstRoger Federer with a shoulder injury. Ferrero won theValencia Open, without losing a set, defeatingChristophe Rochus in the final. Ferrero then won his first and only slam tournament at the2003 French Open, defeating surprise finalistMartin Verkerk in straight sets.[17]
Ferrero reached the 4th round of Wimbledon, where he lost toSébastien Grosjean in four sets. He reached back–to–back quarterfinals at theGenerali Open, where he lost toMariano Zabaleta, and at theIdea Prokom Open, where he lost toLuis Horna. He lost early at bothCanada andCincinnati. At the2003 US Open, Ferrero's good form at the majors continued: he eliminated both former world No. 1s and US Open championsLleyton Hewitt andAndre Agassi in four sets. He then lost toAndy Roddick in straight sets in the final. This result nonetheless saw Ferrero seize the No. 1 ranking from Agassi.[18] Ferrero then represented Spain once again at the Davis Cup, this time against Argentina. He defeatedGastón Gaudio, losing only four games, but lost toAgustín Calleri in straight sets. In Bangkok, Ferrero played for the first time in individual competition as World No. 1 and reached the final, which he lost toTaylor Dent. Ferrero took his next title at theMadrid Masters by defeatingNicolás Massú in straight sets. This was his first hard–court Masters title. Ferrero was presented with the Spanish "National Sportsman of the Year" award byKing Juan Carlos.
Soon afterwards, however, Ferrero embarked on a six-match losing streak. He lost in the third round of theParis Masters toJiří Novák. At theTennis Masters Cup, he lost all three of his round robin matches againstDavid Nalbandian,Andre Agassi, andRoger Federer. Representing Spain in the Davis Cup final against Australia, he lost both his matches in five sets, againstLleyton Hewitt andMark Philippoussis. Ferrero ended the year ranked No. 3, behindAndy Roddick andRoger Federer.
Injuries began to plague Ferrero throughout 2004, and his ranking and form dipped. Despite making theAustralian Open semifinals early in the year, where he lost toRoger Federer in straight sets, and the finals ofRotterdam, where he lost toLleyton Hewitt,chicken pox kept him out for the entire month of March.
Ferrero returned to competition at the Davis Cup in a Spanish tie against the Netherlands. He won both his matches there, defeatingRaemon Sluiter andMartin Verkerk. Ferrero then reached the semifinals of theValencia Open, where he lost toFernando Verdasco.
After a first–round loss inMonte Carlo toAlex Corretja in April, Ferrero needed another month out for rest and recuperation. On May 8, Ferrero fell during a practice session, where he injured his ribs and his right wrist. He entered theFrench Open to defend his title under–prepared, and lost in the second round toIgor Andreev in straight sets. AtWimbledon, Ferrero reached the third round before losing toRobby Ginepri in straight sets.
After Wimbledon, Ferrero failed to win back–to–back matches for the rest of the year. He lost in the first round ofGstaad toStefan Koubek, and in the first round of theCanada Masters, where he retired againstFabrice Santoro. Ferrero suffered second round exits toTommy Robredo inCincinnati, toMardy Fish at theSummer Olympics, toStefan Koubek at theUS Open, toKevin Kim at theChina Open, toDavid Ferrer at theGrand Prix de Tennis de Lyon, and toLuis Horna inMadrid. He ended the year ranked No. 31, his first time finishing outside the top 30 in five years.
In 2005, Ferrero hoped to return to the top of the game. However, he began his year with a loss toJan Hernych at theAuckland Open. At theAustralian Open, he met 6th-rankedGuillermo Coria in the round-of-32 and lost 6-3, 6-2, 6-1. After this loss, Ferrero dropped to No. 64 for the first time since September 1999. Ferrero's ranking then continued to plummet, eventually hitting No. 98. He recorded a first round loss at theOpen 13 to eventual championJoachim Johansson, and second round losses at theRotterdam Open toRadek Štěpánek, at theDubai Tennis Championships toRoger Federer, and atIndian Wells toCarlos Moya. Ferrero made a decent run at theMiami Masters, but lost in the fourth round toDavid Ferrer.
At theValencia Open, Ferrero lost in the first round toRafael Nadal. He bounced back by reaching the semifinals ofMonte Carlo, where he lost toGuillermo Coria. He then upsetGastón Gaudio andNikolay Davydenko on the way to the final of theBarcelona Open, which he lost toRafael Nadal. These results pushed Ferrero back inside the top 50. He lost in the second round of theEstoril Open toCarlos Moyá. He ended the European clay season by reaching the third round of theHamburg Masters, which he lost toNikolay Davydenko, and of theFrench Open, where he lost to Marat Safin.
During grass season, Ferrero reached the quarterfinals ofHalle, where he lost toTommy Haas, and the fourth round ofWimbledon, where he lost toRoger Federer. He then returned to clay, and made back–to–back quarterfinals at theSwedish Open and theCroatia Open, losing to eventual championsRafael Nadal andGuillermo Coria. Ferrero did not fare well during the North American swing, losing in the third round ofRogers Cup toDominik Hrbatý, in the second round ofCincinnati toAndy Roddick, and in the first round of theUS Open toArnaud Clément. He bounced back by reaching the semifinals of theChina Open, which he lost to Nadal.
At theDavis Cup play–offs against Italy, Ferrero lost his first match againstAndreas Seppi after having been two sets up. However, he then won the decisive rubber againstDaniele Bracciali in straight sets to bring Spain back into the World Group. Ferrero then competed at thePalermo Open, but lost in the quarterfinal toTomas Behrend. He reached his second final of the year at theVienna Open, defeatingDavid Nalbandian andRadek Štěpánek en route before losing toIvan Ljubičić. In his last three events of the year, Ferrero lost early: toMax Mirnyi in the first round ofMadrid, toJosé Acasuso in the second round of theSwiss Indoors, and toTomáš Berdych in the third round of theParis Masters. Ferrero ended 2005 ranked No. 17.
In 2006, Ferrero once again lost his first match at theSydney International, toChris Guccione. At theAustralian Open, he lost in the third round toNicolas Kiefer in four sets. Ferrero reached his first semifinal of the year at theArgentina Open, losing to compatriotCarlos Moyá, but then lost in the first round of theBrasil Open toFlávio Saretta. At the first two masters events of the year,Indian Wells andMiami, Ferrero lost toParadorn Srichaphan in the third round andDmitry Tursunov in the second round respectively.
Ferrero began his French Open preparation at theValencia Open but lost in the first round to unseeded eventual championNicolás Almagro. At theMonte Carlo Masters, Ferrero reached the third round, where he lost to friendDavid Ferrer. He reached his second quarterfinal of the year at theBarcelona Open, losing once again to Almagro. Ferrero lost in the first round ofRome toPaul-Henri Mathieu, and in the third round ofHamburg to Ferrer. At theFrench Open, he lost in the third round toGastón Gaudio in straight sets.
Prior to Wimbledon, Ferrero made the quarterfinals of's-Hertogenbosch, where he lost toFlorent Serra. AtWimbledon, despite leading 2 sets to love againstRadek Štěpánek in the third round, he lost the match in a tight fifth set. At theSwedish Open Ferrero reached the quarterfinals, losing toJarkko Nieminen. He then lost in the first round ofUmag toAlbert Portas, and in the second round ofCanada toFernando González.
Ferrero reached his lone final of the year at theCincinnati Masters. He notched his first top 10 win of 2006 with a win overJames Blake in the second round, followed by consecutive victories against World No. 2Rafael Nadal and No. 7Tommy Robredo. This was the first time Ferrero had recorded a win over Nadal. He moved into a Masters final for the first time since 2003, which he lost toAndy Roddick in straight sets.[19]
Ferrero ended the year on a five-match losing streak, beginning with a loss in the second round of theUS Open toMarc Gicquel in straight sets. This was followed by losses inThailand toMischa Zverev, atMetz toJulien Benneteau, inVienna toJürgen Melzer, and inMadrid toRobin Söderling. He ended the year ranked No. 23.
Ferrero's 2007 season began poorly, with a first round loss at theAuckland Open toNicolás Massú and a second round loss at theAustralian Open toDanai Udomchoke. Ferrero bounced back by reaching the final of theBrasil Open, which he lost toGuillermo Cañas. He was eliminated in the round robin stage ofBuenos Aires, and the semifinals of theMexican Open, where he lost toCarlos Moyá. Ferrero reached the fourth round ofIndian Wells, where he lost toRafael Nadal (6-1, 6-1). He lost in the second round ofMiami to Cañas, and of theValencia Open toAlberto Martín. He bounced back temporarily by reaching the semifinals of theMonte Carlo Masters, where he lost toRoger Federer. However, he fell in the second rounds ofBarcelona andRome toPotito Starace andPablo Andújar respectively, and in the third rounds ofHamburg andRoland-Garros, to Federer and toMikhail Youzhny.
Despite losing in the first round of's-Hertogenbosch toCarlos Berlocq, Ferrero was able to reach the quarterfinals ofWimbledon for the first time, defeating No. 9James Blake in the third round and earning his first top 10 win of the year. While he then lost to World No. 1 Federer in four sets, this result meant Ferrero had reached the quarterfinals of all four slams. Ferrero backed this result up by reaching the quarterfinal at theStuttgart Open, which he lost toFeliciano López. He was then upset in the first round of theAustrian Open byAndreas Seppi.
Ferrero's North American swing was a disappointment. Despite making it to the third round ofCincinnati, he lost in the first round ofCanada toLleyton Hewitt, and in the first round of theUS Open toFeliciano López. He bounced back by reaching the semifinals of theVienna, losing toStanislas Wawrinka, and the third round ofMadrid, losing toNovak Djokovic. Ferrero's final match of the year was a first round loss toMarcos Baghdatis at theParis Masters. He ended the year ranked No. 24.
Ferrero made a strong start to 2008, reaching his first and last final of the year at theAuckland Open, where he lost toPhilipp Kohlschreiber. He then defeatedDavid Nalbandian to advance to the fourth round of theAustralian Open, where he lost toDavid Ferrer in four sets. Ferrero then suffered three consecutive losses: toNicolas Mahut at the second round of theOpen 13, inRotterdam toTeymuraz Gabashvili, and inDubai toAndy Roddick. He made a fourth–round appearance inIndian Wells, where Nalbandian defeated him. InMiami, Ferrero lost toTomáš Berdych in the third round, and inValencia toMarat Safin in the first round.
Ferrero reached the third round of theMonte Carlo Masters, where he lost to World No. 2Rafael Nadal in straight sets (6-4, 6-1). Less than a month later, however, Ferrero stunned Nadal in straight sets (7-5, 6-1) in the second round of theRome Masters. This was Ferrero's second career victory against Nadal in eight meetings, and ended Nadal's streak of seventeen successive match wins in Rome. It was widely publicised that Nadal had been injured during this match, despite the fact that Ferrero had also been struggling with a string of injuries.[20][21] Ferrero lost toStan Wawrinka in the next round.
Ferrero then played theFrench Open, where he won the first set of his first round match againstMarcos Daniel before retiring due to a leg injury. The next tournament he entered wasWimbledon, where he retired in the second round againstMischa Zverev due to a hamstring injury.[22] Ferrero missed the next three months of competitive play with a shoulder injury. He returned with at theChina Open where he made quarterfinals, losing to eventual championAndy Roddick. His next tournaments were theVienna Open, where he lost in the second round toJürgen Melzer, and theGrand Prix de Tennis de Lyon, where he lost in the quarterfinals toJo-Wilfried Tsonga. Ferrero ended the year ranked No. 55, his lowest year–end ranking since 1998.
Ferrero began the year badly, with early losses in the second round of theAuckland Open toPhilipp Kohlschreiber, in the first round of theBrisbane International toFlorent Serra, and in the first round of theAustralian Open toFabrice Santoro. With this string of losses, Ferrero dropped out of the top 100, for the first time in almost 10 years, falling to No. 101. However, he then reached the quarterfinals of theBrasil Open, where he lost toThomaz Bellucci, and ofBuenos Aires, where he retired againstDavid Nalbandian with a leg injury. In March, Ferrero captured his first singles title since 2003 by defeating fifth–seeded Serra in the final of theGrand Prix Hassan II inCasablanca, Morocco.[23]
Ferrero was unable to sustain this success throughout the rest of the clay court season. He lost in the first round of theBarcelona Open toIgor Kunitsyn and failed to qualify for theRome Masters. He then suffered second–round losses inPortugal toNikolay Davydenko, inMadrid toFernando Verdasco, and atRoland-Garros toPhilipp Kohlschreiber.
Ferrero launched a surprising comeback during the grass season. He reached the semifinals of theQueen's Club Championships, where he lost toAndy Murray, and the quarterfinals atWimbledon, equalling his best result there by defeating tenth seedFernando González and seventh seedGilles Simon before losing toAndy Murray in straight sets. These performances saw Ferrero climb from No. 90 to No. 37 in the span of a month. He then reached the finals of theUmag Open, where he lost 6-3, 6-0 toNikolay Davydenko.
At theWashington Open, Ferrero advanced to the third round, beatingTommy Robredo before a loss toTommy Haas.[24] Ferrero qualified to play theCanada Masters. He defeatedLleyton Hewitt in the first round in straight sets, ending Hewitt's three–match winning streak against him. He then defeated 13th seedGaël Monfils, before losing once again to Andy Murray.[25] Ferrero lost in the first round of theCincinnati Masters toMarin Čilić. He began his campaign at theUS Open by defeating Fabrice Santoro in what would be Santoro's last US Open match. In the second round, Ferrero mounted a remarkable comeback from two sets down for the third time in his career to defeatPhilipp Petzschner in five sets. Ferrero lost in the fourth round to eventual championJuan Martín del Potro in straight sets. With this result Ferrero managed to re-enter the top 20, having been ranked No. 115 just five months earlier.
At theChina Open, Ferrero lost toFernando Verdasco in the second round. He then entered theShanghai Masters, where he missed out on being seeded by one ranking spot. He was crushed in the first round by 13th seedRadek Štěpánek, winning only seven points in the second set. He also lost in the first round of theStockholm Open, toMarcos Baghdatis. Ferrero then competed in theValencia Open but was defeated byPablo Cuevas in the first round in a three–set battle, after serving for the set at 5–3 in the second set. He ended the year ranked No. 23.
Ferrero had a bad start to the 2010 season. He began the year once again at theAuckland Open, where he retired againstMichael Lammer with an injury trailing 1–3 in the second round. At theAustralian Open, Ferrero suffered a shock defeat toIvan Dodig, having been two-sets-to-love up and seemingly cruising to victory.
As first seed at theBrasil Open, Ferrero rediscovered his form. He crushedŁukasz Kubot in the final in 61 minutes, conceding one of his service games but breaking all of Kubot's to win 6-1, 6-0.[26] AtBuenos Aires, Ferrero defeated top seedDavid Ferrer in the final to take his second title in a row and extend his winning streak to ten matches. This victory also raised his ranking to No. 16. At theMexican Open in Acapulco, Ferrero defeatedDiego Junqueira,Igor Andreev, defending championNicolás Almagro andJuan Mónaco to reach his third consecutive final. He then lost toDavid Ferrer in three sets. Both players admitted that Ferrero's fatigue played a major role in the final set.[27] Following this tournament, Ferrero became World No. 14, his highest ranking since 11 October 2004.
Ferrero defeatedDaniel Köllerer in the second round ofIndian Wells to claim his first hard-court victory of the season, losing only eight points on serve. He lost toJuan Mónaco in the third round in a match that lasted over three hours. At theMiami Masters, Ferrero lost in the round of 16 toJo-Wilfried Tsonga. At theMonte Carlo Masters, he defeatedMarcel Granollers,Benjamin Becker and Tsonga before losing toRafael Nadal in straight sets in the quarterfinals. At theBarcelona Open, Ferrero was upset byThiemo de Bakker in the third round. At theRome Masters, his form continued to dip as he suffered a shock loss to qualifierSantiago Giraldo in the first round. Ferrero went into theFrench Open seeded 16th and was tipped by some to make a good run there. However, he was upset in the third round byRobby Ginepri. After coming back from a two-set deficit and being a break of serve up in the decider, he lost in the fifth set.
Ferrero's grass season was disappointing. He lost to lucky loserDominik Meffert in the first round ofHalle. His bad form continued atWimbledon, where he lost toXavier Malisse in five sets in the first round. He returned to clay at theStuttgart Open, where he lost toAlbert Montañés for the first time in six meetings in the semifinals. He was upset by Florian Mayer in the quarterfinals ofHamburg. Ferrero then won his third title of the year at theUmag Open, beatingPablo Cuevas,Alexandr Dolgopolov,Andreas Seppi, andPotito Starace in the final.
Ferrero missed theCanada andCincinnati Masters due to a knee injury. He returned to play at theUS Open, where he defeatedMartin Kližan andRicardo Mello in straight sets, but lost toJürgen Melzer in straight sets in the third round. He missed the rest of the season due to knee and wrist injuries for which he received surgery in October.[28] He therefore ended the year ranked No. 28.
In 2011, Ferrero withdrew from theAuckland Open and theAustralian Open. As the defending champion, he withdrew from theBrasil Open andBuenos Aires. He also withdrew fromMexico,Indian Wells,Miami, andMonte Carlo, as the recovery from his wrist and knee surgery took longer than expected. Ferrero made his return at theBarcelona Open, where he defeatedXavier Malisse,Mischa Zverev, andSimone Vagnozzi, but lost in the quarterfinals toNicolás Almagro. At theMadrid Open, he lost in the first round toThiemo de Bakker, after which he indicated that the end of his tennis career might be near.[29] He missed theRome Masters,French Open, andWimbledon due to the same injury, and his ranking dropped to No. 85.
Ferrero returned to competition at theStuttgart Open. There, he defeatedBastian Knittel,Mikhail Youzhny,Marcel Granollers,Federico Delbonis, and straight-settedPablo Andújar in the final to capture the title. Ferrero then went toHamburg, where he lost in the first round toCedrik-Marcel Stebe. As the defending champion inUmag, he reached the semifinals, where he lost to eventual championAlexandr Dolgopolov. He lost inCanada toErnests Gulbis and inCincinnati toFeliciano López, both in the first round.
Ferrero's next tournament was theUS Open, where he defeatedPablo Andújar in the first round in five sets. In the second round, he defeated FrenchmanGaël Monfils in an electrifying five-set match. He was drawn against Marcel Granollers in the third round, who retired in the second set of the match. In the fourth round, Ferrero lost toJanko Tipsarević in four sets. At theChina Open, Ferrero lost in the quarterfinals toJo-Wilfried Tsonga. He reached the third round at theShanghai Masters, where he was defeated byDavid Ferrer after having wasted three match points in the second set. At theValencia Open, Ferrero lost in the quarterfinals toJuan Mónaco. His final tournament of the year was theParis Masters, where he lost in the first round toNicolas Mahut. He ended the year ranked No. 50.
.jpg)
Ferrero began his 2012 season with a loss toBenoît Paire inSydney. He entered theAustralian Open, where he lost in the first round toViktor Troicki in five sets, after failing to convert a match point in the fourth. After the match, Ferrero was fined $1,500 for "audible obscenities" on court.[30]
Ferrero represented Spain in theDavis Cup for the last time in a tie against Kazakhstan, where he defeatedMikhail Kukushkin in five sets. He then played a disappointingGolden Swing, losing in the first round at all three tournaments. At theBrasil Open he lost toLeonardo Mayer, inBuenos Aires toKei Nishikori, and at theMexican Open toStan Wawrinka. Ferrero then missed three months of competition due to a wrist injury.
Ferrero returned at theMadrid Masters, where he lost in the first round to qualifierIgor Andreev. At theRome Masters, Ferrero beatKevin Anderson andGaël Monfils, his second and third wins of the year. However, in the third round, he lost toRoger Federer in three sets. Ferrero then entered theNice French Riviera Open. He beatRobin Haase after saving a match point, but lost to Brazilian qualifierThomaz Bellucci in the second round in straight sets. At the last French Open of his career, Ferrero won his first round match against French wild cardJonathan Dasnières de Veigy, before a second round loss toMarin Čilić in straight sets.
Ferrero did not play a warm-up tournament beforeWimbledon, where he lost in the first round in straight sets to defending champion and No. 1-rankedNovak Djokovic.[31] He then lost in the first round ofUmag. On September 12, Ferrero announced that he would officially retire from professional tennis after theValencia Open in October. He stated that "The Valencia Open 500 will be my last tournament, in the best possible scenario. This season injuries have prevented me from playing regularly and it was a tough year as I realised on the court that I did not have the same ambition after 14 years at the top level."[32] Ferrero played his final singles match in the first round of the Valencia Open, where he lost to fellow SpaniardNicolás Almagro in straight sets. His retirement ceremony took place at the tournament.[33]
In 2017 it was announced that Ferrero would return to the ATP Tour to play in the Barcelona doubles draw alongsidePablo Carreño Busta.[34] However, this would be his only tournament, and they lost in the first round.[35][36]
Ferrero was a key player in Spain's Davis Cup team throughout his career. He made his Davis Cup debut for Spain in a quarterfinals match-up against Russia in 2000, where he won both his matches, againstYevgeny Kafelnikov andMarat Safin, in straight sets. In the semifinals, Ferrero defeated the AmericanVince Spadea in three sets, 4–6, 6–1, 6–4. His impressive Davis Cup form continued when he defeated AustraliansPatrick Rafter andLleyton Hewitt in Barcelona, leading Spain to capture the Davis Cup for the first time.[37] Ferrero would cite this years later as the victory he was most proud of in his career.[38]
In 2001, Ferrero lost his first match againstRaemon Sluiter, losing two tiebreaks and winning one, and Spain lost its tie against the Netherlands. Ferrero made up for this loss, however, when Spain competed in the qualifying rounds for the Davis Cup World Group, where he defeatedOleg Ogorodov of Uzbekistan in straight sets. Ferrero played the Davis Cup again in 2002, where Spain lost to the United States in the quarterfinals. In 2003, Ferrero played for Spain in a tie against Belgium, where he won both of his matches againstChristophe Rochus andKristof Vliegen; in a quarterfinal against Croatia, where he won his only match againstMario Ančić; and in a semifinal against Argentina, where he defeatedGastón Gaudio, losing only four games, but lost toAgustín Calleri in straight sets. In the final against Australia, Ferrero lost both his matches, againstLleyton Hewitt andMark Philippoussis, in five sets.
In 2004, Ferrero won both of his singles matches in Spain's quarterfinal against the Netherlands, defeating Sluiter in straight sets andMartin Verkerk in five. In the semifinal against Argentina, he won his only match against Fabrice Santoro in four sets. However, Ferrero was unceremoniously dropped from Spain's line-up the day before the finals against the United States began, in favour ofRafael Nadal.[39] Ferrero told media, "It was certainly a surprise not to be picked. Physically I am at 100 percent and I have had three days of good training. Obviously I am not jumping up and down with happiness, but you have to take things as they come." Ferrero was then drafted at the last minute to play doubles alongsideTommy Robrero; they lost to American doubles specialistsBob Bryan andMike Bryan 6-0, 6-3, 6-2. Spain still managed to secure the Davis Cup for the second time, due to singles wins fromCarlos Moya and Nadal. After the tournament, Nadal denied rampant media speculation that there was bad blood between him and Ferrero: "You have to understand Juan Carlos' situation. He was the number one in world tennis and it was hard for him to accept this situation, but he understood it perfectly and everything is going very well between us."[40]
Spain lost 4-1 against Slovakia in the first round of the 2005 Davis Cup. Ferrero, who did not play the tie, was publicly critical of the team's leadership.[41] He rejoined the team for qualification play-offs that September, where he lost his first match againstAndreas Seppi, but won his second match againstDaniele Bracciali in straight sets to save Spain's place in the World Group for 2006.[42]
Ferrero did not represent Spain at the Davis Cup again until 2009, when Nadal's injury sidelined him from playing. In the quarterfinal tie against Germany, Ferrero played and won a decisive fifth rubber againstAndreas Beck in straight sets.[43] In the semifinal against Israel, Ferrero won the second rubber againstDudi Sela, 6–4, 6–2, 6–0.[44] This put Spain on track to win the Davis Cup for the second consecutive year, becoming the first nation to do so since Sweden in 1998.[45] Nadal returned in time to play in the final, meaning that Ferrero was not selected to do so. He attended all the live rubbers to support his teammates during the first two days of the Davis Cup final as a reserve player.
Ferrero returned to the Davis Cup in his capacity asCarlos Alcaraz's coach in2022 and2024, the second occasion marking the occasion of Rafael Nadal's retirement.[46][47]
In July 2017,[48] Ferrero started working as a tennis coach of then-world No. 11Alexander Zverev. Their work ended in February 2018 due to rumoured differences between them.[49]
In 2019, Ferrero began coaching sixteen-year-oldCarlos Alcaraz, a fellow Spaniard. Their partnership has to date produced seventeen tournament wins on theATP Tour, including fourGrand Slam titles - the2022 US Open, Wimbledon in2023 and2024, and the2024 French Open. Under Ferrero, Alcaraz has won fiveMasters 1000 titles:Miami andMadrid in 2022,Indian Wells and Madrid in 2023, and Indian Wells in 2024. Alcaraz also became the youngest ATP World No. 1 in Open Era history under Ferrero's coaching. Their training base is theFerrero Tennis Academy inAlicante, Villena, where Ferrero was once trained by Cascales.[50]
Ferrero was anall-court player who was recognised particularly for his powerful forehand.[51] He was also noted for his agility and high peak foot speed on court. This speed, together with his slender physical build, earned him the nickname "the Mosquito".[52] While Ferrero was best known as a clay court player during his prime, he achieved strong results on all surfaces.
Ferrero was coached by Antonio Martínez Cascales (from 1989) andSalvador Navarro (from May 2008). His fitness trainer was Miguel Maeso. He was trained by Cascales at the academy inAlicante,Villena which would eventually be renamed for, and taken over by, Ferrero.[53]
Ferrero was sponsored byNike,Sergio Tacchini,Asics, andLotto Sport Italia.[54][55] In 2010, he signed an endorsement deal withJoma.[56] In 2012, he signed withLacoste to supply his clothing. He usedPrince Sports for racquets, playing with a Prince EXO3 Tour 100 Mid+ (16x18) model, before later switching toHead.[57]
In 2024, Ferrero announced new endorsement deals for himself and his academy with Nike andBabolat.[58]
| W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | DNQ | A | NH |
| Tournament | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | SR | W–L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Open | A | 3R | 2R | A | QF | SF | 3R | 3R | 2R | 4R | 1R | 1R | A | 1R | 0 / 11 | 20–11 |
| French Open | Q1 | SF | SF | F | W | 2R | 3R | 3R | 3R | 1R | 2R | 3R | A | 2R | 1 / 12 | 34–11 |
| Wimbledon | A | A | 3R | 2R | 4R | 3R | 4R | 3R | QF | 2R | QF | 1R | A | 1R | 0 / 11 | 22–11 |
| US Open | 1R | 4R | 3R | 3R | F | 2R | 1R | 2R | 1R | A | 4R | 3R | 4R | A | 0 / 12 | 23–12 |
| Win–loss | 0–1 | 10–3 | 10–4 | 9–3 | 20–3 | 9–4 | 7–4 | 7–4 | 7–4 | 4–3 | 8–4 | 4–4 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 1 / 46 | 99–45 |
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 2002 | French Open | Clay | Albert Costa | 1–6, 0–6, 6–4, 3–6[59] |
| Win | 2003 | French Open | Clay |  Martin Verkerk | 6–1, 6–3, 6–2[60] |
| Loss | 2003 | US Open | Hard |  Andy Roddick | 3–6, 6–7(2–7), 3–6[61] |
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)Ferrero loses the last game of his career
Juan Carlos Ferrero (Achievement predecessor & successor) | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||||||||||
