Some really interesting articles and interviews translated by Ana.
Thank you so much *big hug*
Spanish Radio Interview
Note: This interview was done on a Spanish radio station the evening of Sunday, June 8 by telephone. HUGE thanks to Laura for transcribing it and sending it to the www.jcferrero.net mailing list. I also want to apologize because the exchange between Sete and Juan Carlos isn't as exact as I would have liked. There was a lot of spanish slang used by the both of them and it just didn't translate very well.
Interviewer (I): Congratulations, how are you doing right now?
Antonio Martinez Cascales (AMC): Thank you very much, well right now we have calmed down, but very happy above all.
I: Yesterday we talked about how you could plan out this match and you told us it was important that Juan Carlos Ferrero tried to break Verkerk's serve. First game, first break and from then on everything was a little easier, right?
AMC: Yes, the truth is he did exactly what he had to do and from the first game he returned very well and he dismantled the Dutchman's game.
I: It's not enough to have just one Grand Slam now, right?
AMC: No, no, we're not going to settle. Juan Carlos I believe is an ambitious person, in the good sense of the word, and I think this will help him have even more confidence in his possibilities.
I: And you have had confidence in Ferrero since he was little, how do you feel?
AMC: Well I have a feeling of happiness, but for him, because he's achieved one of his most wanted goals. [Laura's note: You can hear noises in the background. It sounds like his sisters yelling and all the people that are there at the dinner]
I: Are you still going to shave your head?
AMC: I already have it shaved.
I: You don't say?!
AMC: Yes, it was done here at the Ritz hotel. They invited us to dinner, very nice of them, and there's a patio here and Juan Carlos started to shave us all with the little electric razor.
I: Well, do you have the champion around there, Antonio??
AMC: Yes, let me get him for you.
I: Champion!
Juan Carlos Ferrero (JCF): Hello! How are you? Good evening.
I: Congratulations!
JCF: Thanks.
I: Have you had a chance to eat dinner yet?
JCF: Well, I'm trying to now, haha.
I: Because you were busy doing other things before eating your coach told us, no??
JCF: Yes, having a little fun. Cutting a little hair.
I: Are you already an expert with a razor like with a racket?
JCF: Ahh!! That's very easy!! It's much easier to cut hair, for sure.
I: So, when one wins a Grand Slam, it's all the same, no? The interviews, the pictures, how tired you are... you can put up with all of it, no?
JCF: Man you can put up with it to a certain point, but well, what motivates me most is that I've won Roland Garros and I have to celebrate it.
I: How is the Ferrero from yesterday different from the one today?
JCF: Well, today I am much calmer. Last night I was thinking about the match, focused, thinking about everything that I had to do and I really wanted to play already. Today is different in that I now have a Roland Garros.
I: Is your preparation now going to be geared more towards hard court?
JCF: Well, I think that I adapt very quickly to hard court. I've always liked to play on hard court a lot so I wouldn't mind playing on hard court again.
I: Looking back, how do you see those days when you were 16 and you lost your mother and you said that you didn't want to play tennis anymore. How do you remember that now?
JCF: Well, I don't remember it very often because it's not a good subject for me, but well, it is a memory and every time I have a victory I remember.
I: Today the dedication to the heavens was very special.
JCF: Yes, that was very clear.
I: And special for Antonio, for Miguel [Maeso, physical trainer], for Victor [Muñoz, physiotherapist] and two other friends that had to shave their heads. The one who should have shaved his head is you, no?
JCF: No, I've made too many changes and I'm good the way I am. They're the ones who made the bet and had to do it.
I: Hey, is it true that your parents spent more money on switches then on rackets?
JCF: No, now that's not how it is.
I: Then why do people say that?
JCF: It's just nonsense, a little joke, nothing special, haha.
I: Does this victory bring with it a new car?
JCF: No, not this time, no.
I: You have five I think, right?
JCF: Come on!! I have two!
I: Today we have the chance to talk to a friend of yours who you also dedicated this win to. The signature on the camera lens was for a motorcycle driver, no?
JCF: Yes, well the truth is we are very good friends, little by little we've become friends and well, we are close. I really like motorcycles and when I can, I go see him since he's a friend and one of the best drivers out there right now.
I: And today, for those that saw the Grand Prix of Italy, before the race, Sete Gibernau came out with a flyer saying: "Vamos J.C. Ferrero!!" Sete!! Good evening!!
Sete Gibernau (SG): Hello!!
I: Where have we caught you now, in Italy or here already?
SG: No, in Italy still.
I: Did you see the tennis match?
SG: Yes, of course, I've seen so much of it.
I: Did you talk with Juan Carlos already?
SG: Yes, I called him to congratulate him because he's amazing.
I: Well I think he's listening to you right now.
SG: Hey!
JCF: Duuuude!!
SG: What's going on dude? You've brightened my day, because my race has been shit, but it was worth it for yours!
JCF: Damn that sucks!! But, well... there are good days and bad days.
SG: Yeah, well, it's ok, but better luck next week. I'll see you in Barcelona right man??
JCF: Oh yeah, of course!!
SG: Come on! He makes me suffer too much!! damn!!
JCF: Nooo, and you don't do the same to me, no??? In Le Mans the other day you didn't, nooo.
SF: Hahaha. It's a shame that it coincided with one of my races this year, otherwise I would have been there!! We were so close to taking a helicopter and going over there to surprise you, but in the end we couldn't.
JCF: You dog!!
SG: Hahaha, well man, enjoy and we'll see each other next week.
JCF: Ok, we'll see each other then.
SG: Come on dude, a hug!!
JCF: Come on man, a hug!!
I: Juan Carlos, do you get vacation now?
JCF: Yes, I will be resting for a week.
I: Beach, country, mountains?
JCF: The circuits.
I: Ahh, very well. [Laura's note: You can hear Sete laughing in the background] Tonight there should be some dancing, no?
JCF: Yes, we'll go. Now we've got to celebrate.
I: A few years ago at the Petit Ases tournament you went to a party in your tracksuit and had the courage to ask Kournikova to dance. Today you are a little more dressed up, no?
JCF: Yes, today a little more. It's clear that then I didn't have much experience yet. [Laura's note: more laughing from Sete]
I: Has Anna called you to congratulate you?
JCF: Yeah man, she called me. Last year we were talking some and then this year again.
I: Oh really?
SG: Ahhhh! who called? who called?
JCF: Well, me! haha.
I: And you call her to congratulate her on her wins?
JCF: Uuuhh, yeah, except lately she hasn't had many. [Laura's note: Now they're all really laughing] I called her the other day to congratulate her because her and Enrique [Iglesias] got married.
I: I thought they said that wasn't true?
JCF: Nooo, I'm joking, I'm joking. hehe.
I: Well Juan Carlos, we'll let you enjoy your party. Have a good time!
JCF: Bye!! Bye Sete!!! Bye!
---------------------------
Original article: Spain welcomes the new "French" king Juan Carlos Ferrero from Yahoo! España
June 9, 2003
MADRID (Reuters) - Spain welcomed Juan Carlos Ferrero on Monday with compliments and honors, after the 23 year old player succeeded his countryman Albert Costa as the new king of Roland Garros.
"Juan Carlos I - King of France," proclaimed the headline of the sporting newspaper, Marca, along with a photograph of Ferrero kissing the trophy cup after his definitive victory against the Dutchman Martin Verkerk on Sunday.
Ferrero broke the much feared serve of Verkerk in the first game and gave up only one game in the first set. He won 6-1 in just 35 minutes.
Thinking ahead and playing better than his opponent, Ferrero employed all of is shots to disarm the potent Dutchman. Besides a brief struggle in the second set, there wasn't much Verkerk could do to stop the Spanish player from achieving the most comfortable win since Bjorn Borg's victory against the Argentinean Guillermo Vilas in 1978.
The victory for the Valencian against the Dutch player, who possesses a strong serve, made him the sixth Spanish player to conquer Roland Garros in men's singles and confirmed the domination of the Spanish on clay.
Royal Congratulations
Ferrero immediately received the corresponding congratulations by telegram from their Majesties the King and Queen of Spain who were on their way to Bulgaria.
"We are glad, and even though we would have liked to hug you personally, we do so from an altitude of 32,000 feet. With affection and hug," said the message sent by the King Juan Carlos I and the Queen Sofia.
For Ferrero, his first victory at a Grand Slam has helped to clear the doubts about his ability to win one of the four great tournaments of the ATP circuit.
"It's the tournament I always wanted to win, since the first time I came, at 12 years old," he said. Ferrero, who was already a favorite last year, lost then in four sets to his countryman Albert Costa. Later he fell to an inspired Lleyton Hewitt in an exciting five set match in the Masters Cup in Shanghai.
But the titles he's obtained this year in Montecarlo and Valencia have helped Ferrero gain the confidence necessary to get his most important victory to date.
Ferrero dedicated the win to his mother, whose passing away due to cancer when he was 16 years old almost made him give up tennis.
"It's for you up there," he said in some declarations obtained by TVE when he received the trophy.
"I think that she was watching from up there and in the front row," he said looking up at the sky.
----------------------------
Original article: Juan Carlos Ferrero: "It's for you mamá" from HOLA
June 9, 2003
The memory of his mother Rosario has accompanied him on all the tennis courts of the world since she passed away in 1996, the victim of a serious illness. The gesture to celebrate his victories, looking up at the sky and sending her the dedication "It's for you mamá," repeated itself again in Paris. Kneeling and full of joy, the tennis player from Onteniente dedicated to his mother the maximum triumph of his sporting career. After this nice gesture, he ran to hug his loved ones who were waiting in the stands: his father, his sisters, Laura and Ana, his coach Antonio and a beautiful young girl who became the center of attention after congratulating him with passionate kiss. However, the young Valencian has not wanted to comment on the subject. He's simply limited himself to strolling along with her holding hands at the party in his honor at the Spanish Embassy in Paris.
His goal: to be number one
The 23 year old Spanish tennis player achieved his biggest dream since childhood by proclaiming himself the Roland Garros Champion, his first Grand Slam title. The first time he stepped on the center court of the Parisian tournament was when he was just 12 years old and he promised himself he would win it one day. Now his next goal is to become number one in the world, taking down Andre Agassi and Lleyton Hewitt. Only 385 points separate him from Hewitt, the current number one of the ATP list.
Message from the King
The winner of Roland Garros received a telegram from the King and Queen of Spain to congratulate him on his victory in Paris. "On route to Bulgaria we found out about your victory. We are glad, and even though we would have liked to hug you personally, we do so from an altitude of 32,000 feet. With affection and hug. Juan Carlos King. Sofia Queen."
Thank you so much *big hug*
Spanish Radio Interview
Note: This interview was done on a Spanish radio station the evening of Sunday, June 8 by telephone. HUGE thanks to Laura for transcribing it and sending it to the www.jcferrero.net mailing list. I also want to apologize because the exchange between Sete and Juan Carlos isn't as exact as I would have liked. There was a lot of spanish slang used by the both of them and it just didn't translate very well.
Interviewer (I): Congratulations, how are you doing right now?
Antonio Martinez Cascales (AMC): Thank you very much, well right now we have calmed down, but very happy above all.
I: Yesterday we talked about how you could plan out this match and you told us it was important that Juan Carlos Ferrero tried to break Verkerk's serve. First game, first break and from then on everything was a little easier, right?
AMC: Yes, the truth is he did exactly what he had to do and from the first game he returned very well and he dismantled the Dutchman's game.
I: It's not enough to have just one Grand Slam now, right?
AMC: No, no, we're not going to settle. Juan Carlos I believe is an ambitious person, in the good sense of the word, and I think this will help him have even more confidence in his possibilities.
I: And you have had confidence in Ferrero since he was little, how do you feel?
AMC: Well I have a feeling of happiness, but for him, because he's achieved one of his most wanted goals. [Laura's note: You can hear noises in the background. It sounds like his sisters yelling and all the people that are there at the dinner]
I: Are you still going to shave your head?
AMC: I already have it shaved.
I: You don't say?!
AMC: Yes, it was done here at the Ritz hotel. They invited us to dinner, very nice of them, and there's a patio here and Juan Carlos started to shave us all with the little electric razor.
I: Well, do you have the champion around there, Antonio??
AMC: Yes, let me get him for you.
I: Champion!
Juan Carlos Ferrero (JCF): Hello! How are you? Good evening.
I: Congratulations!
JCF: Thanks.
I: Have you had a chance to eat dinner yet?
JCF: Well, I'm trying to now, haha.
I: Because you were busy doing other things before eating your coach told us, no??
JCF: Yes, having a little fun. Cutting a little hair.
I: Are you already an expert with a razor like with a racket?
JCF: Ahh!! That's very easy!! It's much easier to cut hair, for sure.
I: So, when one wins a Grand Slam, it's all the same, no? The interviews, the pictures, how tired you are... you can put up with all of it, no?
JCF: Man you can put up with it to a certain point, but well, what motivates me most is that I've won Roland Garros and I have to celebrate it.
I: How is the Ferrero from yesterday different from the one today?
JCF: Well, today I am much calmer. Last night I was thinking about the match, focused, thinking about everything that I had to do and I really wanted to play already. Today is different in that I now have a Roland Garros.
I: Is your preparation now going to be geared more towards hard court?
JCF: Well, I think that I adapt very quickly to hard court. I've always liked to play on hard court a lot so I wouldn't mind playing on hard court again.
I: Looking back, how do you see those days when you were 16 and you lost your mother and you said that you didn't want to play tennis anymore. How do you remember that now?
JCF: Well, I don't remember it very often because it's not a good subject for me, but well, it is a memory and every time I have a victory I remember.
I: Today the dedication to the heavens was very special.
JCF: Yes, that was very clear.
I: And special for Antonio, for Miguel [Maeso, physical trainer], for Victor [Muñoz, physiotherapist] and two other friends that had to shave their heads. The one who should have shaved his head is you, no?
JCF: No, I've made too many changes and I'm good the way I am. They're the ones who made the bet and had to do it.
I: Hey, is it true that your parents spent more money on switches then on rackets?
JCF: No, now that's not how it is.
I: Then why do people say that?
JCF: It's just nonsense, a little joke, nothing special, haha.
I: Does this victory bring with it a new car?
JCF: No, not this time, no.
I: You have five I think, right?
JCF: Come on!! I have two!
I: Today we have the chance to talk to a friend of yours who you also dedicated this win to. The signature on the camera lens was for a motorcycle driver, no?
JCF: Yes, well the truth is we are very good friends, little by little we've become friends and well, we are close. I really like motorcycles and when I can, I go see him since he's a friend and one of the best drivers out there right now.
I: And today, for those that saw the Grand Prix of Italy, before the race, Sete Gibernau came out with a flyer saying: "Vamos J.C. Ferrero!!" Sete!! Good evening!!
Sete Gibernau (SG): Hello!!
I: Where have we caught you now, in Italy or here already?
SG: No, in Italy still.
I: Did you see the tennis match?
SG: Yes, of course, I've seen so much of it.
I: Did you talk with Juan Carlos already?
SG: Yes, I called him to congratulate him because he's amazing.
I: Well I think he's listening to you right now.
SG: Hey!
JCF: Duuuude!!
SG: What's going on dude? You've brightened my day, because my race has been shit, but it was worth it for yours!
JCF: Damn that sucks!! But, well... there are good days and bad days.
SG: Yeah, well, it's ok, but better luck next week. I'll see you in Barcelona right man??
JCF: Oh yeah, of course!!
SG: Come on! He makes me suffer too much!! damn!!
JCF: Nooo, and you don't do the same to me, no??? In Le Mans the other day you didn't, nooo.
SF: Hahaha. It's a shame that it coincided with one of my races this year, otherwise I would have been there!! We were so close to taking a helicopter and going over there to surprise you, but in the end we couldn't.
JCF: You dog!!
SG: Hahaha, well man, enjoy and we'll see each other next week.
JCF: Ok, we'll see each other then.
SG: Come on dude, a hug!!
JCF: Come on man, a hug!!
I: Juan Carlos, do you get vacation now?
JCF: Yes, I will be resting for a week.
I: Beach, country, mountains?
JCF: The circuits.
I: Ahh, very well. [Laura's note: You can hear Sete laughing in the background] Tonight there should be some dancing, no?
JCF: Yes, we'll go. Now we've got to celebrate.
I: A few years ago at the Petit Ases tournament you went to a party in your tracksuit and had the courage to ask Kournikova to dance. Today you are a little more dressed up, no?
JCF: Yes, today a little more. It's clear that then I didn't have much experience yet. [Laura's note: more laughing from Sete]
I: Has Anna called you to congratulate you?
JCF: Yeah man, she called me. Last year we were talking some and then this year again.
I: Oh really?
SG: Ahhhh! who called? who called?
JCF: Well, me! haha.
I: And you call her to congratulate her on her wins?
JCF: Uuuhh, yeah, except lately she hasn't had many. [Laura's note: Now they're all really laughing] I called her the other day to congratulate her because her and Enrique [Iglesias] got married.
I: I thought they said that wasn't true?
JCF: Nooo, I'm joking, I'm joking. hehe.
I: Well Juan Carlos, we'll let you enjoy your party. Have a good time!
JCF: Bye!! Bye Sete!!! Bye!
---------------------------
Original article: Spain welcomes the new "French" king Juan Carlos Ferrero from Yahoo! España
June 9, 2003
MADRID (Reuters) - Spain welcomed Juan Carlos Ferrero on Monday with compliments and honors, after the 23 year old player succeeded his countryman Albert Costa as the new king of Roland Garros.
"Juan Carlos I - King of France," proclaimed the headline of the sporting newspaper, Marca, along with a photograph of Ferrero kissing the trophy cup after his definitive victory against the Dutchman Martin Verkerk on Sunday.
Ferrero broke the much feared serve of Verkerk in the first game and gave up only one game in the first set. He won 6-1 in just 35 minutes.
Thinking ahead and playing better than his opponent, Ferrero employed all of is shots to disarm the potent Dutchman. Besides a brief struggle in the second set, there wasn't much Verkerk could do to stop the Spanish player from achieving the most comfortable win since Bjorn Borg's victory against the Argentinean Guillermo Vilas in 1978.
The victory for the Valencian against the Dutch player, who possesses a strong serve, made him the sixth Spanish player to conquer Roland Garros in men's singles and confirmed the domination of the Spanish on clay.
Royal Congratulations
Ferrero immediately received the corresponding congratulations by telegram from their Majesties the King and Queen of Spain who were on their way to Bulgaria.
"We are glad, and even though we would have liked to hug you personally, we do so from an altitude of 32,000 feet. With affection and hug," said the message sent by the King Juan Carlos I and the Queen Sofia.
For Ferrero, his first victory at a Grand Slam has helped to clear the doubts about his ability to win one of the four great tournaments of the ATP circuit.
"It's the tournament I always wanted to win, since the first time I came, at 12 years old," he said. Ferrero, who was already a favorite last year, lost then in four sets to his countryman Albert Costa. Later he fell to an inspired Lleyton Hewitt in an exciting five set match in the Masters Cup in Shanghai.
But the titles he's obtained this year in Montecarlo and Valencia have helped Ferrero gain the confidence necessary to get his most important victory to date.
Ferrero dedicated the win to his mother, whose passing away due to cancer when he was 16 years old almost made him give up tennis.
"It's for you up there," he said in some declarations obtained by TVE when he received the trophy.
"I think that she was watching from up there and in the front row," he said looking up at the sky.
----------------------------
Original article: Juan Carlos Ferrero: "It's for you mamá" from HOLA
June 9, 2003
The memory of his mother Rosario has accompanied him on all the tennis courts of the world since she passed away in 1996, the victim of a serious illness. The gesture to celebrate his victories, looking up at the sky and sending her the dedication "It's for you mamá," repeated itself again in Paris. Kneeling and full of joy, the tennis player from Onteniente dedicated to his mother the maximum triumph of his sporting career. After this nice gesture, he ran to hug his loved ones who were waiting in the stands: his father, his sisters, Laura and Ana, his coach Antonio and a beautiful young girl who became the center of attention after congratulating him with passionate kiss. However, the young Valencian has not wanted to comment on the subject. He's simply limited himself to strolling along with her holding hands at the party in his honor at the Spanish Embassy in Paris.
His goal: to be number one
The 23 year old Spanish tennis player achieved his biggest dream since childhood by proclaiming himself the Roland Garros Champion, his first Grand Slam title. The first time he stepped on the center court of the Parisian tournament was when he was just 12 years old and he promised himself he would win it one day. Now his next goal is to become number one in the world, taking down Andre Agassi and Lleyton Hewitt. Only 385 points separate him from Hewitt, the current number one of the ATP list.
Message from the King
The winner of Roland Garros received a telegram from the King and Queen of Spain to congratulate him on his victory in Paris. "On route to Bulgaria we found out about your victory. We are glad, and even though we would have liked to hug you personally, we do so from an altitude of 32,000 feet. With affection and hug. Juan Carlos King. Sofia Queen."
