GAME NEWS Smash Court Tennis Pro Tournament 2 Announced

Leading video games publisher and developer Namco Hometek Inc. announced today that the company is developing the second installment in its Smash Court series. Scheduled for release exclusively on the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system, Smash Court Tennis Pro Tournament 2 will ship in the summer of 2004.

Smash Court Tennis Pro Tournament 2 features top licensed tennis stars James Blake, Jennifer Capriati, Kim Clijsters, Lindsay Davenport, Juan Carlos Ferrero, Richard Gasquet, Tommy Haas, Daniela Hantuchova, Justine Henin-Hardenne, Tim Henman, Lleyton Hewitt, Anna Kournikova, Amelie Mauresmo, Andy Roddick, Marat Safin and Serena Williams.

With licensed Grand Slam tournament venues, tennis fans can choose their favorite player and tour tennis' most prestigious events, including the Australian Open, Roland Garros (French Open), Wimbledon, and the US Open.

"We're excited to be working with today's hottest tennis stars," said Rod Nakamoto, Executive Vice President of Research and Development at Namco Hometek Inc. "We're also thrilled to be able to offer fans the chance to compete in the world's most prominent tennis tournaments."

[...]

>> full article
pic: Game cover (featuring JC)
pic: JC on PS2 box
pic: screenshot 1 (doesn't really look like him...)
pic: screenshot 2 (close up)
pic: screenshot 3 (RG)
pic: screenshot 4 (in AO)

Much thanks to one of our wonderful bloggers Pim for finding out about the game *hugs* And just a little note, the game cover featuring JC will most likely only be sold in Spain. ^^

Posted by nana at 12:33 PM

COMMENTARY Some JC tidbits from Jon Wertheim's Tennis Mailbag. Sadly looks like JC is no longer the favorite for winning RG =(

With Juan Carlos Ferrero struggling, Rafael Nadal out of action, Andre Agassi AWOL, and Roger Federer still unproven at Roland Garros, Coria is fast emerging as the French favorite. ...

[...]

Why isn't Juan Carlos Ferrero more popular in the United States? He is one of the most entertaining players to watch with big shots, good speed and those under-the-leg winners?
-- Josh, U.S.

The easy answer is that Americans need to develop a better appreciation of players who come from beyond our shores, and the USTA needs to do a better job of promoting those players. But the truth is, before last year's U.S. Open, Ferrero's results in the States had been mostly unremarkable. It's been much easier for fans to become enamored of, say Carlos Moya, who has won American TMS events and generally had more presence.

Posted by nana at 2:04 PM

ARTICLE Focuses on Coria, his recent success in Monte Carlo and his goal of winning RG this year. But there are some mentions of JC and Coria also says some nice things about him ^^

Argentine aims to join French Open magnificent seven


MONACO: Guillermo Coria aims to join Juan Carlos Ferrero, Gustavo Kuerten, Carlos Moya, Thomas Muster, Sergi Bruguera, Bjorn Borg and Ilie Nastase as only the eighth player to use the Monte Carlo Masters title as a springboard to French Open glory in the same year.

Coria, the 22-year-old Argentinian third seed, eased past Germany's Rainer Schuettler 6-2, 6-1, 6-3 in the final here on Sunday, and now plans to repeat that title winning form at Roland Garros next month.

“I hope to follow in the footsteps of players like Ferrero and Kuerten who won here and then went on to take the French Open,” said Coria after securing his eighth career title, and seventh on clay.

[...]

Ferrero had won here just five weeks earlier following the examples set by Kuerten in 2001, Moya in 1998 and Muster who also achieved the Monte Carlo-French Open double in 1995.

Bruguera did the double in 1993, Borg in 1979 and 1980 and Nastase in 1973.

[...]

“Even though Juan Carlos lost first round here and has had some bad results recently, he is still a player who will be dangerous and for whom I have a great deal of respect.”

>> full article


INTERVIEW A short interview with ex-tennis player Emilio Sánchez Vicario where he says some nice things about Juan Carlos. He calls him the most professional player on the tour as well as the best Spanish player at the moment.

>> full interview (in Spanish)
>> online translator

Posted by nana at 4:25 AM

INTERVIEW From Coria's post-match interview today referring to JC.

Q. Do you have the feeling now, without Ferrero around because he is ill at the moment, that you are the No. 1 on clay?

GUILLERMO CORIA: Well, I never considered Ferrero as the only one on clay. There are many other players around.

I personally don't feel I'm the best, but it's very positive to me if other people think I'm the best.

Posted by nana at 5:48 AM

ARTICLE Ferrero takes a break from competition to recover form


MADRID, April 22 (Reuters) - Spain's Juan Carlos Ferrero has turned down a wildcard entry at next week's Barcelona Open to take a break from competition after a bout of chickenpox.

The French Open champion was sidelined for over a month with the illness before he returned to action two weeks ago for Spain's Davis Cup quarter-final against the Netherlands.

Although Ferrero won both of his singles matches to help his team reach the semi-finals against France, he has been struggling to find his rhythm and was beaten in the first round in the Monte Carlos Masters on Tuesday.

Coach Antonio Martinez Cascales said that the 24-year-old would undergo a detailed medical examination in Valencia and take time out to make a full recovery.

"The best thing is to stop and return to action when he is 100 percent," Cascales told Spanish sports daily Marca on Thursday.

"It is important for Juan Carlos to feel comfortable when he plays and we are not putting a precise date on when he might compete again."

The world number three had planned to play in the upcoming Master Series events in Rome and Hamburg before defending his title at Roland Garros in May.


Guess that first news article was getting a little ahead of itself. Thought it was suspicious that they hadn't said anything about JC playing Barcelona on the official site. Anyway hope JC can make a full recovery ^^

Posted by nana at 8:26 PM

ARTICLE Ferrero donates winnings from the Open de la Comunidad Valenciana to the Foundation for Victims of the 3-11 Terrorist Attack


The Valencian tennis player Juan Carlos Ferrero has decided to donate the entire sum of money he obtained by his participation in the II Open de Tenis de la Comunidad Valenciana to the Foundation for Victims of the 3-11 Terrorist Attack.

Ferrero, who fell in semifinals at the hands of Fernando Verdasco, the eventual winner of II Open de Tenis de la Comunidad Valenciana, has donated to the institution the 18,800 euros that was awarded to him for reaching the semifinals.


>> original article (in Spanish)

Thanks to jc_girl for posting the link on the tagboard. And most sorry for the poor translation on my part. ^^

Posted by nana at 2:48 AM

PHOTOS Another rather painful photo update =( Pictures from JC's first round defeat in TMS Monte Carlo



pic: backhand
pic: dejected
pic: another return
pic: eyes closed?
pic: can't believe it
pic: wince >.<
pic: shaking hands with Alex
pic: walking off court [thanks Marie]

-- with watermarks --

pic: running cross court
pic: backhand
pic: another backhand
pic: return
pic: in action
pic: shadow [Is it really JC?]
pic: another shadow. serving
pic: serve
pic: looking down =(

Posted by nana at 3:09 AM

ARTICLE Corretja sends Ferrero crashing out in Monte Carlo


MONACO (AFP) - Two-time defending champion and second seed Juan Carlos Ferrero crashed out of the Monte Carlo Masters losing 6-2, 6-3 in the first round to Spanish countryman and wildcard Alex Corretja.

French Open champion Ferrero, who was the highest seeded player left in the tournament after the withdrawal of Andy Roddick, is now without a title since the Madrid Masters last October.

The defeat came less than a week after he had lost his grip on another title he possessed when he was a semi-final loser in Valencia.

His meek 68-minute defeat to the 30-year-old Corretja was only his second loss to his countryman in six meetings and such was the manner of his one-sided capitulation that there will be serious doubts over his ability to hang on to his Roland Garros crown next month.

Ferrero lost his serve twice in the opening set which he surrendered in just 34 minutes with Corretja, twice a French Open runner-up, enjoying an error-free set while his countryman hit 15.

The second seed committed 13 more unforced errors in the second set as he lost serve again in the sixth game and then surrendered the match when Corretja hit an ace.

It was only Corretja's fifth win in 2004 but it was he said his sweetest.

"I haven't had a good year at all but to come here and beat Juan-Carlos is great for me," he said.

"However normally when you beat Juan-Carlos it means you are a long way into the tournament but this time it only means I have passed the first round.. there is much work to be done," he added.

[...]

Posted by nana at 2:40 AM

BARCELONA UPDATE

Three Top 10 Head the Open SEAT Godó Entry List

Three top-10 and six former champions head the Entry List for the Open SEAT Godó 2004. The list was announced Thursday during an official ceremony which took place at the Moll dels Pescadors in Barcelona.

Argentines Guillermo Coria (4) and David Nalbandian (8) as well as Spain's Carlos Moya (7) top the list, which includes a total of 15 Spaniards. Juan Carlos Ferrero is not included, but he has asked the organisation for a wild card in the event that he decides to play in Barcelona one week before the start of the event. Another wild card was announced for Alex Corretja.

"The European clay court season is one week shorter this year, and the calendar is tight", explained Sixte Cambra, the Tournament Director. "Valencia, Monte-Carlo, Barcelona, Rome and Hamburg are in consecutive weeks, and Juan Carlos Ferrero is not included into the Entry List. But he asked us for a wild-card because he will decide about playing in Barcelona one week before the beginning of the tournament".

Posted by nana at 7:46 PM

COMMERCIAL JC is taking part in an ad campaign for Telefonica along with fellow athletes Real Madrid footballer Raul Gonzalez and cyclist Joane Somarriba, entitled "Los Combinados de Telefónica"!! If any lovely Spanish speaking fan would like to summarize what is being said in the commericial I'd most appreciate it ^^

Below are links for the print ad and two videos. The first is the actual spot and the second has some clips from the making of the commercials (Raul's and Somarriba's included). Cute shot of JC winking at the camera while getting his hair and make-up done. ^^

>> pic: JC's print ad ^^
>> video: JC's spot
>> video: making of the CMs
>> article: about the campaign

Posted by nana at 8:06 AM

MAIN DRAW PREVIEW

All eyes will be on Juan Carlos Ferrero this week as he attempts to join Romanian legend Ilie Nastase as the only player to have won three successive Tennis Masters Monte-Carlo titles. No. 2 seed Ferrero, who defeated Guillermo Coria in last year's final, opens his campaign against Spanish wild card and former Tennis Masters Monte-Carlo finalist (l. to Rios, 1997) Alex Corretja.

Ferrero is seeded to meet his Davis Cup compatriot Carlos Moya, a former winner here in Monte Carlo in 1998 (d. Pioline) in a potential blockbuster quarterfinal match. Fifth seed Moya will face Armenian Sargis Sargsian in the opening round.

[...]

>> full article

After checking Monday's order of play, looks like JC won't be playing until Tuesday. Best of luck to him ^^

Posted by nana at 2:54 AM

ARTICLE Look Out For Juan Carlos the Third


Juan Carlos Ferrero is going for his third consecutive Monte Carlo Masters and he has to be a big favourite to achieve the feat.

Ferrero's year has been disrupted by a bout of chicken pox and he has not been able to play much tennis. But he is now entering his favourite time of year - the clay season - feeling fresh.

And the former world number one has the added advantage of having already played competitive tennis on clay, for Spain in the Davis Cup. Spain beat the Netherlands 4-1 and Ferrero won two rubbers, one of which was a five set encounter with Martin Verkerk, last year's French Open runner-up.

It is a very difficult transition to come form the hard courts straight onto clay and the only preparation some of his competitors will have had is on indoor courts, whereas Ferrero is already back in the swing of things.

Clay is a very different surface to play on, which is why adapting is so hard. You can't have any weaknesses at the back of the court, yet the serve is not so important. A lot of clay court players - particularly the South Americans - just put the ball in on their first serve, although Ferrero is not one of those.

Good movement around the court is the other factor in playing a good clay game. You need to be able to slide, be balanced to make your shot and be mobile to get straight back up for the next shot.

I don't think Ferrero will have things all his own way in Monte Carlo, though. There are a handful of players that could challenge him, including Guillermo Coria who has been having a fantastic season.

[...]

Come the end of the year, Ferrero will be competing with Roger Federer and Andy Roddick for the world number one ranking, but I'm not sure whether either of them will be challenging him here.

[...]

>> full article


Thanks Samantha for sending me this article. Hopefully JC can put Valencia behind him and fight for that third Monte Carlo title. Oh and must mention... that is NOT a new picture of JC. It's from AO this year ^^

Posted by nana at 7:18 AM

ATP INSIDER

IN VALENCIA… Top seed and defending champion JUAN CARLOS FERRERO took part in a kid’s clinic, playing tennis with more than 50 youngsters on the Centre Court of the (ll) Open Comunidad Valenciana…

There's one picture already posted and I've requested more so hopefully they'll come soon ^^

Posted by nana at 1:19 PM

ARTICLE Ferrero to compete at Shanghai open


BEIJING, April 16 (Xinhuanet) -- French Open champion and world number three-ranked Juan Carlos Ferrero will compete at the Shanghai Open this fall.

Defending champion Mark Philippoussis, Czech Jiri Novak and Dutchman Sjeng Schalken have also confirmed their participation in the event slated for September 25th to October 3rd.

A total of 32 players will enter the singles competition for prize money of 380,000 US dollars.

*sigh* Seems like JC has not learned the importance of scheduling his tournaments so as to reduce fatigue from travelling =( Hopefully he'll come to his senses afterall don't want him to end the year tired and out of gas like last year...

Posted by nana at 3:53 AM

PHOTOS Pics from JC's second rd. match. Hope there's more to come ^^

pic: eyes on the ball
*new* pic: backhand

VALENCIA UPDATE Ferrero Fires Past Vacek

Top seed and defending champion Juan Carlos Ferrero lived up to the home crowd's expectations when he defeated Czech Jan Vacek 6-3, 7-5 to advance to the quarterfinals of the II Open de Tenis Comunidad Valenciana Thursday. Ferrero now has three quarterfinal appearances in five events this season, but is still looking for his first title since lifting the Valencia trophy in 2003.

In the next round the 24-year-old Spaniard takes on Croatian Mario Ancic, who found himself among the final eight after scoring a 7-5, 6-2 win over No. 8 seed Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo. This is the 20-year-old Monte Carlo resident's second quarterfinal effort of the season following his career-first appearance in an ATP final in Milan in February (l. to Antony Dupuis).

"It was a tough match, because Ruben is a clay court player. But I think I was playing very well," said Ancic after the win. "I was doing the things I needed to do, playing from the back but also looking to come in," continued the Croatian.

Ancic is looking for revenge against the Spaniard after having lost to him on two occasions in 2003. "I've lost twice against him. This is his home, and I know there will be lots of people on his side. No matter what, I will have to play a little better in the quarterfinals, but I'm feeling good."

AWARDS



JC was presented with the award for Best Spanish Player of 2003 by the Association of Tennis Journalists.

>> short article (in Spanish)

Posted by nana at 10:53 PM

ARTICLE Ferrero Advances to Round Two

Top seed and defending champion Juan Carlos Ferrero advanced to the second round of the the II Open de Tenis Comunidad Valenciana on Tuesday, scoring a comfortable 6-2, 7-5 win over close friend and wild card Israel Matos Gil. The 21-year-old Spaniard is a member of the Academia Equelite-Juan Carlos Ferrero in Villena and made his debut at an ATP-level event this week.

This was Ferrero's first ATP clay court event of the season and over the weekend he led Spain to a 4-1 victory over the Netherlands at the Davis Cup quarterfinals in Palma de Mallorca, winning his two singles matches.

The Spaniard holds a 12-4 match record for the season but has yet to win an ATP title in 2004. His best effort is a final appearance in Rotterdam, where he lost to Lleyton Hewitt in the final. Last year he claimed four titles in as many as seven finals, including Roland Garros, his first Grand Slam crown, the ATP Masters Series event in Monte-Carlo, and Valencia.

Ferrero's opponent in the second round is Czech Jan Vacek, a player he defeated in four sets in his opening round match at the US Open last year.

Posted by nana at 3:58 AM

PHOTOS The first few pics of JC in Valencia ^^



pic: surrounded by kids <3
pic: same but larger and in b&w
pic: JC and Patricia


ARTICLE No rest for three of the four members of the Spanish Armada. Nadal and Robredo are to compete in the Estoril Open this week while JC is to defend his title in Valencia. After just successfully moving into the DC semis JC was back to work holding a tennis clinic for children yesterday.

>> full article (in Spanish)

Posted by nana at 2:35 PM

PHOTOS A couple more photos from JC's epic victory in the DC quarterfinals. ^^



pic: pumped
pic: serving
pic: getting sprayed
pic: applauding the audience
pic: with coach during opening ceremony
pic: JC shaking hands with Sluiter (2nd rubber)

Posted by nana at 5:43 AM

VALENCIA Ferrero Returns to Valencia

The singles main draw of the II Open de Tenis Comunidad Valenciana is headed by top seed and defending champion Juan Carlos Ferrero, one of 17 Spaniards in the field, not including the qualifiers. Ferrero claimed his 11th ATP trophy here at the Club de Tenis Valencia last year, defeating Christophe Rochus of Belgium in the final.

Ferrero opens up his Valencia campaign against Spanish wild card and close friend Israel Matos Gil. The 20-year-old from Segovia, who is a member of the Academia Equelite-Juan Carlos Ferrero in Villena, makes his debut in an ATP-level event this week.

[...]

>> full article
>> main draw
>> order of play (JC not scheduled)

Thanks to Marie for posting the draw earlier. It's a little buried under all the DC news so I thought I'd re-post it here ^^

Posted by nana at 10:22 AM

VIDEO A short clip with more practice and draw footage, talking about JC victory over Verkerk. Need RealOne media player to view.

>> video

Posted by nana at 7:54 AM

PHOTOS MORE FROM DC



Pic: JC congratulated by team
new --> Pic: same as above but larger

ARTICLE

Spain Looking Forward to France

Carlos Moya’s 63 64 defeat of Sjeng Schalken in the fifth rubber was the icing on the cake for the host nation, cementing a 4-1 defeat over the Netherlands. Earlier today Juan Carlos Ferrero secured Spain’s place in September’s Davis Cup by BNP Paribas semifinal with a win over Martin Verkerk in the fourth live rubber.

The fifth rubber was the first opportunity for Schalken to take to the court despite having the highest ranking in the Dutch team. It was a tactical decision that Dutch captain Tjerk Bogstra made on Thursday after he decided that Schalken was not ready to play at his best level on Friday.

Schalken admitted that it was difficult to sit on the sidelines and watch his compatriots take defeat, “It was very hard to watch the match out there today, I was really into it and it was disappointing because Martin played so well. But it was good Davis Cup tennis and a great match. It was very hard for me to go out and play after we were 3-1 down.”

Carlos Moya was the first to put a point on the board for Spain with a confident 62 75 64 victory over Martin Verkerk in the opening singles rubber. World No.3 Juan Carlos Ferrero followed in similar fashion giving Spain a 2-0 lead when he raced to a 62 62 64 win over Raemon Sluiter. When Spain led the doubles two games to one on Saturday, an easy victory by the Spanish looked very likely. But as if answering a call from the Dutch camp, the heavens opened and rain forced play to be delayed until Sunday.

The Netherlands used the break to re-group and came to the Bull Ring on Sunday as a transformed team. Their pumped up doubles duo of Martin Verkerk and John Van Lottum wrapped up the doubles rubber in five sets 36 26 63 62 62 to keep Dutch hopes alive.

Much to the delight of the travelling Dutch supporters Verkerk took the world No. 3 to an epic five sets, but he was unable dominate the clay court specialist and Ferrero delivered the decisive point with a 64 67(5) 46 75 61 victory.

Ferrero was impressed by Verkerk’s fighting spirit, “When I watched him come out and play the doubles today, I knew he was playing better. But really I don’t think that he played so bad in his first singles on Friday, it was just the Carlos played so well against him and really controlled the match not letting him play his game.”

Having disposed of the Netherlands, Ferrero is already looking ahead to his country’s semifinal clash with France at home to be held September 24-26, “It will be tough to beat France, but we have shown this weekend that we have a great team and that we are also tough to beat, so we are looking forward to playing them.”

One of the three Spanish captains Jordi Arrese was also pleased to be meeting France in the semifinals, “We are very happy to be playing France because it is important for us to have a home tie. Even though Switzerland has the No. 1 player and are perhaps a better team than France we did not want to play away. We are expecting it to be a very tough.”

If Spain should need a secret weapon in their semifinal clash with France then there is every chance that 17-year-old Majorcan Rafael Nadal will be it. While he didn’t play a huge role in Spain’s defeat of the Netherlands, Arrese admitted that he is not a natural doubles player. “I asked him to play doubles here this weekend, but really he is a singles player. He didn’t get to play singles here but he is a great asset to have on the team and as each month goes by he will get better and better.”

If Nadal’s recent progression on the circuit is anything to go by, then maybe we will see Nadal play a Davis Cup singles role. Before arriving in Palma to join his team, Nadal had pulled off the biggest victory of his young life, after he disposed of the top-ranked Roger Federer in the third round of the Nasdaq-100 Open. While his partnership with Robredo in the doubles was not successful in clinching the tie for Spain, Nadal’s eager display of confidence underlined the depth of the Spanish Davis Cup side.

Nadal says that his powerful backhand comes from his ability to play tennis with either his right or left hand. He grew up playing with both hands and when forced to make a decision, chose to be a left-handed player as he felt they were the most difficult to beat. However, his right arm is still his strongest, enabling him to power down his double backhand.

Spain have beaten France in four of its five Davis Cup meetings, but with the likely return of Sebastian Grosjean, the 2001 Davis Cup champions will be tough to beat.

--> taken from official Davis cup site

Ferrero downs Verkerk

World number three Juan Carlos Ferrero steered Spain into the Davis Cup world group semi-finals on Sunday, recovering from a two sets to one deficit to finally beat Dutchman Martin Verkerk 6-4 6-7 (7-5) 4-6 7-5 6-1 in four hours two minutes
The world number three, returning to action in the Davis Cup following a bout of chicken pox, won the first set but lost the next two and was forced to dig deep. Spain, who lost to Australia in last year's final, will meet the winners of the tie between Switzerland and France in the semi-finals in September. (Spain will meet France in the semis as France win 3-2 over Switzerland)

Earlier the Netherlands had fought their way back from two sets down to win the rain-delayed doubles and force the tie into a fourth rubber. Trailing two-sets-to-one when the match was halted due to a downpour on Saturday, the Dutch pair of Verkerk and John van Lottum staged an impressive recovery to claim a gritty 3-6 2-6 6-3 6-2 6-2 win over Spain's Tommy Robredo and Rafael Nadal.

Ferrero got off to an encouraging start as he worked Verkerk across the clay in the converted bullring in Palma and gained a break in the opening game with a clever whipped forehand. The Spaniard proceeded to make good use of his precise groundstrokes to keep the pressure on his lower ranked opponent and take the first set 6-4. But Verkerk, who had played in the morning's doubles, began to find his rhythm in the second and responded with powerful returns and well-struck passing shots. Ferrero broke the Verkerk serve in the seventh game but the Dutchman refused to fold and hit back with a break of his own in the eighth. Verkerk wasted a set point in the 12th before taking advantage of his bigger serve to win the tiebreak 7-5.

Spurred on by a noisy contingent of orange-clad Dutch fans, Verkerk grew in confidence as the game wore on and broke Ferrero twice more as he won the third set 6-4.
It was level-pegging in the fourth, all the games going with serve until Ferrero upped the pressure in the 12th to break the Verkerk serve and level at two sets all. Verkerk eventually crumbled in the final set and Ferrero used his clay-court expertise to the full as he broke twice on his way to his 6-1 victory that put his side into the semis.
Carlos Moya wrapped up the fifth 'dead' rubber against Sjeng Schalken 6-3 6-4 to take a 4-1 overall lead.

-->taken from eurosport.

Posted by Unknown at 5:51 AM

PHOTOS From day 3. JC def. Verkerk 64 67(5) 46 75 61



pic: forehand
pic: another forehand
pic: serve
pic: return
pic: in action
pic: eyeing the ball
pic: follow through
pic: relief
pic: return
pic: celebrating
pic: falling to his knees *0*
pic: on his knees
pic: VICTORY!

Posted by nana at 1:18 AM

ARTICLE Spain Reach Semifinals

World No. 3 Juan Carlos Ferrero put his team into the semifinals of the Davis Cup by BNP Paribas, delivering the crucial third point with a 64 67(5) 46 75 61 defeat of Martin Verkerk in the first of Sunday’s reverse singles. Having defeated the Netherlands, Spain will now face France at home in the semifinals, to be held September 24-26.

Verkerk came to the Bull Ring in Palma as a completely transformed player from Friday. He had re-discovered his powerful serve and he leapt around the court clenching his fists and celebrating every point with his animated captain on the sideline. But despite taking Ferrero to a fifth set in an epic match, it was not enough to overcome the clay court specialist increasingly known as the ‘King of Clay’.

The first set opened with Ferrero breaking Verkerk’s serve and racing to a two game lead, before holding serve to take the set 64. In the second set when Ferrero broke to take the lead at 4-3, it looked like we might witness a repeat of last years Roland Garros final where Ferrero crushed Verkerk in three straight sets. But the 6’5” pumped-up Dutchman immediately broke back and took the set to a tiebreak, winning it 7-5.

The third set was a roller coaster ride with both players breaking serve. The set eventually went to Verkerk who made the most of his opportunities, converting both of his break point opportunities, while Ferrero only managed one conversion, letting five break points slip away.

Spurred on by the chants of ‘Espana’,Ferrero rallied himself in the fourth set and found the corners of the court to break Verkerk at 65 and level the score at two sets all. With his nation’s semifinal berth within reach, the Spaniard broke Verkerk twice to take a 5-1 lead in the fifth, pumping his fist in a rare show of emotion. Ferrero skidded to his knees when he eventually closed out the match in just over four hours, dispelling fears of an apparent lack of match fitness following a recent bout of chicken pox that had kept him off the circuit for two weeks.

It sealed a victory for the Spanishin a tie that began very one sided after Spain took the first two rubbers in straight sets on Friday, and then looked set to take the doubles on Saturday with a two sets to one lead before rain delayed further play until Sunday. But the Dutch side used the time to re-group and came out a different team on Sunday, taking the doubles rubber and lifting the intensity of the quarterfinal clash.

Verkerk was clearly disappointed with the result.

“I feel tired now. I played Moya on Friday and he was just better than me that day. Then I played doubles for two days and five sets and that was pretty tough, but the match against Ferrero was the toughest one I have played this weekend and it is disappointing to end it this way.

“Whenever I see Ferrero I am not so happy, because I got my ass kicked at Roland Garros by him, so he is like a nightmare for me. This time I wanted to show him that I can beat him and I think I did that today, the only thing I didn’t do is win. But I played to the same level as him and sometimes even better.”

In the fifth dead rubber, home favourite Carlos Moya defeated Sjeng Schalken 63 64 to complete a 4-1 overall win.


Congrats to JC for taking Spain to the semis. And a big hand should be given to Verkerk for putting up an amazing fight despite having just played 3 sets in the doubles rubber earlier. Though I'd like to think that JC's talent won him the match I cannot deny the fact that Verkerk might have been suffering from fatigue =( But anyways CONGRATS to the Armada!!

Posted by nana at 12:23 AM

VIDEO Another clip this one containing some footage from the draw and the opening ceremony. Need Windows Media Player to view.

>> video


DC UPDATE Score Remains 2-0 in Spain as Rain Halts Play

The score in Mallorca is still 2-0 in Spain's favour after rain forced the suspension of the doubles until Sunday. Rafael Nadal and Tommy Robredo were leading by two sets to one against John Van Lottum and Martin Verkerk when the heavens opened.

Play will resume at 10:30 am local time on Sunday and, while the Spaniards had won the first two sets, they were on the receiving end of a fightback when the weather changed, the score standing at 63 62 36 susp. after the visitors took the third set.

[...]

>> full article

Not sure if it's a good or bad thing that rain halted play. Apparently Nadal and Robredo started to lose concentration and lost the third set as a result so this rain delay may prove helpful for them. But on the other hand this also means that the Dutch team will have time to regroup as well =( Anyway, best of luck to Tommy and Raf ^^

Posted by nana at 2:49 AM

VIDEOS More videos of the Armada in Mallorca. ^^

>> video 1
JC practicing and news of his victory over Sluiter.

>> video 2
Focusing on Carlos' win and clips of his practice.

[If the above links don't work try this page]

>> video 3
Clips from practice: Carlos hitting with Tommy and JC hitting with Raf. Also short interviews with Nadal and Moya.

Posted by nana at 7:21 AM

ARTICLE Spain Surges to a 2-0 Lead


The quarterfinal clash between Spain and the Netherlands started as a cold, wet and dull day in Mallorca but things couldn’t have finished brighter for the host nation as they wrapped up today’s play with a 2-0 lead over the Netherlands.

In his usual cool, calm and collected way, Juan Carlos Ferrero treated his King and namesake Juan Carlos I to an impressive win over Raemon Sluiter 62 62 64. The Spanish baseliner worked Sluiter around the clay court applying pressure to the Dutchman and depriving him of the form he has often found in Davis Cup. Sluiter had won two of his last three meetings with Ferrero on hard court but today it was a different story on the Spaniard's favourite surface.

“He is one of the best, or maybe even the best player on clay and on the earth, so of course the clay was a factor today. The last couple of times we played we were on a little bit faster surface where I can play a quicker game and try and put pressure on him in the first two strokes. But this time on clay it was exactly the opposite, he had the pressure on in the first two strokes and then I had to start running, and I don’t like running” admitted Sluiter.

In the final set, with the help of his orange spectator brigade, Sluiter was able to lift his game a little but Ferrero was still able to break the Dutch No. 3 and finished the match in just one hour and 50 minutes.

Ranked No. 3 in the world and with out a doubt the favourite going into this match, Ferrero was very happy with today’s outcome. “We knew that if we played well we could win like this, but we also know in Davis Cup it is extra difficult to win and we expected these guys to fight a lot. But I think Carlos and I played great matches today, we were very solid and they didn’t have so many chances to win.”

“It is a great feeling to play in front of our home crowd. They were a huge support today, especially when it was so difficult to support because it was a cold day. We hope they continue to come for the rest of the weekend,” said Ferrero.

Ferrero hinted that things could have been different if Dutch No.1 Sjeng Schalken had taken to the court in one of the singles rubbers. “You never know if Schalken was playing it may have been different, he has more experience on clay because he has won some tournaments on clay courts but they chose Sluiter and that’s all that matters because we won today.”

Tjerk Bogtstra, the Netherlands Captain, defended his decision to play Martin Verkerk and Sluiter ahead of Schalken. “I made this decision and these are the results, I cannot blame the boys I just think that the two Spanish players played too good today. It doesn’t matter if Sjeng played or not.”

[...]

>> full article
>> another nice article


Makes me so proud to hear Sluiter compliment JC by saying 'He is one of the best, or maybe even the best player on clay and on the earth' *beaming* Great job JC and Carlos. Now just hope Nadal and Robredo can seal the victory by winning their doubles match tomorrow (at 13.00) ^^

Posted by nana at 3:08 AM

PHOTOS More pictures of our favorite DC team as promised =D



pic: JC looking a little unhappy
pic: JC and Sluiter
new --> pic: the Armada and Arrese
new --> pic: again
new --> pic: more laughing ^^

-- non-JC --
pic: Carlos and Rafael

Posted by nana at 4:29 PM

[EDITED Friday April 9 at 11:00am PST]

A huge THANK YOU for Ana who kindly translated the second article *hugs*


STORIES FROM MALLORCA While searching for DC news came across these two articles below. They basically contain the same information as the articles already posted but they both included rather funny JC moments that seemed worth sharing. Hope you enjoy and please excuse the poor translations ^^

[NOTE: Only posting the funny bits not that whole thing]

“NO PODEMOS FALLAR EN CASA Y EN TIERRA” from as.com
(nana title: No Love for Juan Carlos)

Yesterday, the Spanish and Dutch teams visited and praised the stadium where their DC tie is to be held. Accompaning them was the mayor of Mallorca who upon greeting them kissed both Nadal and Moya but refrained from kissing JC!! Her excuse, "I do not feel as comfortable with him as with them." 0_0

>> full article (in Spanish)

"El equipo español se divierte en los entrenamientos" from ultimahora.es
(Ana title: Laughed at by the Dutch)

The spanish team has fun during practices

Moyà and Ferrero show off their skills as football (soccer) players before an intense practice session

The spanish players for Davis Cup make up the best tennis team in the world, but none of them would have minded being football players. In fact, Nadal, Moyà and Ferrero aren't bad at all. After finishing the morning session on Monday, Juan Carlos dared Rafael to play a match of foot-tennis and yesterday the Valencian played against Carlos before starting a intense tennis practice.

During the morning session yesterday, Juan Carlos Ferrero and Carlos Moyà shared the main court while Rafael Nadal and Tommy Robredo used the practice courts. The Valencian and the Mallorcan warmed up showing off their skills as football players, and then started practice. [...]

After going up to the net to volley and warming up on serve, Ferrero and Moyà played 2 tie breaks. They usually make bets so that the loser has to perform some kind of punishment. Sometimes it's jumping over the net like kangaroos, but yesterday they bet that the loser would have go from the base line to the net on all fours barking. They were 1-1 after two tie breaks, so they played a third which Moyà won. Ferrero, his coach, and Arrese (who'd bet for the Valencian) had to complete their punishment while some of the members of the Dutch team had already arrived at the court for their practice session.


>> full article (in Spanish)

Posted by nana at 10:38 AM

UPDATE ON DC!! Change in the order of play of Davis Cup World Group 2004 - Quarterfinal: Spain vs Netherlands

Dutch Opt for Sluiter Instead of Schalken

The draw for the Spain v Netherlands Davis Cup by BNP Paribas Quarterfinal in Mallorca has now been made, and is as follows:

R1 - C.MOYA (ESP) vs M.VERKERK (NED)
R2 - J.FERRERO (ESP) vs R.SLUITER (NED)
R3 - R.NADAL / T.ROBREDO (ESP) vs J.VAN LOTTUM / M.VERKERK (NED)
R4 - J.FERRERO (ESP) vs M.VERKERK (NED)
R5 - C.MOYA (ESP) vs R.SLUITER (NED)


This weekend Spain and the Netherlands go head-to-head in the quarterfinals of Davis Cup by BNP Paribas, in Mallorca. The two nations are playing each other for the eighth time in a history that dates back to their first clash in 1923. This year marks Spain’s twentieth year in the World Group, while for the Netherlands it is the fourteenth. But despite their consistent appearances, between them they have only one Davis Cup title, in 2000 when Spain triumphed over Australia. With this history in mind, the tie is set to be one of the toughest quarterfinal clashes in this round, with both nations hungry to push on to the semifinals and beyond.

The host nation has laid their favourite red clay surface in the Plaza de Toros "Coliseo", a stadium most famous for its bullfights. Built in 1906, the open air, coliseum-like stadium holds around 8,000 spectators on its concrete steps and is set in Mallorca’s capital, Palma. Palma is a lively cosmopolitan city in true Spanish tradition and despite the invasion of foreign tourists it has kept its local flavour.

For Nadal and fellow Majorcan Moya, Palma is no doubt a special place, but the Bull Ring in Palma also holds sentimental value for Ferrero who won his first ATP tournament – the Mallorca Open here in 1999. “It’s great to be back, it brings back some special memories, winning my first ATP title here was special. Obviously I am keen to enjoy similar success this time around with the team.”

Spain have a 5-2 lead over the Dutch in clashes to date and are going in to the tie as favourites having recalled big guns Juan Carlos Ferrero and Carlos Moya. Ferrero and Moya both missed Spain's opening round win over the Czech Republic through injury, but were successfully replaced by 17-year-old Rafael Nadal and Feliciano Lopez. Nadal, who was the hero of the tie after scoring victory in the decisive rubber has kept his place, but Lopez and Alberto Martin have had to make way for the return of Ferrero and Moya, who are currently ranked No. 3 and No. 7 in the world respectively.

Despite Spain’s superiority over the Netherlands on paper, the Dutch side still has good reason to go into the tie with confidence as Netherlands has won the last two clashes against the Spanish team. The most recent and the most painful came in 2001 when the Netherlands knocked the then-defending champions out in the first round. The visiting nation is without Davis Cup veteran Paul Haarhuis, who retired from tennis after injuring his shoulder in the first round, but it has opened the door for John Van Lottum to step back on the doubles court with Martin Verkerk. The Netherlands are an experienced Davis Cup side, with Sjeng Schalken and Martin Verkerk ranked in the top 20, and Sluiter who seems to raise his game in Davis Cup.

The weekend opens with 1998 Roland Garros winner Moya, playing Verkerk followed by reigning Roland Garros champion Ferrero taking on Sluiter. The doubles rubber on the Saturday has Robredo and Nadal facing Verkerk and Lottum. The final day’s reverse singles pits Ferrero against Verkerk first up, with Moya and Sluiter rounding off the tie.

Dutch Captain, Tjerk Bogtstra commented on his some what surprise decision not to play his top ranked player Schalken in the singles rubbers and alluded to the fact that there may be more changes to come from the Dutch team.

“Sjeng is not really to play tomorrow so that is actually the biggest reason to let Raemon. I am looking forward to it because Raemon has a lot of confidence, he has already played against Ferrero a few times and he knows the player well.”

“Sjeng is not injured, he just feels that his game is not ready yet to play at his highest level which is needed to be good enough against these guys. We talked this week and I saw in his practice that he hasn’t reached this level yet, but maybe he does on Sunday, maybe we can change some things.”

Asked of the chances of Dutch victory Tjerk responded, ”We have to do something very special and special means that we have to play a little bit above our level. We all know that Spain has the best clay court players in the world. We are the underdogs and that is a good feeling, we have nothing to lose here.”

Ferrero, who has missed this year’s two opening ATP Masters tournaments with chickenpox has cast aside fears that he may not be ready for the tie “I’ve been training hard for the past two weeks and I feel good, the courts here in Palma feel good and I feel good physically. I am ready for this tie and hope I can help the team.”

taken from Official Davis Cup website


Head to Head Update on the match preview

Juan Carlos Ferrero vs. Raemon Sluiter 1-2
Juan Carlos Ferrero vs. Martin Verkerk 2-0
Carlos Moya vs. Raemon Sluiter 1-0
Carlos Moya vs. Martin Verkerk 0-1

Posted by Unknown at 2:00 AM

PHOTOS More pics from Tuesday's press conference and this week's practice sessions. (Some are just different versions of the ones already posted) ^^



pic: The Armada (in black and white)
pic: Laughing (in color)
pic: during practice
pic: same as above but without text
pic: foot-tennis ^^
pic: head-to-head
pic: Team profiles (pdf)
new --> pic: more foot-tennis

-- non-JC pics --
pic: Carlos and Raf
pic: Carlos
pic: Tommy and Carlos taking a break
new --> pic: Moya training
new --> pic: Tommy (the neglected one) arriving at the airport
new --> pic: Tommy and Raf resting
new --> pic: Raf and Tommy

Thought I'd post a couple pics of the other members of the Armada. Hope you don't mind ^^

Posted by nana at 4:28 AM

PHOTOS



(black and white) Group laugh!
The Armada
JC during practice

Posted by Unknown at 1:28 PM

VIDEO

A little news video of JC and Spanish team at practice and Davis Cup reception. Click here to view.

Thanks to Bethly who post this on the forum ^-^

Posted by Unknown at 8:47 AM

QUOTE "It's great to return to the place where I won my first ATP title in 1999," said Juan Carlos Ferrero, who insisted his emotions/motivation helped him overcome his physical problems.

"I have trained normaly for the last few weeks and I am very well", emphasized the tennis player of Onteniente, who is favored to play the singles rubber along with Carlos Moyá.


ARTICLE $US1m plus for French Open winners

This year’s French Open champions will both receive more than $US1 million for their victories at Roland Garros.

The men’s singles champion will take home $US1.38m, and the women’s champion $US1.35m, with total prizemoney for the May 24-June 6 event up 2.29 percent overall.

Unlike at the Australian and US Opens, where the male and female singles champions are awarded the same prizemoney, the men still earn slightly more at the French Open, like at Wimbledon.

Spaniard Juan Carlos Ferrero and Belgian Justine Henin-Hardenne are the reigning French Open titleholders.

Sorry the article is quite OT especially since we're all focused on DC right now... but it does relate to JC no? ^^

Posted by nana at 7:08 AM

PHOTO After a long absense finally we get to see JC ^^ Here he is practicing for DC.



>> article (in Spanish. Nothing new though)

Posted by nana at 11:24 AM

DC UPDATE The Dutch team has arrived in Spain with their first practice scheduled for Monday. Press conferences are to be held Tuesday for both teams and the official draw made on Thursday. Hopefully JC will be nominated to play singles ^^

>> full article (in Spanish)

Posted by nana at 5:36 AM

ARTICLE Could it be Dutch Delight in Mallorca?

Spain can’t fail to feel confident as their Davis Cup by BNP Paribas quarterfinal at home to the Netherlands approaches. In a match that will be played on clay in Mallorca, April 9-11, Spain boast a team filled with the reigning Roland Garros champion (Juan Carlos Ferrero, the 1998 Roland Garros winner (Carlos Moya), perhaps the most exciting prospect in the game and the last person to defeat Roger Federer (Rafael Nadal), and a solid, talented performer in Tommy Robredo.

Yet despite the formidable reputations and records of their opponents, the Netherlands, and Raemon Sluiter in particular, still have reason to feel confident.

The last time the two nations met, in Eindhoven in 2001, the Netherlands were triumphant, and Sluiter, on his debut, defeated Ferrero in the opening rubber.

It seemed as though Sluiter had been born to play on the Davis Cup stage.

“On my debut against Spain I played a great match,” he remembers. “The nice thing was that I also won that match against Ferrero, but even if I had lost, it was still a good match and I was able to play my best tennis. I think that is what it’s all about. The pressure is big, and different in Davis Cup, but somehow I liked that pressure. It brought out my best tennis.”

His team-mate Sjeng Schalken began describing Sluiter as a ‘Davis Cup specialist’ after his countryman’s 67(5) 76(7) 36 76(3) 64 victory over Ferrero.

[...]

>> full article

Basically talking more about Sluiter and how despite seeming like the underdogs the Dutch are still a threat. It's a bit of a blow to the confidence hearing that Sluiter has defeated JC in Davis Cup before *worried* Anyway, all the luck to the Spanish Armada!! ^^

Posted by nana at 5:13 AM

DC UPDATE Part of Carlos Moya's post match interview where he talks about JC and Davis Cup. I suppose there is still some doubt as to JC's health and who will be playing the singles rubbers.

Q. Who's going to play the other singles for Spain?
CARLOS MOYA: Who do you think is gonna play the singles (smiling)?

Q. Besides yourself.
CARLOS MOYA: You think I'm going to play?

Q. I hope so. Do you think you're going to play?
CARLOS MOYA: I don't know. I hope (smiling).

I don't know. I didn't talk to the captain. But, you know, I guess Ferrero is going to play. I don't know how he is feeling now. But if he's 100 percent, he should play. I don't know. I hope I'm gonna play.

>> full interview

Posted by nana at 10:42 AM

NEW LAYOUT New month, new layout ^^ Just wanted to point out JC's April tournaments are listed on the right side of the banner. But JC has not yet confirmed playing in Barcelona and will not announce his participation until a week before the tournament depending on his health.

AUDIO CLIP Sorry, it's not JC. But here's a nice interview with Moya where he talks about his injury at the beginning of the year and Spain's chances in the upcoming tie against the Dutch. He feels the Dutch will put up a good fight since Schalken has beaten him on clay before and obviously last year's French Open finalist Verkerk can play on clay. Also he says he'd like to win the DC title just once before he retires ^^

>> Interview with Carlos Moya (MP3 format)

Posted by nana at 7:35 AM