Tuesday, June 28, 2005

INTERVIEW

J.C. Ferrero -Day 7
Monday, June 27, 2005

Q. Is there anything different that you could have done on court to have beaten him?

JUAN CARLOS FERRERO: Well, I think I didn't play bad at all. You know, I was in the match all the time, you know. I didn't go anywhere. I was focused all the time. You know, first and second, I did maybe some present to him with the first service that he broke me.

But in the second, I was good. But he played really well.

In the third, I had chances to win. I had some breakpoints. I think I play well. I had chance to win. But is his surface. When the match is so close, he plays so good. Finally he plays better than me the last two points.

Q. How do you assess how he's playing?

JUAN CARLOS FERRERO: I think he's play with a lot of confidence. When the matches are so close, he play at the same level all the time, no mistakes, no important mistakes in important points. So, you know, he holds the concentrate all the time. I think is very important.

Q. Is there any advice you'd give to Gonzalez about how to play him?

JUAN CARLOS FERRERO: I don't know. Here on grass is very difficult to say a tactic. Gonzalez, he has really good serves. If he holds, you know, he has to go to the tiebreak and try to win.

Q. Federer said in his interview that the courts felt slower. It may be partly the way you played. What is your feeling?

JUAN CARLOS FERRERO: Maybe, yes. But the court, I feel it the same as the other courts. I didn't felt slower than the other ones. Anyways, I play in Court 3, Court 2 and Court 1, and I didn't feel any difference from the Centre Court.

But, of course, if is slow the court, it helps a little bit to the players that can play here.

Q. Are you disappointed in anything you did today or do you feel you played very well and he played better?

JUAN CARLOS FERRERO: I'm not disappointed because at the end of the match I wanted to win that tiebreak because I felt really good in the court playing against Roger, playing in Centre Court. So I think I played a good tennis today. But maybe I had to take some of that chances that I had. That's the difference.

Q. Does your performance give you the confidence that you can play on grass, to bring back in the future?

JUAN CARLOS FERRERO: Yeah, of course, I can play really good on grass. I think I show it in this tournament. I played great matches here. I played great today. So I cannot do any more.

Q. Are you physically a hundred percent?

JUAN CARLOS FERRERO: Yeah, yeah. I felt very fit on the court.

Monday, June 27, 2005

ORDER OF PLAY Day 7: Monday, 27 June

Centre Court 1.00 pm Start

1. Lleyton Hewitt (AUS)[3] vs Taylor Dent (USA)[24]
2. Lindsay Davenport (USA)[1] vs Kim Clijsters (BEL)[15]
3. Roger Federer (SUI)[1] vs Juan Carlos Ferrero (ESP)[23]

Sunday, June 26, 2005

INTERVIEW J.C. Ferrero - Day 6
Saturday, June 25, 2005

Q. You started slowly but you finished quick. Were you happy with that?

JUAN CARLOS FERRERO: Yeah, of course. You know, with that time that the weather is not so good, finish quickly, is better that you can do it in the match.

Anyway, today was completely different than the other days. The court was faster. You know, I play a really good match. I didn't feel that faster on the court.

Q. Do you think you're playing better on grass this year than you have in previous years?

JUAN CARLOS FERRERO: Maybe yes, because this year I had the opportunity to play a tournament before Wimbledon. I played on Halle, you know. I won two important matches against specialist players on grass. So that match is give me a lot of, you know, experience on grass, and confidence as well because I won it.

I think is one of the reason that I am playing so much better on grass this year.

Q. Have you noticed in the five years you have played here a difference in the grass courts? Are they easier to play on now than they used to be for a player like you who is good on slower surfaces?

JUAN CARLOS FERRERO: I didn't feel so much difference in the courts. Maybe in the balls. Some years are more heavy than this year. But not on the courts. I play good in the slowest courts, but also on hard courts anyway.

Q. You now play Roger on Monday. What are your thoughts on that?

JUAN CARLOS FERRERO: Well, Roger, he's playing so good on this surface. He didn't lose a match like, I don't know, 43 matches, 32. Of course, he's a favorite.

But, anyway, I'm playing a good tennis here and I go with a lot of motivation. The last time I play against him, I had two match points on hard court. So, you know, if I play good, I think I have chances to good fight in the court.

Q. Which tournament was that?

JUAN CARLOS FERRERO: Dubai this year. But, anyway, grass is different everything. I arrive very good physically, and mentality, I'm really high right now.

Q. You used to be the No. 1 play yourself. Now you play a big favorite. How is it different mentally to go against such a huge champion on the court?

JUAN CARLOS FERRERO: You know, this give me a lot of motivation to play against him because he's No. 1 in the world. He won two times Wimbledon here in a row. You know, he's Roger Federer. You know, you go to play against him with a lot of motivation, mentality a hundred percent and you try to play the best tennis you have.

Q. But there is no difference mentally and tactically against him or Florian Mayer?

JUAN CARLOS FERRERO: No.

Q. Unlike some of your Spanish friends, you keep coming to try to play at Wimbledon. Do you feel you're being rewarded for that persistence?

JUAN CARLOS FERRERO: I didn't come to learn anything here because I played a lot of times here Wimbledon, so I came here to try to win as much as I can. I was playing so good in Halle on grass, so I came here with a lot of confidence.

I came here to win, not to learn.

Q. You don't feel you have anything to learn about the grass?


JUAN CARLOS FERRERO: Of course, you have something to learn. But, you know, not like is the first year or second year you came here that it's very different. You don't have any experience to play on grass. Maybe to play good you need to have some experience to play.

Q. That inexperienced showed in your early years here, you paid for your inexperience?

JUAN CARLOS FERRERO: Maybe, maybe, maybe, yes. But, anyway, two years ago I did fourth round as well here. I didn't have the experience that I have, but I was playing good anyway.

Q. How do you think Roger is going to cope with your speed?

JUAN CARLOS FERRERO: I don't know. You have to ask him. He's very fast on the court. He knows how he can play with everybody. He's winning almost everything that he's playing. He knows how he has to play against every player. For sure he will know how has to play against me because is not the first time.

Q. For you personally, is a win on grass more worth a win on other surfaces or is it the same for you?


JUAN CARLOS FERRERO: Well, this is very important if I win that match because, you know, Roger Federer is the biggest player on grass right now. If I pass the fourth round, it's going to be the first time I'm be in quarterfinals here. You know, I came playing really good this year. I start 90 in the ranking, I'm 30. It's very important to get that points for me also. So it's a very important match.

Q. Do you feel one day you can return to your previously high ranking?

JUAN CARLOS FERRERO: Yeah, why not? I expect to the end of the year to be, you know, Top 10 or Top 12, something like this. So, you know, I expect to be.

Q. You still have that desire to be right up there with the very best?

JUAN CARLOS FERRERO: Yeah, of course.

Q. You think you can make it?


JUAN CARLOS FERRERO: Why not? I did it one time; I can do it again.

ARTICLE Ferrero Floors Mayer
Saturday, June 25, 2005

Juan Carlos Ferrero repeated his best result at Wimbledon with his four-set defeat of Florian Mayer of Germany taking him into the fourth round for the second time.

Ferrero, the Spanish 23rd seed and, as 2003 French champion, one of seven Grand Slam winners to start at Wimbledon this year, defeated Mayer 3-6, 6-2, 6-1, 6-1 in one hour and 49 minutes on No.2 Court.

Mayer had already beaten two Spanish players, Santiago Ventura and Fernando Verdasco, and his confident start against Ferrero suggested he still had a reserve of confidence from last year when he was a Wimbledon quarter-finalist.

The 21-year-old Mayer soon put pressure on Ferrero by taking his serve as early as the fourth game and held on to that advantage to gain a one-set lead after only 23 minutes. Then the mood of the match changed, with Ferrero becoming more assertive and rapidly devising a formula that took him through the next three sets for the loss of only four games. It was a surprising but well sustained change of course for the 25-year-old Ferrero and the dejected Mayer could not find a way to challenge the situation.

In the final game Mayer did save two match points before missing a forehand on Ferrero's third chance of victory.

The win gave Ferrero his best Grand Slam placing of the year. He made the third round at the Australian Open and repeated that at the French Open. The Spaniard will now play defending champion Roger Federer in the fourth round.

Friday, June 24, 2005

SCHEDULE JC's 3rd round match has been postponed due to thunderstorms.

Day 6: Saturday, 25 June

Court 2 12.00 noon Start

1. Juan Carlos Ferrero (ESP)[23] vs Florian Mayer (GER)



Day 5: Friday, 24 June

Court 2 12.00 noon Start

1. Nicole Vaidisova (CZE)[27] vs. Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS)[5]
2. Joachim Johansson (SWE)[11] vs. Fernando Gonzalez (CHI)[21]
3. Juan Carlos Ferrero (ESP)[23] vs. Florian Mayer (GER)

Thursday, June 23, 2005

ARTICLE Ferrero Through in Five
Wednesday, June 22, 2005

Juan Carlos Ferrero, the former world No.1 who is currently ranked 31 but seeded 25 for these Championships, is on course to repeat his best performance on grass, namely an appearance in the round of 16 two years ago.

Since then he has slipped down the rankings, suffering from right wrist and rib injuries and going down with a bad bout of chicken pox, which prevented him from performing to his best abilities during 2004.

As a result the 25-year-old has become the forgotten Spaniard, pushed into the background by the recent arrival of Rafael Nadal and ever-popular Carlos Moya. Consequently the 2003 French Open champion and US Open finalist is striving hard to re-establish himself at the top echelons of the tennis world.

The road back to the top is proving a hard one, and his match today was just another gruelling battle along the way. On this occasion he was made to work hard for his second round victory by the 29-year-old Hyung-Taik Lee, a Korean who has had patchy results over the last five years, his best Grand Slam showing being the fourth round of the US Open in 2000 as a qualifier.

Lee is probably best remembered for his tenacity he has displayed at Queen's where, in 2002, he lost a three set quarter-final to Tim Henman and again last year, when he made the last four where he was defeated in three sets by Sebastien Grosjean. He arrived this year with a record of 12 grass court wins against 11 losses.

The two had met on two previous occasions and honours were even. This clash was their first on grass and Ferrero may well have been surprised by the Korean's dogged and powerful play, which propelled Lee to a two sets to one lead.

The match could well have gone either way and for the best part of the 3 hour, 36 minute match, Lee was on the verge of causing an upset. But eventually Ferrero's class told and he sealed the 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 victory with two screaming forehand winners.

Ferrero's next opponent could well be his compatriot Fernado Verdasco, who put out the 13th seed, Tommy Robredo, also of Spain, in straight sets. Verdasco is playing his own second round match against Florian Mayer of Germany later today.

Wednesday, June 22, 2005

ORDER OF PLAY Day 3: Wednesday, 22 June

Court 3 12.00 noon Start

1. Juan Carlos Ferrero (ESP)[23] vs. Hyung-Taik Lee (KOR)
2. Sabine Klaschka (GER) vs. Elena Dementieva (RUS)[6]
3. Gael Monfils (FRA) vs. Dominik Hrbaty (SVK)[22]

Tuesday, June 21, 2005

MATCH REPORT

Ferrero Finds His Form
Monday, June 20, 2005

At the age of 25, Juan Carlos Ferrero has known the highs and lows of tennis. Perhaps the finest high was to become world No.1 in September two years ago, since when he has suffered illness, injury and a decline in his ranking.

So his solid 7-6, 6-1, 6-4 victory over the British qualifier with the Spanish name, Jamie Delgado, was a much-needed confidence boost for an athlete who is no longer even the number one in his own country.

Ferrero, seeded 23rd, needed just over two hours to see off the challenge of an opponent who never managed to crack the world's top 100, despite winning the Orange Bowl as a junior and being rated alongside Tim Henman as an outstanding British prospect.

This was Delgado's eighth appearance at The Championships, four of which have come through the qualifying route, but he certainly made a spirited start on Court One. Perhaps it was Delgado's pirate-like appearance, a shaven head and severely trimmed beard, which startled Ferrero, but the fair-haired Spaniard was unable to impose the expected domination of someone with a much better world ranking.

At 5-4 in the opening set Delgado held two set points and though Ferrero saved both he quickly faced a third when he double-faulted. This was saved with his fourth ace, after which he comfortably held serve and in the tiebreak which followed was convincingly superior, winning it by seven points to two in 49 minutes.

Ferrero's spirits and performance were lifted by this success and he ran away with the second set as Delgado's lack of experience against such quality began to take effect. Ferrero broke serve twice and closed out the set with another ace, his eighth.

To his credit, Delgado made much more of a fight of the third set and worked his way into a 4-3 lead, only for Ferrero to sweep the next three games, closing out the third set, and the match, with his 14th ace. By the end, Delgado's count of unforced errors had mounted to 40.

RD 1 RESULTS JC defeated Delgado 7-6(2), 6-1, 6-4! He will face Hyung-Taik Lee in the next round.

Match Summary

Ferrero (ESP) Delgado (GBR)

1st Serve % 67 of 99 = 68 % 61 of 104 = 59 %
Aces 14 6
Double Faults 3 5
Unforced Errors 23 40
Winning % on 1st Serve 50 of 67 = 75 % 35 of 61 = 57 %
Winning % on 2nd Serve 20 of 32 = 63 % 21 of 43 = 49 %
Winners (Including Service) 38 25
Receiving Points Won 48 of 99 = 48 % 29 of 96 = 30 %
Break Point Conversions 4 of 10 = 40 % 1 of 9 = 11 %
Net Approaches 12 of 20 = 60 % 11 of 25 = 44 %
Total Points Won 118 85
Fastest Serve 120 MPH 122 MPH
Average 1st Serve Speed 108 MPH 113 MPH
Average 2nd Serve Speed 96 MPH 90 MPH

Match photos uploaded to The Gallery ^^

Friday, June 17, 2005

DRAW JC will play a qualifier in the first round of Wimbledon.

(1) Roger Federer (Swi) v Paul-Henri Mathieu (Fra)
Ivo Minar (Cze) v Michal Tabara (Cze)
Joshua Goodall (GB) v Alessio Di Mauro (Ita)
Julien Benneteau (Fra) v (25) Nicolas Kiefer (Ger)
(23) Juan Carlos Ferrero (Spa) v Qualifier
Thomas Enqvist (Swe) v Hyung-taik Lee (Kor)
Florian Mayer (Ger) v Santiago Ventura (Spa)
Fernando Verdasco (Spa) v (13) Tommy Robredo (Spa)
(11) Joachim Johansson (Swe) v Albert Montanes (Spa)
Alberto Martin (Spa) v Greg Rusedski (GB)
Jose Acasuso (Arg) v Tomas Zib (Cze)
Alan Mackin (GB) v (21) Fernando Gonzalez (Chi)
(31) Mikhail Youzhny (Rus) v Marcos Baghdatis (Cyp)
Oscar Hernandez (Spa) v Jean-Rene Lisnard (Fra)
Jonas Bjorkman (Swe) v Qualifier
Scott Draper (Aus) v (8) Nikolay Davydenko (Rus)


(3) Lleyton Hewitt (Aus) v Christophe Rochus (Bel)
Jan Hernych (Cze) v James Blake (USA)
Qualifier v Qualifier
Sargis Sargsian (Arm) v (29) Nicolas Massu (Chi)
(24) Taylor Dent (USA) v Qualifier
Kevin Kim (USA) v Alex Bogdanovic (GB)
Qualifier v Tomas Berdych (Cze)
Lars Burgsmuller (Ger) v (16) Mariano Puerta (Arg)
(10) Mario Ancic (Cro) v Qualifier
Qualifier v Stefan Koubek (Aut)
Gael Monfils (Fra) v Olivier Rochus (Bel)
Cyril Saulnier (Fra) v (22) Dominik Hrbaty (Svk)
(26) Feliciano Lopez (Spa) v Bjorn Phau (Ger)
David Sherwood (GB) v Ricardo Mello (Bra)
Karol Beck (Svk) v Mark Philippoussis (Aus)
Paradorn Srichaphan (Tha) v (5) Marat Safin (Rus)


(7) Guillermo Canas (Arg) v Qualifier
Max Mirnyi (Bel) v Rainer Schuettler (Ger)
Stanislas Wawrinka (Swi) v Fabrice Santoro (Fra)
Peter Wessels (Ned) v (28) Jiri Novak (Cze)
(19) Tommy Haas (Ger) v Janko Tipsarevic
Qualifier v Qualifier
Andrei Pavel (Rom) v Qualifier
Bohdan Ulihrach (Cze) v (12) Thomas Johansson (Swe)
(14) Radek Stepanek (Cze) v Robby Ginepri (USA)
Andrew Murray (GB) v Qualifier
Karol Kucera (Svk) v Luis Horna (Per)
Raemon Sluiter (Ned) v (18) David Nalbandian (Arg)
(27) Richard Gasquet (Fra) v Philipp Kohlschreiber (Ger)
Sjeng Schalken (Ned) v Potito Starace (Ita)
Felix Mantilla (Spa) v Gilles Muller (Lux)
Vincent Spadea (USA) v (4) Rafael Nadal (Spa)


(6) Tim Henman (GB) v Jarkko Nieminen (Fin)
Nicolas Almagro (Spa) v Dmitry Tursunov (Rus)
Alexander Popp (Ger) v Jerome Haehnel (Fra)
Wayne Arthurs (Aus) v (32) Filippo Volandri (Ita)
(17) David Ferrer (Spa) v Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (Spa)
Juan Monaco (Arg) v Qualifier
Victor Hanescu (Rom) v Kenneth Carlsen (Den)
Michael Llodra (FRa) v (9) Sebastien Grosjean (Fra)
(15) Guillermo Coria (Arg) v Tomas Behrend (Ger)
Jonathan Marray (GB) v Xavier Malisse (Bel)
Alex Calatrava (Spa) v Qualifier
Jurgen Melzer (Aut) v (20) Ivan Ljubicic (Cro)
(30) Robin Soderling (Swe) v Igor Andreev (Rus)
Davide Sanguinetti (Ita) v Qualifier
Qualifier v Ivo Karlovic (Cro)
Jiri Vanek (Cze) v (2) Andy Roddick (USA)

>> draw

Thursday, June 16, 2005

WIMBLEDON SEEDING

Gentlemen's Singles championship seeds

1. FEDERER, Roger (SUI)
2. RODDICK, Andy (USA)
3. HEWITT, Lleyton (AUS)
4. NADAL, Rafael (ESP)
5. SAFIN, Marat (RUS)
6. HENMAN, Tim (GBR)
7. CANAS, Guillermo (ARG)
8. DAVYDENKO, Nikolay (RUS)
9. GROSJEAN, Sebastien (FRA)
10. ANCIC, Mario (CRO)
11. JOHANSSON, Joachim (SWE)
12. JOHANSSON, Thomas (SWE)
13. ROBREDO, Tommy (ESP)
14. STEPANEK, Radek (CZE)
15. CORIA, Guillermo (ARG)
16. PUERTA, Mariano (ARG)
17. FERRER, David (ESP)
18. NALBANDIAN, David (ARG)
19. HAAS, Tommy (GER)
20. LJUBICIC, Ivan (CRO)
21. GONZALEZ, Fernando (CHI)
22. HRBATY, Dominik (SVK)
23. FERRERO, Juan Carlos (ESP)
24. DENT, Taylor (USA)
25. KIEFER, Nicolas (GER)
26. LOPEZ, Feliciano (ESP)
27. GASQUET, Richard (FRA)
28. NOVAK, Jiri (CZE)
29. MASSU, Nicolas (CHI)
30. SODERLING, Robin (SWE)
31. YOUZHNY, Mikhail (RUS)
32. VOLANDRI, Filippo (ITA)

Saturday, June 11, 2005

VOTE! Who's your favorite men's tennis player?

Vote for JC at www.voote.com. He's currently third behind Marat Safin and Radek Stepanek! 0_0

>> vote here

Thanks to Kathy on the tagboard for informing us of this poll ^^

ARTICLE Ferrero loses to Haas in Halle

Former world number one Juan Carlos Ferrero lost 6-2 7-5 to Germany's Tommy Haas in the Halle Open quarter-finals on Friday.

Haas, 27, had never beaten the Spaniard in three previous matches, all on clay, but played aggressively in front of his home fans to keep the pressure on the former French Open champion.

"I try my best all the time but Tommy plays really good here and on this kind of court," Ferrero said.

"I was a little bit tired from yesterday because the match was very long and I did not have much time to recover."


Haas will play world number one and defending champion Roger Federer in the semi-final on Saturday.

Friday, June 10, 2005

ARTICLE Ferrero blasts Spanish press pack

Former world number one Juan Carlos Ferrero criticised the Spanish media on Thursday for focusing too much on his compatriot Rafael Nadal and neglecting the rest of the Spanish players.

Ferrero was asked to comment on the decision by Spanish journalists covering the Halle Open in Germany to leave the event after newly-crowned French Open champion Nadal was knocked out in the first round on Wednesday.

"It's not a good thing," said Ferrero, who made it through to the quarter-finals of the pre-Wimbledon grasscourt event on Thursday.

"Right now most people are talking about Nadal and forgetting the others. They still exist, and journalists should show more respect for them as well."

Ferrero, himself a French Open winner, made it through to the quarters by knocking out Nadal's conquerer, Alexander Waske of Germany.

"Nadal can lose also. He's human," Ferrero said.

SCHEDULE OF PLAY Friday, June 10th

Centre Court - starting at 12:00

1. Roger Federer v. Philipp Kohlschreiber
2. Juan Carlos Ferrero v. Tommy Haas

RESULTS JC advances after defeating Waske 7-6(7), 6-7(9), 6-3. He will face Tommy Haas in the quarterfinals.

Just a reminder, you can view all the new JCF photos in THE GALLERY ^^

Thursday, June 09, 2005

ORDER OF PLAY Thursday, June 9

Centre Court - starting at 11:45

1. Nenad Zimonjic v. Guillermo Canas

not before 14:00
2. Roger Federer v. Florian Mayer
3. Alexander Waske v. Juan Carlos Ferrero
4. Rainer Schüttler v. Dick Norman

Wednesday, June 08, 2005

NO STRINGS For all you lucky JCF fans in the States, The Tennis Channel is featuring JC in their up close and personal show 'No Strings'. Here is a summary of the episode:

Juan Carlos Ferrero just might be the hardest working man in tennis. Join him while he goes through his intense training regimen at his tennis academy in Spain and prepares for a comeback to the top of the rankings. Along the way, we learn that there's always time for some fun and surprises when the former Roland Garros champ is in front of our cameras.

Show times (PST):
Sunday, June 19th @ 4PM
Monday, June 20th @ 10:30AM
Tuesday, June 21st @ 5AM and 2PM
Thursday, June 23rd @ 12PM
Saturday, June 25th @ 3:30AM

Check The Tennis Channel site for more times ^^

Tuesday, June 07, 2005

ORDER OF PLAY Tuesday, June 7th

Center Court - starting at 11:45

1. Vladimir Voltchkov v. Juan Carlos Ferrero

not before 14:00

2. Roger Federer v. Robin Soderling
3. Philipp Kohlschreiber v. Joachim Johansson
4. Nicolas Kiefer v. Nenad Zimonjic
5. David Nalbandian v. Rainer Schüttler

Sunday, June 05, 2005

DRAW Here is the draw for Halle. JC faces a qualifier in the 1st round.

FEDERER, Roger (SUI/1)
SODERLING, Robin (SWE)

YOUZHNY, Mikhail (RUS)
MAYER, Florian (GER)

LLODRA, Michael (FRA)
Q

KOHLSCHREIBER, Philipp (GER)
JOHANSSON, Joachim (SWE/6)

NADAL, Rafael (ESP/3)
WASKE, Alexander (GER/WC)

Q
FERRERO, Juan Carlos (ESP/WC)

MELZER, Jürgen (AUT)
MARTIN, Alberto (ESP)

NOVAK, Jiri (CZE/WC)
HAAS, Tommy (GER/7)

NALBANDIAN, David (ARG/5)
SCHÜTTLER, Rainer (GER)

ROCHUS, Christophe (FRA)
Q

KIEFER, Nicolas (GER)
Q

VERDASCO, Fernando (ESP)
CANAS, Guillermo (ARG/4)

LOPEZ, Feliciano (ESP/8)
CARLSEN, Kenneth (DEN)

SAULNIER, Cyril (FRA)
ROCHUS, Olivier (FRA)

PAVEL, Andrei (ROM)
SANTORO, Fabrice (FRA)

POPP, Alexander (GER/WC)
SAFIN, Marat (RUS/2)

Saturday, June 04, 2005

NEWS JC will play HALLE next week to prepare for Wimbledon. Best of luck to him.