David Ferrer: The unsung hero of men’s tennis

David Ferrer

For the past decade, the ATP tour has been dominated by a group of exceptional players. The sheer number of Slams accumulated by the likes of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in a single generation has challenged the records set by the greats of the past. Such has been the dominance of the “Big Four” since 2006, that up until Stanislas Wawrinka’s win at the Australian Open this year, there was only a solitary Slam winner apart from them.

In the meanwhile, there have been players who have risen to the top 10 and have almost gone unnoticed by the tennis layman. One such player who has consistently been ranked in the top 10 of the world is David Ferrer.

Ever since he burst on to the scene, the Spaniard has been considered as a clay court specialist. He justified this tag by causing a massive upset at the 2003 Rome Masters. Ferrer shocked American multiple Slam winner Andre Agassi to announce his arrival on the big stage.

However, the going was not easy for the Spaniard early in his career. After having won his first title on clay in Bucharest, Ferrer had to face an agonizing wait of four years for his next ATP tour title.

The year 2007 was the year when Ferrer finally established himself as a top player. With a win on the hard courts of Auckland, the Valencian recorded his maiden title on the surface. After that he went on to capture two more titles by the year end.

A maiden semifinal appearance at Flushing Meadows helped him break into the top 10 in the ATP rankings. Ferrer capped off a remarkable year by reaching the final of the ATP World Tour Finals. This helped diffuse the feeling among experts that the Spaniard could perform well only on clay.

For most part of his career, Ferrer has remained in the gargantuan shadows of his more famed counterpart. As Rafael Nadal made strides to challenge the frontiers of world tennis, David Ferrer produced performances of diligence and perseverance to retain his place in the top grade of world tennis.

One reason why Ferrer does not have silverware to show for his talent is due to his inability to get past the likes of Federer and Nadal. Nadal in particular has been a major nemesis for Ferrer. With just five wins in 26 matches, Ferrer has found it extremely difficult to get past his countryman.

However, the one win which made everyone stand up and take notice of Ferrer was the famous Australian Open quarterfinal win against Nadal in 2011. That was the time when the Spanish juggernaut was gunning for a fourth consecutive Slam. But Ferrer blew him away (notwithstanding the fact that Nadal had a few physical problems that day) in straight sets to prevent the “Rafa Slam”.

Ferrer began 2013 in rejuvenated form and produced his best season up to that point. After having won his first Masters title in Paris in late 2012, Ferrer reached his maiden Grand Slam final at Roland Garros. This helped him reach his career best ranking of number 3 in the world.

Ferrer has had an injury plagued 2014 so far and had to withdraw from the Indian Wells tournament due to an adductor injury. Before that though, the Spaniard won his third consecutive Buenos Aires title to continue his dominance on clay.

In terms of playing style, Ferrer does not have the powerful ground-strokes that some of the players on tour have. But his agility and quick feet movement have helped him move his rivals around the court and manufacture winning points.

With Wawrinka winning in Australia, it appears that the tide is changing in world tennis. So as we embark on to the clay season, David Ferrer could take an inspired leaf out of Stan’s book and challenge the cream of world tennis. Who knows, we may very well see a different Spaniard lifting the trophy at Roland Garros!