Ferrer boost for SA Tennis Open
26 November 2009
Current world number 18 David Ferrer of Spain will be back in Johannesburg next year to play in the R3.5-million SA Tennis Open. He will join world number 13 Gael Monfils at Montecasino from 1 to 7 February.
When Ferrer chose to play in this year's tournament at the same venue, many people suspected that the altitude would find him out. However, the Spaniard proved them wrong and won through to the semifinals of the tournament.
In fact, his final four clash against Frenchman Jeremy Chardy lasted for more than two-and-a-half hours and was one of the most thrilling of the tournament. Ferrer looked in total control after winning the opening set 6-1, but the next two sets both came down to tie-breakers, with the Frenchman taking them 9-7 and 7-4 respectively.
'Never-say-die attitude'
"It is an honour for us to have David Ferrer back in South Africa for the SA Open," said tournament director Ian Smith. "His never-say-die attitude makes him one of the most exciting players on the ATP World Tour and he is sure to draw many fans to Montecasino."
Ferrer, whose highest singles world ranking of fourth was achieved in February 2008, has won seven career titles and although he has not been victorious in a tournament this year, he reached the finals in both Barcelona and Dubai.
He is regarded by most of his opponents as one of the fittest players on the ATP Tour, and Men's Health Spain devoted a whole feature to his training regimen. "Your physical condition determines completely the performance. And it works the same way for a professional as for an amateur that plays only on Sundays," reckons Ferrer.
His speed and agility on a tennis court is legendary, and he is not the person the top guys want to face if they are not at their best. In fact, during this year, he has rarely lost to anybody other than a top player.
Regular semi-finalist
The Spaniard advanced to the semifinals or better in five of his first 16 tournaments this year.
In a first-round Davis Cup tie against Serbia, Ferrer also helped his country to a 4-1 victory with wins over world number three Novak Djokovic in the opener and Viktor Troicki in the dead rubber to close the tie.
He avenged his Johannesburg loss to Chardy at Indian Wells, but fell to Andy Roddick in three sets. He then reached the fourth round at the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami with back-to-back three-set wins over John Isner and 17th-seed Marin Cilic before losing to current US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro.
It took countryman Rafael Nadal to stop him in the final in Barcelona. He then went on to reach the third round at Roland Garros where he lost to eventual finalist Robin Soderling in four sets.
Ferrer was forced to retire with a knee injury just seven games into his second-round clash with Nadal on hard courts in Montreal. Then, at the Cincinnati Masters, he lost in the third round to Roger Federer in three sets.
Davis Cup final
In the Davis Cup final against Israel, Ferrer played a big part in Spain's triumph, winning both of his matches.
Ferrer's signing will be welcomed by female sporting fans as he was voted one of the world's sexiest sportsmen in a recent survey. Socialite Edith Venter of Edith Venter Promotions, the organiser of the tournament's Charity Ladies Day, welcomed the news of Ferrer's entry.
"David is fabulous. He's gorgeous and definitely eye-candy for our local audiences," Venter said. "David will surely be a bigger and better hit than last year as fans will know what to expect."
Tickets for the tournament are available at Computicket nationwide and the Montecasino Box Office.
SAinfo reporter
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