The clay court season is in full swing and a familiar Spaniard is back, David Ferrer. Now 35 and ranked world no. 30, Ferrer is another testament to players who are outrunning father time with a career already spanning 17-years.

Ferrer first broke into the top-10 in 2006. He captured and held a Top-10 position from September 2007 thru October 2008 and again from October 2010 thru May of 2016.

At 5’9’, David quite literally does not measure up to most of his ATP peers, yet his performances are that of a big man earning him an endearing moniker “The Little Beast.” Ferrer has taken out giants like the American tower, 6’ 10’ John Isner who overshadows him by 13-inches. Linger on that a moment.

In spite of the disparity, Ferrer does not complain, instead, he finds ways to dominate opponents with extreme fitness, mental strength, a can-do attitude and inspired movement. Commentating on the Tennis Channel, Paul Annacone described Ferrer’s footwork velocity bestowing on him the nickname “Speed Racer.”

As I contemplated this piece, I instinctually knew that Ferrer’s record was one of distinction due to his years of Top-10 success during the stalwart era of the Big-4. However, the historical stats of the former world No. 3 revealed some amazing details.

Ferrer holds winning career head-to-head records over all of the following current Top-25 players; Milos Raonic, Marin Cilic, Tomas Berdych, Jo-Wilfred Tsonga, Grigor Dimitrov, Nick Kyrgios, Ivo Karlovic, Alexander Zverev, John Isner, David Goffin, Albert Ramos-Vinolas, Richard Gasquet and Steve Johnson. Perhaps reread and digest that list before reading on. David has stalemate head-to-head records with Stan Wawrinka, Gael Monfils, Jack Sock and fellow Spaniard Pablo Carreno-Busta.

While the Big-4 are noticeably absent from the above list, David has garnered wins over Murray, Djokovic, and Nadal but is yet to conquer Federer. In matches played against this group, Ferrer has a 31 percent win record capturing 24 wins out of 77 attempts. A majority of these matches were quarterfinal or better finishes, high stakes, high pressure, and high performance.

Going back in time, Ferrer holds winning head-to-head records over former legends Lleyton Hewitt, Andre Agassi and the rocket server, Andy Roddick.

His statistics tell the story of a consistently strong performer throughout a lengthy career and he marches on. David is known for forcing grinding marathon matches. Ask Nadal, Djokovic, Murray or Federer about the importance of avoiding groundstroke rallies with Ferrer and you hear a common theme.

Federer had this to say about Ferrer after defeating him in the 2014 Cincinnati final. “It was a very even match…I don’t feel I have such a good head-to-head against him…I didn’t even think of it… he’s a great competitor, true inspiration for all players out there how hard he works, how hard he tries…unbelievable grind…he is dangerous and very tough to beat. It’s always a quality win beating David.”

Recently, Nadal spoke with The National about Ferrer stating, “Gutsy David Ferrer is the greatest of the grand slam-less.” With Coach Francisco Fogues and wife Marta Tornel by his side, Ferrer has the goods and support to grow his legacy. Owner of 26 career singles titles and 2 doubles titles, David is and will remain a player who is respected by fans and more impressively, by his peers for both achievement and a quiet, humble temperament.

After defeating Mikhail Kukushkin in a classic three-setter and receiving a walkover against Tsonga, Ferrer fell to Kei Nishikori in Madrid on Thursday. But as he recovers his form after a series of injuries, he remains a player to watch and fear depending on your court view across the net.