He’s the second-highest ranked Spaniard and upset his higher-ranked compatriot, World No.1 Rafael Nadal, at this year’s Australian Open to make the semifinals, equaling his best showing at a Grand Slam.
A regular in the late stages of tournaments, David Ferrer has his feet firmly planted in the Top 10. The two-time Davis Cup winner (2008, 2009) comes from a country of tennis stars, but what makes Ferrer different? For starters, he’s smaller in statureand he’s a clay-court specialist who has better results on a hard court. Get to know David Ferrer:
- Family: Ferrer’s father, Jamie, is an accountant and his mother, Pilar, is an elementary school teacher. His older brother, Javier, is a tennis coach and former Spanish junior champion (under 12).
- Tough Love: When he was younger, Ferrer’s coach, Javier Piles, would lock him in a broom cupboard as punishment for not trying hard enough. “When he didn’t want to work I would lock him up in a dark room of two by two meters and I would put a lock on it so he couldn’t get out,” Piles says. “It was the room where we would store the tennis balls. I would tell him that his working schedule was from 9 to 12 and that if he didn’t want to work he would remain there – punished. I would give him a piece of bread and a bottle of water through the bars of a small window. After a few minutes we would hear David asking other trainers from the club for some help to get out but we wouldn’t pay any attention.”
- First job: At age 17, Ferrer gave up on tennis and took a job on a construction site. “I wanted to quit tennis, but I didn’t give up going out with my friends, so my father told me that if I needed money to have fun, I should make it working,” Ferrer says. One week of lifting heavy bricks for hours (and a weekly paycheck of only 30 Euros!) soon drove him back to training. “I think in a week I learned to value many things. That is something difficult to achieve when you are 17 and have doubts about your future.” He begged Piles to take him back and since then, the two have been inseparable. Ferrer regards Piles as family.
- Inferiority complex: Ferrer used to lack confidence, thinking he was inferior even when he won. “He would tell me he was the worst Top 100 player in history, even if that week he had defeated players of the talent of Nalbandian and Coria,” says Piles.
- Role Model: Due to physical similarities and admiration for his work ethic, Ferrer took a liking to Lleyton Hewitt. “The sharpness of the Australian, his way of making a battle out of each match, and his warrior attitude both in victory and defeat, reaffirmed the idea that that was the only way to improve himself. I never again had to use the punishment room,” Piles says.
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