The man known as "Mosquito" began playing tennis at the age of seven with his father, Eduardo and grew up idolising the play of Jim Courier. As a junior he reached the French Open final in 1998 where he was defeated by Fernando Gonzalez but that was to be the start of a fabulous career. The following year he made his ATP Tour debut and made an instant impact by winning his first title in Majorca at the age of just 19. He defeated fellow Spaniard Alex Corretja in that final and after losing Corretja said "A star was born." And he was proven right as Ferrero would go on to become one of the greatest players to ever play the game. In 2000 he made such progress he jumped to number twelve in the rankings but the most memorable moment of that year came in the Davis Cup. Juan Carlos won all five singles matches he played and in the final he beat Pat Rafter and then in the decider he gave a stunning performance to beat Lleyton Hewitt and give Spain their first Davis Cup title. On reflection of his career he remembered fondly that win, "My greatest memories include the Davis Cup in 2000 because I realised the impact it had on the whole country."
Ferrero gained huge confidence from that win and the following year he won four titles, including his first title off a clay court when he won the title on the hard courts of Dubai. In 2002 he reached his first Grand Slam final at the French Open but he lost to compatriot Albert Costa in the final. It was a major setback for him as he was a strong favourite to win his first Grand Slam but having injured himself on an off day he lost in four sets. However, he showed great courage and resolve to come back the following year and capture his first and what would prove to be his only Grand Slam.In doing so he managed to reach the top of the rankings, a huge achievement that he still ranks as one of his greatest. It was a huge moment for the Spaniard and he would go on to reach the final at the US Open where he lost to Andy Roddick. It was a blow to him but he had quashed the myth that Spanish players couldn't play on hard courts. In all he reached three finals that year and won three titles and earned a career best $3m.
It would be another five years before he won another title as injuries began to take its toll. In 2008 he beat Rafael Nadal on clay which was the only loss Nadal suffered on clay that year. The following year he ended a long drought for a tour title by winning in Casablanca as he continued to be a major force on the clay courts. His career may have seemed to be in decline but he firmly established himself back on the tour in 2010 with three titles and a final appearance. It was a fantastic start to the year but two surgeries in the Autumn would cut short his season. In 2011 he returned to action in July and showed his class by winning yet another title in Stuttgart. He also reached the fourth round at the US Open in what would be his final visit to New York competitively. His final season on tour has been disrupted by injuries and he has only managed to play sixteen matches before announcing on September 12 that it was to be his final season on tour.
In total Ferrero managed to win sixteen titles including his lone Grand Slam title in Paris and he managed to get to the very top of the world rankings in 2003. He was part of the Spanish sides that won five Davis Cup titles. He is a great countryman and will always be remembered for his fighting spirit and dedication to the game. I have always admired the way Ferrero played the game and he is a real role model for players aspiring to reach the top. No one can ever question the ability of the man and he has had a career millions would envy and it's hard to think where the game of tennis would be without him. At the age of seventeen his mother tragically passed away after a battle with cancer and the loss hurt the Spaniard greatly. He even considered quitting the game but decided to carry on as his mother loved him playing. Little did he know then how much of an impact he would go on to have in tennis and looking back on his career he will certainly have done his mother proud.
Although he will miss the competition he will still play a major part in tennis. He will play a key role in the Valencia Open in future years and his academy will continue to produce great young tennis players, while he also owns a hotel in Spain known as Hotel Ferrero. So he should have no problem settling into life after tennis and the ATP and the Valencia Open will be pulling out all the stops to give him the sort of send off a player and person of his calibre deserves. The stature of the man is proven in the list of people who have already signed up to be there for the tournament next week to say their goodbyes to a legend. Carlos Moya, Albert Costa, Alex Corretja and golfer Sergio Garcia have confirmed they will be in attendance. Although he is currently absent from the tour through injury, Rafael Nadal has also stated he will be there for his good friends retirement. It's going to be an emotional week for sure and who would bet against Ferrero going out with a bang in his final event?
We've had fourteen great years watching the mosquito and never has he let anyone down as he always gave absolute effort on the court. I've always been a huge fan and he's always been an inspiration for me. I'm sure everyone involved in tennis will join me in wishing him every success in his future and thanking him for his contributions to the tour over the last fourteen years.
Good Luck Juan Carlos and thank you for the memories!
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