Poor David Ferrer

Mr. Friscus

Mr. Friscus

New User
I've been doing a few tennis statistic projects lately (which is why I signed onto these boards, once you start researching tennis, you want to talk about it!)

I've been documenting all of the results of the "Big 3" (Federer, Nadal, and Djokavic).. and as I went year after year, when I wrote "WON" next to a name, a certain guy's name kept coming up as the person they beat, and that's David Ferrer.

So, I decided to look at all the Finals David Ferrer played against the Big 3, win or loss. Here's the results with tourney, Ferrer's ranking, surface, and result...

2008 Barcelona #2 (Clay) L to #1 Nadal (6-1, 4-6, 6-1)
2009 Barcelona #4 (Clay) L to #1 Nadal (6-2, 7-5)
2009 Dubai #4 (HC) L to #1 Djokavic (7-5, 6-3)
2010 Rome Masters #13 (Clay) L to #3 Nadal (7-5, 6-2)
2010 Beijing #8 (HC) L to #1 Djokavic (6-2, 6-4)
2011 Monte Carlo Masters #4 (Clay) L to #1 Nadal (6-4, 7-5)
2011 Barcelona #4 (Clay) L to #1 Nadal (6-2, 6-4)
2012 Barcelona #3 (Clay) L to #1 Nadal (7-6 [1], 7-5)
2013 Acapulco #1 (Clay) L to #2 Nadal (6-0, 6-2)
2013 FRENCH OPEN #4 (Clay) L to #3 Nadal (6-3, 6-2, 6-3)
2013 Paris Masters #3 (HC) L to #2 Djokavic (7-5, 7-5)
2014 Cincinnati Masters #6 (HC) L to #2 Federer (6-3, 1-6, 6-2)

That's right. David Ferrer is 0-12 against the Big 3 in ATP Finals. He might have gotten them in the Quarters, the Semis.. but in Finals, Ferrer never got any of them.

And, looking at the scores, he was never much close. I respect him obviously, but it's remarkable how much of a victim he along with many other players were to the big 3.

I mean, you'd think he'd have ONE... ugh, I feel for the guy.
 
Mr. Friscus said:
I've been doing a few tennis statistic projects lately (which is why I signed onto these boards, once you start researching tennis, you want to talk about it!)

I've been documenting all of the results of the "Big 3" (Federer, Nadal, and Djokavic).. and as I went year after year, when I wrote "WON" next to a name, a certain guy's name kept coming up as the person they beat, and that's David Ferrer.

So, I decided to look at all the Finals David Ferrer played against the Big 3, win or loss. Here's the results with tourney, Ferrer's ranking, surface, and result...

2008 Barcelona #2 (Clay) L to #1 Nadal (6-1, 4-6, 6-1)
2009 Barcelona #4 (Clay) L to #1 Nadal (6-2, 7-5)
2009 Dubai #4 (HC) L to #1 Djokavic (7-5, 6-3)
2010 Rome Masters #13 (Clay) L to #3 Nadal (7-5, 6-2)
2010 Beijing #8 (HC) L to #1 Djokavic (6-2, 6-4)
2011 Monte Carlo Masters #4 (Clay) L to #1 Nadal (6-4, 7-5)
2011 Barcelona #4 (Clay) L to #1 Nadal (6-2, 6-4)
2012 Barcelona #3 (Clay) L to #1 Nadal (7-6 [1], 7-5)
2013 Acapulco #1 (Clay) L to #2 Nadal (6-0, 6-2)
2013 FRENCH OPEN #4 (Clay) L to #3 Nadal (6-3, 6-2, 6-3)
2013 Paris Masters #3 (HC) L to #2 Djokavic (7-5, 7-5)
2014 Cincinnati Masters #6 (HC) L to #2 Federer (6-3, 1-6, 6-2)

That's right. David Ferrer is 0-12 against the Big 3 in ATP Finals. He might have gotten them in the Quarters, the Semis.. but in Finals, Ferrer never got any of them.

And, looking at the scores, he was never much close. I respect him obviously, but it's remarkable how much of a victim he along with many other players were to the big 3.

I mean, you'd think he'd have ONE... ugh, I feel for the guy.
Click to expand...
Also 2007 ATP Finals losing to Fed in straights....
 
There is no shame in loosing to Nadal on clay or Federer in Cincy.
Ferrer was very consistent and high level, just no enough when Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and Murray were on the scene.
Honestly the level of dominance of the Top 3-4 was unreal back in those days.
 
Automatix said:
There is no shame in loosing to Nadal on clay or Federer in Cincy.
Ferrer was very consistent and high level, just no enough when Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and Murray were on the scene.
Honestly the level of dominance of the Top 3-4 was unreal back in those days.
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I’m not saying he should feel shame at all.

I said I feel for him.

1. He just was his best at the worst time.
2. And even with… it’s kind of remarkable he never beat any of them in a final. It’s not that he didn’t beat them in general…
 
I don't think he ever beat federer did he? As noted he really didn't have viable weapons to attack with, he really needed the big 3 to be off of their game to heat them. But if they are in the final it probably meant they were playing well which gave ferrer little chance.
 
Mr. Friscus said:
I’m not saying he should feel shame at all.

I said I feel for him.
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Not saying you implied it or anything. ;)
It was just a figure of speech. Since there were promising and talented players during the peak of, IMHO, the Ultimate Top 3.
Honestly it took Beast Mode Wawrinka to beat Djokovic in the Roland Garros final. Level and power unachievable by most.
 
Mr. Friscus said:
I’m not saying he should feel shame at all.

I said I feel for him.

1. He just was his best at the worst time.
2. And even with… it’s kind of remarkable he never beat any of them in a final. It’s not that he didn’t beat them in general…
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Ferrer just didn't have the talent of Nadal, Djokovic, Federer and Murray. He played hard and he played smart and got about as far as he was going to go.
It wasn't the era that he played in. Nadal, Djokovic, and Federer were great, but that era had no depth. Therefore, Ferrer was able to be 5th or 6th best guy a lot.
If Ferrer was in his prime today, it would be similar. A couple of great players and no depth. At best he would be at best #3. No threat to Alcarez and Sinner whatsoever. Put him in anytime in the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s etc, and he would not have been close to being the top guy.
 
I'm sure I remember an interview that Connors gave (with the odious Gimelstob in the early part of the last decade), in which he said that while Nadal was his favourite player out of the 'big 4' as it was dubbed at the time, Ferrer was his favourite active player. He gave special credit to him. So that was a very distinguished fan for him to have - clearly you can see why Connors would appreciate him with his tremendous fighting spirit.

I was lucky enough to meet and speak to him briefly at a tournament, and thought that he came across as very friendly.

I do think it was a shame that he couldn't win any of the clay court masters series events or Barcelona. Nadal beat him 13 times in those events (excluding the 4 times at RG), including in all 6 of his final appearances. At Hamburg in 2006 when there was no Nadal or Federer after their exploits in Rome the previous week, Robredo capitalised by beating Ferrer in their QF (winning 7 points in a row after trailing 6-1 in the 1st set tiebreak), and going on to win the title. At Barcelona in 2010 when Nadal withdrew presenting a golden opportunity to the other Spanish players, Verdasco who had the upper hand in their h2h at the time beat Ferrer in the semis and then beat Soderling in the final to capitalise. At Monte-Carlo in 2014 when he finally beat Nadal on clay for the first time in nearly 10 years, he was stopped in the next round by Wawrinka who then beat Federer to win the title.

With his never say die attitude point after point and punishing style of play, he lasted far longer as a top level player than most people including me could ever have imagined.

I always felt that he didn't receive the credit that he deserved in Spain for his excellent Davis Cup contributions. When Nadal showed up to play in the 2009 and 2011 finals on home soil, he basically received all the attention and credit for Spain's title wins from the media there and even from the prime minister Zapatero (of course not his fault but it was embarrassing). The contributions of Ferrer, plus Lopez and Verdasco, were unfortunately belittled and ignored. I'd say that Ferrer was definitely the 'MVP' of the 2011 title run, thanks to his wins away to the US in Austin.
 
Gizo said:
I'm sure I remember an interview that Connors gave (with the odious Gimelstob in the early part of the last decade), in which he said that while Nadal was his favourite player out of the 'big 4' as it was dubbed at the time, Ferrer was his favourite active player. He gave special credit to him. So that was a very distinguished fan for him to have - clearly you can see why Connors would appreciate him with his tremendous fighting spirit.

I was lucky enough to meet and speak to him briefly at a tournament, and thought that he came across as very friendly.

I do think it was a shame that he couldn't win any of the clay court masters series events or Barcelona. Nadal beat him 13 times in those events (excluding the 4 times at RG), including in all 6 of his final appearances. At Hamburg in 2006 when there was no Nadal or Federer after their exploits in Rome the previous week, Robredo capitalised by beating Ferrer in their QF (winning 7 points in a row after trailing 6-1 in the 1st set tiebreak), and going on to win the title. At Barcelona in 2010 when Nadal withdrew presenting a golden opportunity to the other Spanish players, Verdasco who had the upper hand in their h2h at the time beat Ferrer in the semis and then beat Soderling in the final to capitalise. At Monte-Carlo in 2014 when he finally beat Nadal on clay for the first time in nearly 10 years, he was stopped in the next round by Wawrinka who then beat Federer to win the title.

With his never say die attitude point after point and punishing style of play, he lasted far longer as a top level player than most people including me could ever have imagined.

I always felt that he didn't receive the credit that he deserved in Spain for his excellent Davis Cup contributions. When Nadal showed up to play in the 2009 and 2011 finals on home soil, he basically received all the attention and credit for Spain's title wins from the media there and even from the prime minister Zapatero (of course not his fault but it was embarrassing). The contributions of Ferrer, plus Lopez and Verdasco, were unfortunately belittled and ignored. I'd say that Ferrer was definitely the 'MVP' of the 2011 title run, thanks to his wins away to the US in Austin.
Click to expand...
Even if you drop the "Big 3", his best surface was clearly clay, and had he not reached his peak when the Clay GOAT was in his long prime.. he likely could have a French Open champion or won some Masters events.
 
Mainad said:
Never beat Murray in an ATP final either.
Click to expand...

No, but he pushed him pretty close in some big matches and could have done even more and maybe even win if it wasn't for some mental weakness.

The H2H was VERY even at one point until Murray got many wins in a row against a past-it Ferrer.
 
BauerAlmeida said:
No, but he pushed him pretty close in some big matches and could have done even more and maybe even win if it wasn't for some mental weakness.

The H2H was VERY even at one point until Murray got many wins in a row against a past-it Ferrer.
Click to expand...

Most of Ferrer's early wins against Murray were on clay which was his strongest surface and Murray's weakest. He did play Murray close in many matches but, then, he did against the Big 3 as well (Federer excepted). In the end, they were all just better than him.
 
Gizo said:
I'm sure I remember an interview that Connors gave (with the odious Gimelstob in the early part of the last decade), in which he said that while Nadal was his favourite player out of the 'big 4' as it was dubbed at the time, Ferrer was his favourite active player. He gave special credit to him. So that was a very distinguished fan for him to have - clearly you can see why Connors would appreciate him with his tremendous fighting spirit.

I was lucky enough to meet and speak to him briefly at a tournament, and thought that he came across as very friendly.

I do think it was a shame that he couldn't win any of the clay court masters series events or Barcelona. Nadal beat him 13 times in those events (excluding the 4 times at RG), including in all 6 of his final appearances. At Hamburg in 2006 when there was no Nadal or Federer after their exploits in Rome the previous week, Robredo capitalised by beating Ferrer in their QF (winning 7 points in a row after trailing 6-1 in the 1st set tiebreak), and going on to win the title. At Barcelona in 2010 when Nadal withdrew presenting a golden opportunity to the other Spanish players, Verdasco who had the upper hand in their h2h at the time beat Ferrer in the semis and then beat Soderling in the final to capitalise. At Monte-Carlo in 2014 when he finally beat Nadal on clay for the first time in nearly 10 years, he was stopped in the next round by Wawrinka who then beat Federer to win the title.

With his never say die attitude point after point and punishing style of play, he lasted far longer as a top level player than most people including me could ever have imagined.

I always felt that he didn't receive the credit that he deserved in Spain for his excellent Davis Cup contributions. When Nadal showed up to play in the 2009 and 2011 finals on home soil, he basically received all the attention and credit for Spain's title wins from the media there and even from the prime minister Zapatero (of course not his fault but it was embarrassing). The contributions of Ferrer, plus Lopez and Verdasco, were unfortunately belittled and ignored. I'd say that Ferrer was definitely the 'MVP' of the 2011 title run, thanks to his wins away to the US in Austin.
Click to expand...
Would not expect Ferrer to choke like that :X3:
 
Excellent and consistent player, but aside from his grit he lacked any weapons that could hurt the elite players, especially in important matches. He had the right attitude and work ethic, but that only gets you so far. Definitely someone who maximized his potential. He was sort of the Chang of the Big 3 era.
 
mike danny said:
Would not expect Ferrer to choke like that :X3:
Click to expand...

He committed a pretty bad choke against Roddick in their Paris Masters QF in 2005, during which he had 2 match points as well. It was pretty painful and hilarious viewing at the same time. Roddick was clearly struggling with a back injury, and was barely mobile. But Ferrer still found away to lose it, and then he smashed his racket to pieces afterwards.

In terms of chokes, I found his h2h against Almagro to be absolutely hilarious. It was interesting that Almagro needed 16 attempts to score his first (and only) win against Ferrer (in their final match in Buenos Aires in 2016), but 'only' needed 11 attempts to score his first (and only) win against Nadal (on clay at Barcelona in 2014).

In their first match in Cincy in 2006, Almagro had 6 match points in the 2nd set. In the 2008 Valencia final, Almagro was leading 5-2 with a double break in the final set. In Madrid in 2012, Almagro was leading 5-3 and then had 3 match points in the final set tiebreak. At the Australian Open in 2013, Almagro led by 2 sets to love and then served for the match 3 times in the 3rd and 4th sets.

I was in the stadium to watch their 2011 Barcelona SF, with quite a few local fans electing to miss that match or at least large sections of it, hang out elsewhere on the grounds, enjoy a few drinks and then turn up for the 2nd SF involving Nadal.
 
IF I recall correctly, Ferrer was considerably smaller than the big 3 and Murray? Therefore, did not have the physical power to beat them.
 
sureshs said:
Not poor at all.

David Ferrer's net worth is estimated to be around $16 million as of 2025.
Click to expand...
I didn't mean "poor" in general... I'm talking about him being one of the top 10 to top 5 players in the world and not being able to break through. There's likely a frustration in that
 
ttwarrior1 said:
when did he beat them in majors in quarters, semi, etc
I would like to see those stats
Click to expand...
Here's what I have as far as big time tournaments:
2007 USOPEN: #15 Ferrer def. #2 Nadal in 4th round
2011 AUSTRALIAN: #7 Ferrer def. #1 Nadal in QF
2013 MASTERS PARIS: #3 Ferrer def #1 Nadal in SF
2014 MONTE CAROLO MASTERS: #6 Ferrer def #1 Nadal in QF
2014 ATP FINALS: Ferrer def. Nadal

Nadal owned Ferrer overall with a 26-6 record against him.
And wow. IN HIS CAREER... David Ferrer is 0-17 vs. Roger Federer. Just WOW
Djokavic 16-5 over Ferrer.

Combined vs. the Big 3.. David Ferrer was 11-59
 
Gizo said:
I'm sure I remember an interview that Connors gave (with the odious Gimelstob in the early part of the last decade), in which he said that while Nadal was his favourite player out of the 'big 4' as it was dubbed at the time, Ferrer was his favourite active player. He gave special credit to him. So that was a very distinguished fan for him to have - clearly you can see why Connors would appreciate him with his tremendous fighting spirit.

I was lucky enough to meet and speak to him briefly at a tournament, and thought that he came across as very friendly.

I do think it was a shame that he couldn't win any of the clay court masters series events or Barcelona. Nadal beat him 13 times in those events (excluding the 4 times at RG), including in all 6 of his final appearances. At Hamburg in 2006 when there was no Nadal or Federer after their exploits in Rome the previous week, Robredo capitalised by beating Ferrer in their QF (winning 7 points in a row after trailing 6-1 in the 1st set tiebreak), and going on to win the title. At Barcelona in 2010 when Nadal withdrew presenting a golden opportunity to the other Spanish players, Verdasco who had the upper hand in their h2h at the time beat Ferrer in the semis and then beat Soderling in the final to capitalise. At Monte-Carlo in 2014 when he finally beat Nadal on clay for the first time in nearly 10 years, he was stopped in the next round by Wawrinka who then beat Federer to win the title.

With his never say die attitude point after point and punishing style of play, he lasted far longer as a top level player than most people including me could ever have imagined.

I always felt that he didn't receive the credit that he deserved in Spain for his excellent Davis Cup contributions. When Nadal showed up to play in the 2009 and 2011 finals on home soil, he basically received all the attention and credit for Spain's title wins from the media there and even from the prime minister Zapatero (of course not his fault but it was embarrassing). The contributions of Ferrer, plus Lopez and Verdasco, were unfortunately belittled and ignored. I'd say that Ferrer was definitely the 'MVP' of the 2011 title run, thanks to his wins away to the US in Austin.
Click to expand...

Around a dozen years ago, Bruguera made some comments that appeared in the press. The Barcelona native commented that nobody recognised him when he walked down the street anywhere in Spain. He said: “I think I was a better player than David Ferrer, he is recognised everywhere in Spain. I am invisible.”

If you told ESV, Albert Costa, Carlos Costa, Aguilera or Corretja that Carlos Moyà is a better tennis player than Bruguera, they wouldn’t understand you. They know Bruguera personally, both as a person and as a tennis player, and they have experienced firsthand what he can do with a racket when playing against him at the CAR (High Performance Centre) in Barcelona. I have heard these people talk about tennis for hours.

Here, in this forum, Moyà and Ferrero are tennis stars, but Bruguera is just a nobody. He won 19 consecutive matches at the French Open.

Yet the ITHOF doesn’t have the decency to put up a plaque on one of its buildings saying: These are our prejudices — what are yours? I am glad that neither Muster nor Bruguera belongs to it.
 
I get cramps said:
Around a dozen years ago, Bruguera made some comments that appeared in the press. The Barcelona native commented that nobody recognised him when he walked down the street anywhere in Spain. He said: “I think I was a better player than David Ferrer, he is recognised everywhere in Spain. I am invisible.”

If you told ESV, Albert Costa, Carlos Costa, Aguilera or Corretja that Carlos Moyà is a better tennis player than Bruguera, they wouldn’t understand you. They know Bruguera personally, both as a person and as a tennis player, and they have experienced firsthand what he can do with a racket when playing against him at the CAR (High Performance Centre) in Barcelona. I have heard these people talk about tennis for hours.

Here, in this forum, Moyà and Ferrero are tennis stars, but Bruguera is just a nobody. He won 19 consecutive matches at the French Open.

Yet the ITHOF doesn’t have the decency to put up a plaque on one of its buildings saying: These are our prejudices — what are yours? I am glad that neither Muster nor Bruguera belongs to it.
Click to expand...
Bruguera really whined about that?? The guy has zero charisma and the personality of a wet sock. His playing was ugly too. Wasn't a looker either. I can see why Ferrer was more popular.
 
I get cramps said:
Around a dozen years ago, Bruguera made some comments that appeared in the press. The Barcelona native commented that nobody recognised him when he walked down the street anywhere in Spain. He said: “I think I was a better player than David Ferrer, he is recognised everywhere in Spain. I am invisible.”

If you told ESV, Albert Costa, Carlos Costa, Aguilera or Corretja that Carlos Moyà is a better tennis player than Bruguera, they wouldn’t understand you. They know Bruguera personally, both as a person and as a tennis player, and they have experienced firsthand what he can do with a racket when playing against him at the CAR (High Performance Centre) in Barcelona. I have heard these people talk about tennis for hours.

Here, in this forum, Moyà and Ferrero are tennis stars, but Bruguera is just a nobody. He won 19 consecutive matches at the French Open.

Yet the ITHOF doesn’t have the decency to put up a plaque on one of its buildings saying: These are our prejudices — what are yours? I am glad that neither Muster nor Bruguera belongs to it.
Click to expand...
It’s not really fair, but sports are filled with these kids of examples.

Moses Malone was a multi time MVP in the NBA yet barely gets mentioned in any discussion about great players
 
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