Where does Ferrero go from here?

[Morrissey]

He lost pretty meekly to Soderling 6-3, 6-2 today. At home in Spain where he won this very event in 2003 when he had number one to himself, for a short time though. Is this it for him? Has he peaked? I think he's too young to have left his best tennis behind him. It should be all in his head, maybe he hasn't added anything new to his game since 2003 and he's left behind the rest. Any thoughts here?

 

[Watcher]

Ferrero is one of the most talented guys around. And, even though he's nowhere near his best form right now, he has been getting better and better. Hopefully, from here he goes up.

 

[hoosierbr]

JCF is certainly one of the most talented guys around and can beat anyone on his day but I think his biggest problem is that he really has no major weapon in his game to hurt the top players. His biggest asset was his speed and now he's been passed by Nadal who's quicker and more explosive. His best surface was always clay but Nadal, again, took that crown from him and Federer is a close second. Now there's so many other capable clay courters and guys like Ancic or Ljubicic who are capable of making a deep run somewhere that JCF has to play his best every match to compete.

His game is no longer a mystery and having gotten injured right after being number one didn't help. His confidence was shot. There's no reason he can't be a solid Top 20 player again but reaching the Top 10 will be tough.

 

[ChiefAce]

As the poster above said, lack of major weapons. He does everything well but doesn't have an outstanding attribute to get cheap points with. Time for JCF to go home.

 

[Nextman916]

JCF is certainly one of the most talented guys around and can beat anyone on his day but I think his biggest problem is that he really has no major weapon in his game to hurt the top players. His biggest asset was his speed and now he's been passed by Nadal who's quicker and more explosive. His best surface was always clay but Nadal, again, took that crown from him and Federer is a close second. Now there's so many other capable clay courters and guys like Ancic or Ljubicic who are capable of making a deep run somewhere that JCF has to play his best every match to compete.

His game is no longer a mystery and having gotten injured right after being number one didn't help. His confidence was shot. There's no reason he can't be a solid Top 20 player again but reaching the Top 10 will be tough.

Ill agree that the guy certainly has talent. However even if Ferrero is on his BEST game, playing his absolute flawless tennis there are still many players on tour that can beat him. It bothers me when people say that if a player were on their game they can be unstoppable, Haas is another ive heard. Its simply not true, Federer could dominate just about anyone if he is on form, it wont even require his full capabilities. Now if your talking about playing a perfet match without errors, thats a whole nother story but is never gonna happen.

 

[hoosierbr]

Ill agree that the guy certainly has talent. However even if Ferrero is on his BEST game, playing his absolute flawless tennis there are still many players on tour that can beat him. It bothers me when people say that if a player were on their game they can be unstoppable, Haas is another ive heard. Its simply not true, Federer could dominate just about anyone if he is on form, it wont even require his full capabilities. Now if your talking about playing a perfet match without errors, thats a whole nother story but is never gonna happen.

You misunderstood, misinterpreted or simply didn't read my post carefully. I didn't say Ferrero was unstoppable when playing his best. I said if he played his best he can beat anybody. But how often does he play his best? We saw glimpses of it in Cincinnati against Robredo and Nadal but he faded in the final against Roddick. Last year he had matchpoints against Federer in Dubai in the first or second round and didn't close it out. So he's still capable of playing great tennis.

His problem, as I clearly stated in my post, is that he doesn't have any major weapons to threaten the top guys so he has to be at 100% at all times to challenge them and even then they probably have to be a little off for him to win. The top players have a weapon or two to rely on when they're a bit off but Ferrero has no such margin. Also, the tour has so much depth that guys whom he wouldn't have lost to in 2003 when he was consistently at his best can beat him anytime, anywhere now.

 

[Zaragoza]

Lack of self-esteem, tennis evolution and not the best motivation and attitude to change things. If he continues saying he is playing well and had bad luck in some matches or the other guy is tough on this surface (Soderling in Madrid) maybe he´s not mentally ready to play on the tour these days.
He knows he cannot reach Federer and Nadal and that´s hard to accept for someone who has been no.1 and a Slam winner. He´s not even the best or 2nd best player in his country and he feels a no named player in Spain, and probably a bit jealous of Nadal.
Basically the tour is harder than it was in his prime time and he´s not mentally tough enough and motivated at all to be the no.12 instead of no.20 or 30. He knows even playing his best he will never be the player he was. I think his career will follow Moya steps: an inconsistent player with some good wins once a while.

 

[breakfast_of_champions]

home with his model wife, to count his money.

 

[prostaff18]

I saw JCF play at cinncy this year and he looked great. His forehand was sweet. When he played Nadal he was on fire and was just killing the ball. then when he got to the final vs Roddick he was dead and had no game. His serve looked good along with his forehand. I was very impresed!!

 

[aramis]

Look at the top ten now and compare it to 2003; Ignoring Fed and Nadal, Ferrero had it tougher back then if you ask me. He was no where near his best in Cincy, and if you don't believe me go watch some of his matches from 2002-2003 and you will be convinced. His movement was sluggish and his forehand was not any where near its lethal best and he was meeting the ball way too late. As impossible as it sounds, JCF's run to a masters final was indeed purely luck, in that his opponents were making 30+ errors per match.

However, don't be misled by the scoreline of his match against Soderling; I saw much of the match and I was far more impressed with his performance yesterday than with anything I saw from him in Cincy. He was actually moving like the old mosquito again with that blazing footwork and was serving with precision and pace. The backhand was solid and he was running to his forehand much better than he did in Cincy. The main reason why he lost was because he didn't convert any of his five break points, while Soderling converted three of his seven.

The main thing lacking in his game right now seems to his forehand, though it has improved some since Cincy. Its still missing a little bit of pace, clearance over the net, and direction. Once he gets that forehand back to where it used to be, watch him cruise into the top five next year. However, if he doesnt do anything special by the end of the clay season, then you can give up on him.

 

[aramis]

And its not like Soderling is a pushover indoors; just saw his score with Federer and it looks he could have beaten him.

 

[J-man]

Soderling is a good player and gives players a good run for their money. Espically when there not on their game. I think JCF is done. He knows and we know it. I think the best he can do is make a couple of good runs here and there. And just enjoy and hope to win

 

[!Tym]

Look at the top ten now and compare it to 2003; Ignoring Fed and Nadal, Ferrero had it tougher back then if you ask me. He was no where near his best in Cincy, and if you don't believe me go watch some of his matches from 2002-2003 and you will be convinced. His movement was sluggish and his forehand was not any where near its lethal best and he was meeting the ball way too late. As impossible as it sounds, JCF's run to a masters final was indeed purely luck, in that his opponents were making 30+ errors per match.

However, don't be misled by the scoreline of his match against Soderling; I saw much of the match and I was far more impressed with his performance yesterday than with anything I saw from him in Cincy. He was actually moving like the old mosquito again with that blazing footwork and was serving with precision and pace. The backhand was solid and he was running to his forehand much better than he did in Cincy. The main reason why he lost was because he didn't convert any of his five break points, while Soderling converted three of his seven.

The main thing lacking in his game right now seems to his forehand, though it has improved some since Cincy. Its still missing a little bit of pace, clearance over the net, and direction. Once he gets that forehand back to where it used to be, watch him cruise into the top five next year. However, if he doesnt do anything special by the end of the clay season, then you can give up on him.

Agree, it's a mistake to think Ferrero didn't have weapons. When he had his confidence, he used to take it to Moya off the forehand side. I mean he was toe to toe with Moya on the forehand and outdoing him even. The guy's forehand at his best was simply lethal, razor sharp shot, hardly ever missed, piercing pace, superbly crisp footwork, was always setting up and in good balance. Now, he's just a bit more hesitant. You lose a little confidence, and that's all it takes. He's not quite as crisp or as sharp as he used to be, but at this level that makes a world of difference.

 

[DashaandSafin]

I don't like comparing JFC to Nadal. I think that they are opposites. JFC has a game that is suited for hardcourts, as well as clay. He has deep, penetrating, rather flat shots for a claycourter. His forehand is massive (see USO '03) and his backhand is rather good also. His serve is underrated and he can volley as well as anyone. Sure he's fast, not Nadal fast, not Coria fast, but he would be third in the speed department. A string of injuries has taken its toll on JFC. He has lost much needed confidence as I watch him play. Now, we see flashes of brilliance, but can he put it together to make a Grand Slam final and possibly win one?

 

[aramis]

Agree, it's a mistake to think Ferrero didn't have weapons. When he had his confidence, he used to take it to Moya off the forehand side. I mean he was toe to toe with Moya on the forehand and outdoing him even. The guy's forehand at his best was simply lethal, razor sharp shot, hardly ever missed, piercing pace, superbly crisp footwork, was always setting up and in good balance. Now, he's just a bit more hesitant. You lose a little confidence, and that's all it takes. He's not quite as crisp or as sharp as he used to be, but at this level that makes a world of difference.

True; when he is hitting that forehand with confidence he almost never misses and he can hit from any sort of off balance position as well. This is definitely a shot that rival's even Federer's forehand, and we all know how good his forehand is.

 

[Fee]

Okay, I'm bumping up this thread because I want to continue this discussion, if possible. JCF is so young and it is hard to believe that his career could really be 'over'.

Is there anything he could do or change or improve to become a consistent Top 20 player again? Is this a mental/confidence problem or has the current game passed him by? He was a Top Ten player once and I have a hard time believing that was some kind of fluke.

 

[Bjorn99]

These guys aren't that "young". They have all gone to factories and been pushed to the limit since they were knee high to a ball of tennis balls. That is why he seems so finished at such a young chronological age. But he was one of the lucky ones and has some dough and hardware to show for it.

 

[aramis]

I said it back then and I still think its true; JCF is lacking his forehand, the shot that defined him. Just look at the way he hits it now compared to previous years. Now he just loops it over the net with little pace whereas before he would blast the crap out of it at will, a la Federer. Its just one shot, but it still makes a huge difference in terms of results. I mean just imagine if Federer suddenly forgets how to hit his forehand, think of how many points he would lose. Those points would add up into lost games, which would turn into lost sets, and finally lost matches. This is what has been happening to JC since 2005.

 

[LarougeNY]

I said it back then and I still think its true; JCF is lacking his forehand, the shot that defined him. Just look at the way he hits it now compared to previous years. Now he just loops it over the net with little pace whereas before he would blast the crap out of it at will, a la Federer. Its just one shot, but it still makes a huge difference in terms of results. I mean just imagine if Federer suddenly forgets how to hit his forehand, think of how many points he would lose. Those points would add up into lost games, which would turn into lost sets, and finally lost matches. This is what has been happening to JC since 2005.

i agree, this is all he was doing when I was watching the match between him and giquel. At changeovers he would even curse at himself, in spanish, when he was facing us (the spectators) so it looked like he was cursing at us...
anyway, I think he's just in a haze right now, and sooner or later he's gonna start playing his best and return to the near top very soon.

 

[Fee]

I said it back then and I still think its true; JCF is lacking his forehand, the shot that defined him. Just look at the way he hits it now compared to previous years. Now he just loops it over the net with little pace whereas before he would blast the crap out of it at will, a la Federer. Its just one shot, but it still makes a huge difference in terms of results. I mean just imagine if Federer suddenly forgets how to hit his forehand, think of how many points he would lose. Those points would add up into lost games, which would turn into lost sets, and finally lost matches. This is what has been happening to JC since 2005.

Do you think the racqet switching fiasco a few years back had anything to do with this, or is he just not the same player since his chicken pox infection?

 

[aramis]

I really do feel that he altered his technique to accomodate that head racquet. I remember when he played Safin a couple years ago at RG and noticed how much he was brushing up on the ball and "arming" it over the net, rather than staying loose and whipping through it like he used to. He definitely wasn't generating the same racquet speed. I still think confidence is the main issue (as he has been using his old prince frame since last spring), but the switch couldn't have helped.

 

[aramis]

Anyway, I don't think he's too old, especially not old enough to be compared to guys like Moya. What is he, 26? Thats like middle aged at most in tennis years. He's still more than capable of producing the kinds of results he had in 2003, especially considering how little he has played the last three years. He has nice draw at the AO for the first three rounds, until he meets Fed. Hopefully we get to see these two old rivals play against each other because it would be good for Ferrero. He usually gets fired up when he plays againt Roger and starts to hit the ball like his old self, I noticed.