Juan Carlos Ferrero facts for kids
Ferrero in June 2011
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| Full name | Juan Carlos Ferrero Donat |
|---|---|
| Country (sports) |  Spain |
| Born | 12 February 1980 Ontinyent, Spain |
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) |
| Turned pro | 1998 |
| Retired | 2012 |
| Plays | Right-handed (two-handed backhand) |
| Prize money | $13,992,895 |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 479–262 (64.64%) (64.6%) |
| Career titles | 16 |
| Highest ranking | No. 1 (8 September 2003) |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Australian Open | SF (2004) |
| French Open | W (2003) |
| Wimbledon | QF (2007, 2009) |
| US Open | F (2003) |
| Other tournaments | |
| Tour Finals | F (2002) |
| Olympic Games | QF (2000) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 6–24 (20.0%) |
| Career titles | 0 |
| Highest ranking | No. 198 (3 February 2003) |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| Australian Open | 1R (2004, 2005) |
| Wimbledon | 1R (2002, 2003) |
| US Open | 1R (2006) |
| Team competitions | |
| Davis Cup | W (2000, 2004, 2009) |
| Coaching career (2017–) | |
Juan Carlos Ferrero Donat (born 12 February 1980) is a Spanish former professional tennis player. He was once ranked the World No. 1. In 2003, he won the French Open, a major tennis tournament. That same year, he became the 21st player to reach the top ranking, holding it for eight weeks.
Ferrero was also a runner-up at the 2002 French Open and the 2003 US Open. He won 16 titles on the ATP Tour, including four big Masters events. People called him "el Mosquito" (the Mosquito) because he was very fast and had a slim build. Ferrero stopped playing professional tennis after the 2012 Valencia Open. Since then, he has coached other tennis players, including Alexander Zverev and currently, former World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz.
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About Juan Carlos Ferrero
Juan Carlos Ferrero is sometimes called Juanki or JC. He started playing tennis when he was seven years old with his father, Eduardo. His father often traveled with him to tournaments. Juan Carlos has two sisters, Ana and Laura. He has said that his mother, Rosario, who passed away when he was sixteen, was his biggest inspiration in tennis.
In July 2015, Ferrero married Eva Alonso in Valencia. They have three children.
In 2007, Ferrero bought an old house and turned it into the "Hotel Ferrero," which has 12 fancy suites. He used to own the Valencia Open tennis tournament with another player, David Ferrer. Today, he is the CEO and director of the Ferrero Tennis Academy in Alicante, Villena. This is the same academy where he trained when he was younger.
Ferrero's Tennis Career
Starting Out in Tennis (1998-1999)
Juan Carlos Ferrero was born in Ontinyent, Spain. He first became well-known in 1998 when he reached the final of the Junior French Open. He finished that year as the No. 17 junior player. He then started his professional career, reaching the finals of his first Futures tournament in Italy. He won two Futures events in Spain and ended 1998 ranked No. 345.
In 1999, Ferrero played in his first main ATP tournament. He reached the semi-finals at the Grand Prix Hassan II. He then won a Challenger event in Naples. He quickly moved into the top 100 players, reaching No. 95. In August, he played in his first major tournament, the US Open. The next month, he won his first career title at the Majorca Open. This win moved him up to No. 47. He ended 1999 ranked No. 43 and won the award for ATP Newcomer of the Year.
Becoming a Top Player (2000-2001)
In 2000, Ferrero reached the quarterfinals at the Auckland Open and the third round at the Australian Open. He made it to the final in Dubai, where he beat a top 10 player for the first time. During the clay court season, he reached his first Masters quarterfinal in Monte Carlo. He also made it to the final of the Barcelona Open, which helped him enter the top 20 for the first time. Ferrero reached the semi-finals of the French Open for the first time. He did not play at Wimbledon.
At the US Open, Ferrero reached the fourth round. He also played for Spain at the Olympics in Sydney, reaching the quarterfinals. Later that year, Ferrero played a big role in Spain winning their first Davis Cup title. He won both his matches in the final against Australia. Even though he didn't win any titles in 2000, his strong performances helped him end the year ranked No. 12.
Ferrero had a tough start to 2001 but then won a title in Dubai. He then won the Estoril Open, which put him in the top ten for the first time. He continued his winning streak by taking titles at the Barcelona Open and the Rome Masters. The Rome win was his first Masters title and his first time beating a No. 1 ranked player. He reached the semi-finals of the French Open for the second year in a row. Ferrero played at Wimbledon for the first time, reaching the third round. He finished 2001 ranked World No. 5.
Grand Slam Final and Injuries (2002-2004)
Ferrero missed the 2002 Australian Open because of a knee injury. He struggled with his form and had some early losses. However, he bounced back at the Monte Carlo Masters, winning the title. This was his first top-10 win of the year. At the 2002 French Open, Ferrero reached his first Grand Slam final. He beat two top players, Andre Agassi and Marat Safin, to get there. Even though he was favored, he lost the final to Albert Costa. He played with a foot injury during the tournament.
He had some early losses at Wimbledon and the US Open. Ferrero won his second title of 2002 in Hong Kong. He also reached the final of the Tennis Masters Cup, where he lost to Lleyton Hewitt. Ferrero ended 2002 ranked No. 4.
The year 2003 was a great one for Ferrero. He started strong by reaching the final in Sydney and the quarterfinals of the Australian Open. He won his first title of the year at the Monte Carlo Masters. He then won the Valencia Open. The biggest moment came at the 2003 French Open, where he won his first and only Grand Slam title. He beat Martin Verkerk in the final without losing a set.
Ferrero reached the fourth round of Wimbledon. At the 2003 US Open, he continued his strong play, beating former world No. 1s Lleyton Hewitt and Andre Agassi. He lost in the final to Andy Roddick. However, this result meant Ferrero became the World No. 1 player! He also won the Madrid Masters, his first Masters title on a hard court. Ferrero was even given the Spanish "National Sportsman of the Year" award by the King of Spain. He ended 2003 ranked No. 3.
In 2004, injuries started to affect Ferrero's game. He reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open and the final in Rotterdam. But then, he got chicken pox, which kept him out for a month. He also injured his ribs and wrist. At the 2004 French Open, he was the defending champion but lost in the second round. He struggled for the rest of the year, often losing early in tournaments. He ended 2004 ranked No. 31, his lowest ranking in five years.
Comeback and Later Years (2005-2012)
Ferrero aimed to get back to the top in 2005. His ranking dropped to No. 98 early in the year. However, he started to improve, reaching the semi-finals in Monte Carlo and the final of the Barcelona Open. These results helped him get back into the top 50. He reached the fourth round of Wimbledon. He also helped Spain stay in the Davis Cup World Group. Ferrero finished 2005 ranked No. 17.
In 2006, Ferrero reached his only final of the year at the Cincinnati Masters. He beat top players like James Blake and Rafael Nadal to reach the final, but lost to Andy Roddick. This was his first Masters final since 2003. He ended the year ranked No. 23.
Ferrero had mixed results in 2007. He reached the final of the Brasil Open and the semi-finals of the Monte Carlo Masters. A big highlight was reaching the quarterfinals of Wimbledon for the first time. This meant he had reached the quarterfinals at all four major Grand Slam tournaments. He ended 2007 ranked No. 24.
The year 2008 was difficult for Ferrero due to more injuries. He reached the final in Auckland and the fourth round of the Australian Open. He had a big win over Rafael Nadal at the Rome Masters. However, he had to retire from matches at the French Open and Wimbledon due to injuries. He missed three months with a shoulder injury. Ferrero ended 2008 ranked No. 55, his lowest year-end ranking since 1998.
In 2009, Ferrero's ranking dropped out of the top 100. But he made a great comeback! He won his first title since 2003 at the Grand Prix Hassan II in Morocco. He had a surprising run on grass, reaching the semi-finals at Queen's Club and the quarterfinals at Wimbledon. These results helped him climb from No. 90 to No. 37 in just one month. He also reached the final of the Umag Open. At the US Open, he reached the fourth round. This strong performance helped him re-enter the top 20, after being ranked No. 115 just five months earlier. He ended 2009 ranked No. 23.
Ferrero had a career resurgence in 2010. He won three titles that year: the Brasil Open, Buenos Aires, and the Umag Open. Winning two titles in a row helped his ranking rise to No. 16, his highest since 2004. He missed some tournaments due to knee and wrist injuries and had surgery in October. He ended 2010 ranked No. 28.
In 2011, Ferrero missed many early tournaments because he was recovering from surgery. He returned at the Barcelona Open. He then won his final ATP title at the Stuttgart Open. At the US Open, he had an exciting five-set win against Gaël Monfils and reached the fourth round. He ended 2011 ranked No. 50.
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Ferrero started his final season in 2012. He played his last Davis Cup match for Spain, winning a tough five-set match. He then missed three months due to a wrist injury. Ferrero announced on September 12th that he would retire from professional tennis after the Valencia Open in October. He said that injuries had made it hard to play regularly and that he didn't have the same drive after 14 years at the top. He played his final singles match at the Valencia Open, losing to Nicolás Almagro. His retirement ceremony took place at the tournament.
In 2017, Ferrero played one doubles tournament in Barcelona, but it was his only return to playing.
Davis Cup Success
Ferrero was a very important player for Spain's Davis Cup team. He first played in the Davis Cup in 2000, winning both his matches against Russia. He continued his strong play, helping Spain win their first Davis Cup title against Australia. Ferrero later said this was the victory he was most proud of in his career.
He played in the Davis Cup in 2001, 2002, and 2003. In 2003, he won many matches, helping Spain reach the final. However, Spain lost to Australia in the final that year.
In 2004, Ferrero won both his matches in Spain's quarterfinal against the Netherlands. In the semi-final, he won his match against France. But for the final against the United States, he was surprisingly not chosen to play singles. Instead, Rafael Nadal played. Ferrero was then asked to play doubles at the last minute, but he and his partner lost. Even so, Spain won the Davis Cup for the second time. There were rumors of bad feelings between Ferrero and Nadal, but Nadal said Ferrero understood the situation well.
Ferrero did not play in the Davis Cup again until 2009. He helped Spain win a key match against Germany in the quarterfinals. He also won a match in the semi-finals against Israel, helping Spain win the Davis Cup for the second year in a row.
Ferrero has also been involved with the Davis Cup as a coach. He coached Carlos Alcaraz for Spain in the 2022 and 2024 finals.
Coaching Career
In July 2017, Ferrero started coaching Alexander Zverev, who was then ranked No. 11 in the world. They stopped working together in February 2018 due to disagreements.
In 2019, Ferrero began coaching Carlos Alcaraz, a young Spanish player who was sixteen at the time. Their partnership has been very successful. Under Ferrero's coaching, Alcaraz has won sixteen tournaments on the ATP Tour. This includes four major Grand Slam titles: the 2022 US Open, Wimbledon in 2023 and 2024, and the 2024 French Open.
Alcaraz has also won five Masters 1000 titles with Ferrero as his coach. He became the youngest ATP World No. 1 player in history while being coached by Ferrero. They train at the Ferrero Tennis Academy in Alicante, Villena, which is where Ferrero himself trained as a young player.
Playing Style and Equipment
Juan Carlos Ferrero was known as an all-court player, meaning he could play well from anywhere on the court. He was especially famous for his strong forehand shot. He was also very agile and fast on the court, which is why he was nicknamed "the Mosquito." While he was best known for playing on clay courts, he also had great results on all other surfaces.
Ferrero was coached by Antonio Martínez Cascales for many years. His fitness trainer was Miguel Maeso. He was sponsored by several sports brands throughout his career, including Nike, Sergio Tacchini, ASICS, Lotto Sport Italia, Joma, and Lacoste for his clothing. He used Prince Sports racquets before switching to Head racquets. In 2024, Ferrero announced new deals with Nike and Babolat for himself and his academy.
Career statistics
Grand Slam tournament performance timeline
| W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | A | NH |
| Tournament | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | SR | W–L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Open | A | 3R | 2R | A | QF | SF | 3R | 3R | 2R | 4R | 1R | 1R | A | 1R | 0 / 11 | 20–11 |
| French Open | Q1 | SF | SF | F | W | 2R | 3R | 3R | 3R | 1R | 2R | 3R | A | 2R | 1 / 12 | 34–11 |
| Wimbledon | A | A | 3R | 2R | 4R | 3R | 4R | 3R | QF | 2R | QF | 1R | A | 1R | 0 / 11 | 22–11 |
| US Open | 1R | 4R | 3R | 3R | F | 2R | 1R | 2R | 1R | A | 4R | 3R | 4R | A | 0 / 12 | 23–12 |
| Win–loss | 0–1 | 10–3 | 10–4 | 9–3 | 20–3 | 9–4 | 7–4 | 7–4 | 7–4 | 4–3 | 8–4 | 4–4 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 1 / 46 | 99–45 |
Images for kids
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Juan Carlos Ferrero at the 2011 Barcelona Open
See also
In Spanish: Juan Carlos Ferrero para niños
- List of ATP number 1 ranked singles players
- List of Grand Slam men's singles champions
