Juan Carlos Ferrero always gave the impression of being a bygone era sportsman. Because of his personality, he was fiercely secretive and loyal to those he trusted, so he let his tennis do the talking.
Ferrero was determined to win and honed his natural abilities, particularly on clay courts. Ferrero was focused and humble about his achievements. Throughout his career, he was consistently polite, subtle, and fashionable; however, winning over the masses was not in his nature.
Overly ecstatic tennis players were never in his mother Rosario’s good graces. When Mom passed away in 1998, two years after Ferrero left Onteniente to join Antonio Martinez at the Villena Tennis Academy, the then-17-year-old withdrew and decided to devote her entire life to professional tennis.
After losing to Fernando Gonzalez in the junior finals at Roland Garros in 1998, it was evident Ferrero was bound for success. The following year, after moving up 302 rankings to World No. 43, he won the ATP Newcomer of the Year award. The next year, he contributed to Spain’s first Davis Cup victory. For the subsequent four seasons, he was unbeatable on clay.
Between 2000 and 2003, he had a 111-25 match record, winning three of his four ATP Masters 1000 titles. He also had a 23-2 record at Roland Garros, where he finished second in 2002 and won the title the following year.
Every year, he seemed to improve every aspect of his game, especially his serve and forehand. He outperformed fellow compatriots Alex Corretja, Albert Costa, and Carlos Moya, as well as Gustavo Kuerten on clay courts, with incredible subtlety and deceptive power.
El Mosquito’s diminutive stature, speed, finesse, and ability to conjure winning strokes from nothing delighted the purists as men’s professional tennis evolved at the beginning of the twenty-first century. El Mosquito’s willingness to improve on other surfaces was rewarded by a rise to the top of the sport.
Ferrero replaced Andre Agassi as the World No. 1 on September 8, 2003, just three months after expectation became a reality when Ferrero defeated Dutchman Martin Verkerk 6-1, 6-3, 6-2 for his lone Grand Slam championship triumph in Paris.
Ferrero ruled for eight weeks before being dethroned by Andy Roddick, who defeated him in the US Open final 6-3, 7-6(2), 6-3. He was an inspiration to the next generation of Spanish players, which included Rafael Nadal and David Ferrer.
According to Ferrero, who spoke exclusively to ATPTour.com, “Tennis in Spain has benefited significantly from Juan Carlos’ contributions.” When Spain won the Davis Cup for the first time, he was the World No. 1, and he paved the way for many other players to come and other Davis Cup victories for our country.
He was and still is my closest friend on tour. He is a friend of many of my friends and considers himself to be very close to me. He is a humble and honorable man.”
He played 176 straight weeks in the Top 10 of the ATP Rankings up to September 13, 2004, when injuries and a decline in form finally caught up with him. As he put in a lot of effort to get back to the top level, his enthusiasm for the sport didn’t waver despite his iron will and headstrong nature. He won his 16th tour-level trophy at Casablanca in 2009, ending a 110-tournament championship drought.
The following year, during the golden swing of Latin American events, Ferrero put on a string of outstanding performances to compile a 14-1 record and return to the Top 20. He finished with 16 to 18 points. Ferrero chose the billionaire lifestyle of a home on the Mediterranean coast over living at the academy, where his ambitions were first realized as a youth.
He continues to play golf and pursue his interests in cars and motorcycles here. While at the pinnacle of his career, he wisely looked beyond tennis by investing in several initiatives with Martinez, his coach since 1989.
At the age of 32, Juan Carlos Ferrero decided to end his career in athletics. He was highly determined to be successful in his new endeavours, including the La Fundación de la Comunidad Valenciana Juan Carlos Ferrero, which supports youth sports in and around Valencia.
Ferrero has recently returned to the Tour as a coach. The Spaniard worked with Alexander Zverev for a year and has spent the last three years with #NextGenATP Carlos Alcaraz, assisting the teen to win his first ATP Tour title in Umag in 2021 and break into the world’s Top 100.
Later, in 2022, he won his first ATP Masters 1000 title in Miami. He won his first Grand Slam title at the 2022 US Open. Alcaraz became the youngest player in the history of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings when he reached the top spot on September 12, 2022.
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