|
Set to Play Revived Arazi
Forgotten man Ferrero offers timely
reminder
'I'm with a lot of power'
By Eleanor Preston
Special to tennisreporters.net
Susan Mullane/Camerawork USA |
| Juan Carlos has found his form
again. |
FROM THE AUSTRALIAN OPEN – It's hard
to describe the world No. 3 as a sleeper, but even the most avid
fans of Juan Carlos Ferrero (and logic dictates there must be some
out there somewhere) would agree that he has hardly made much of
a song and dance en route to the quarterfinals of the Australian
Open.
Ferrero's 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory over Andre Pavel should ensure
that he at least gets on a court where the Australian public gets
a chance to watch him in action. His victory over Pavel was performed
in front of half-empty Vodafone Arena, though afterwards he took
his frequent demotions to outside courts with remarkable equanimity.
When asked if he felt aggrieved, he said, "No, today there
were two Australian guys playing (on the Rod Laver Arena), so
it's more normal to play in the Vodafone, of course."
Although he has been one of the world's top players for the past
two years, few picked Ferrero to advance this far here, given he
was riding a seven-match losing streak entering the tournament and
appeared a bit burnt out after a long and demanding 2003, that ended
with back to back losses to Lleyton Hewitt and Mark Philippoussis
in the Davis Cup final.
Perhaps the soft-spoken but fiercely determined Spaniard is cherishing
his status as the most underestimated player in the draw, especially
as he may still be carrying the groin injury he sustained earlier
in the tournament, but he is wily enough to play down his chances
and project the pressure to other, more attention-grabbing targets.
"I see the people is focusing also
in me, you know," he said. "I'm three in the world,
so of course the people is thinking of me (but) I don't think
about these things, just go and play my matches."
Ferraro's tennis can be of an extraordinarily high quality but
his post-match manner could use a little work. He is frequently
irritable, often bored and his grasp of English can loosen when
he in not in the mood the talk, all of which contributes to his
ability to play entire Grand Slam tournaments from below the radar.
Philippoussis' loss to the revived Hicham Arazi has opened up
his draw nicely though, and he is now odds on to make the semis,
plus there were odd clues in his win over Pavel that things are
beginning to click into place in time for the business end of
the tournament.
"I'm playing very good," he said. "I start to play
today with a lot of confidence, hitting the ball pretty good,"
he said. "I feel very comfortable in the court, hitting the
ball very good from my forehand, backhand and serve. After the
injury also, I hit the ball very well all the time. Of course,
I'm with a lot of confidence because I won a few difficult matches
with injuries. I'm with a lot of power."
That power should never be underestimated, and he has a Roland
Garros trophy and a US Open runner-up's cup to prove it. Anyone
who dismisses his hopes of adding the Australian Open to his tally
of titles may be in for a shock come Sunday. |
