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News and articles about David

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#1 ·
I thought it might be nice since he's got his own forum now we could have a thread devoted to this.

So here's the first contribution, from the ATP Insider the week of Madrid:

On Tuesday afternoon following his victory, CARLOS MOYA paid a visit to the INDESIT Stand where he signed hundreds of autographs while DAVID FERRER visited the RICOH and MERCEDES-BENZ lounges.

-- > On Wednesday afternoon, JAMES BLAKE, MARK KNOWLES, DANIEL NESTOR and NENAD ZIMONJIC took part in the Mercedes-Benz clinic. DAVID FERRER, NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO signed autographs at the Prince booth.
 
#167 ·
Thanks Linda. :worship:
 
#168 ·
Ok, let it be known I have no social life.:sad: Here's part two of the questionnaire with David. Some more interesting questions this time but nothing really exciting.:)

JORGE BLANCO Hi David I wish you a happy 2007 and may you keep winning titles. I have some problems with my backhand and I’d like to ask you what’s the secret to a hard and precise backhand. Happy new year to Jorge too! I can tell you that when I started as a player the same thing happened to me and to better it I had to hit the ball more on top. Which helped but you have to know very well where you start and finish hitting the ball. In addition, you have to always hit the ball in the right spot. Practice and push the ball.

FIDEL RAMON Hi Ferrer. What do you think your chances are of reaching the top 10 next season and playing the Masters Cup in Shangai? Of course I would like to be able to go to Shangai this year! But you have to have a very stable season and be lucky not to get any injuries. And getting into the top 10 is very difficult, you have to win many matches on all surfaces and if you don’t play well on one of them it drains your possibilities. Furthermore, you have to understand that there are always new players that surprise you and move ahead of you.

ALEX MARTINEZ David, dude, there is only one thing I want to tell you, you’re a machine! (Ok, I’m not completely sure about this one, literally it says you are made like a machine.) Thanks! You too, for sure.

ALVARO CAMPO. Hello David! Could you tell me what your trick is to having had a season this fantastic as you have had. Could you also tell me whether you have some kind of habit before you play a match? The truth is I’m not a person that has many habits before I go out on the court. About your other question, tricks are for Copperfield, I just try to fight for every ball. When you enter the court you have to try and leave your nerves outside but even for me this is sometimes difficult.

JUDITH ESTEVE Hi David. For a while now I’ve believed in your qualities, but I believe you still miss a good run at a Grand Slam. Do you think so too? Good luck with this. For me performing well at the Grand Slams is not easy. Lots of different influence this. Like when you win a match in five sets, most of the time the next day your body is broken and some times you can’t recuperate well from these matches and it’s very hard for me. Furthermore the players are all very good and a match can get away from you when you think you have it won.

PEDRO CASSADESSUS Great 2007 David! I would like to know what playing Davis Cup means to you. I think you are one of the players that needs no discussing. The truth is that playing Davis Cup is the best thing that can happen for a Spaniard. I love it when the people go crazy, it’s a special feeling. Because you don’t just play for yourself but for the country.....cool!

SILVIA GIL I read in a magazine you read many books during the season. What is the last book you read and did you like it? I’m a 17 year old girl and I like fiction books. What would you recommend? I’d love to read something recommended by my favorite tennis player! The last I read was ‘Todo bajo el cielo’ by Matilde Asensi. You’ll see, you’ll like it.

VERONICA SANCHES. Hi David! I take it you are in Australia now. I know your are always traveling to play, but I’d like to know which place you would like to visit on your holiday or to stay and live. Good luck! There is no place like home. Because we travel a lot, we appreciate what we have at home more. There are very few places like Spain. I like living in Javea and when I stop I’ll live there.

JUAN GONZALEZ Hi David! I saw you at the last Master Nacional and I laughed when they announced you. “Calentura=Fever/hothead”* But who gave you that name? It was nothing but a joke of the players, I think it’s because of the way I get worked up on the court and sometimes over nothing.

MARTA NAVARRO. Hi David! I’m Marta a Asturian girl and a fan of yours. I know you like tennis but I imagine that people like you who love sport also watch other sports. Which other sport do you like? Are you fan of one particular team or athlete? Hi Marta, you are right, almost all the players like watching other sports when they can. I personally like basketball and like the majority of players I like football a lot. If I have to choose one team it has to be Barca! I’m a big fan, the only down side is that with my schedule and traveling I can’t see all matches.

SUSANA LOPEZ Hi David! I’m a big fan of you valenciana. Many times when I hear you in interviews you say nice things about your land/region and that is something I admire. I think it’s important to remember your roots when you are away from them. I would like to know, have you always lived and trained there? Hello Susana, you are so right, I love Javia and the whole of valenciana. The more you travel, the more you love to go home... I’ve lived the majority of my live in this region. Except for some years when I moved to Barcelona to go to the Federacion Catalana de Tenis. I have also lived in Gandia, Valencia. It is a region I like a lot.


*Calentura in CR means something far more naughty, but I won't tell you what.:)
 
#175 ·
:haha: You chicas are getting quite worked up, not unlike some Spaniard we know. ;)
 
#178 ·
Hmm... I saw the Spanish DC team on SUI [French] news this afternoon. They only showed Rafa talking, nobody else. Funny thing was, I'm sure David was showing a baseball bat during the press conf... :lol: Still wondering about that... any photos fr the press conf??
 
#179 ·
Didn't see a Valencia thread, so posting article here...

Valencia
La Armada contra el argentino Chela
Ferrer, Ferrero, Almagro y Verdasco son los favoritos españoles para la quinta edición del torneo
FERNANDO MIÑANA/ VALENCIA

Vuelve el Open y vuelve la tierra. Porque el torneo de la Comunitat Valenciana es el punto de partida de un tramo del año que discurre sobre el polvo de ladrillo y que concluye dentro de ocho semanas en París, Roland Garros, uno de los santuarios del tenis.

El torneo de Juan Carlos Ferrero –es su propietario– alcanza su quinta edición en un año que se presume de transición. El cartel es parecido al de ejercicios anteriores, aunque se echa en falta alguna estrella de la talla de Rafa Nadal, Gustavo Kuerten o Marat Safin. Pero alrededor de las pistas ya se comienza a hablar de un salto cualitativo. Se espera que el torneo ascienda de categoría dentro de un año, alcanzando un estatus superior. Esto, lógicamente, implica la llegada de jugadores más potentes.

Pero eso es el futuro y el Club de Tenis Valencia ya se ha vestido elegantemente para albergar el V Open de la Comunitat Valenciana a partir del lunes, aunque este fin de semana ya se habrá servido el entrante de la previa.

La nómina de favoritos está prácticamente copada por tenistas españoles. Aunque hay una excepción, el argentino Juan Ignacio Chela, presumible cabeza de serie número 3. Así, el principal favorito será, si el jet-lag lo permite, el valenciano David Ferrer. El único problema es que el de Xàbia disputa la Copa Davis este fin de semana en Estados Unidos, en el estado de Carolina del Norte, y probablemente, dejando el viaje al margen, la transición de una pista exageradamente veloz a una de cámara lenta como la del CT Valencia se antoja complicada.

Mucho más preparado estará Juan Carlos Ferrero, que aún no se ha instalado en la élite pura y dura, pero que ya se encuentra en la parte noble del ranking. El de Ontinyent lleva varios días entrenándose en el escenario de la competición y su tenis ha vuelto a ser notable este año.

Los cuatro campeones
Tampoco conviene perder de vista a dos tenistas que ya han levantado el plato de cerámica en el CT Valencia. Por un lado, Nicolás Almagro, el agresivo tenista murciano que defiende su corona y que en Valencia inició una racha de triunfos imponente. Por otro, Fernando Verdasco, un madrileño que siempre ha dicho que se encuentra muy a gusto en estas pistas.

La organización ha logrado reunir a sus cuatro campeones, ya que además de Ferrero (2003), Verdasco (2004) y Almagro (2006) estará Igor Andreev (2005). El ruso afincado en Valencia jugará gracias a una de las invitaciones que reparte el torneo, ya que una grave lesión le ha tenido apartado de las pistas durante ocho o nueve meses y eso ha provocado su hundimiento en el ranking ATP.

Buena trayectoria de Chela
Pero los favoritos no serán únicamente los españoles. Al frente de los extranjeros aparece Juan Ignacio Chela. El bonaerense lleva una excelente trayectoria este año, proclamándose campeón en Acapulco, alcanzando las semifinales en Costa Do Sauipe, y los cuartos en Auckland, Miami, Indian Wells y Buenos Aires. En total acumula 20 victorias y seis derrotas.

En una segunda fila se encuentran otros jugadores extranjeros con posibilidades, como el caso del estilista francés Gilles Simon, finalista en la pasada edición, el alemán Florian Mayer, el italiano Filippo Volandri, el francés Paul-Henri Mathieu y el ecuatoriano Nicolás Lapentti.

La lucha no se sintetiza únicamente entre españoles y extranjeros, también habrá que ver si alguno de los cuatro campeones son capaces de convertirse en el primer tenista que alcanza el título por segunda vez.
http://www.lasprovincias.es/valenci...s/armada-contra-argentino-chela_20070407.html
 
#181 ·
I think that Sanchez is really screwing David in this DC QF, putting him on hold in case they want to play him tomorrow... meanwhile, jeopardizing his chances of winning his home title, Valencia, as he would be arriving LATE, jet-lagged, no clay practice... ridiculous! :rolleyes:
 
#184 ·
You guys probably already know about this...but here is an article about David's injury (which is one of the reasons he didn't play DC). He has a contracture in his back which he felt on Friday and again yesterday during training. He said it shouldn't affect Valencia or the clay season..

David Ferrer sufre una contractura en la espalda

08/04/07 03:00 h. David Ferrer explicó que sufre “una contractura en la espalda, según me ha comentado el doctor. No es nada serio, pero hay que esperar a ver cómo evoluciona”. El jugador alicantino sintió un dolor tras un saque en los entrenamientos del viernes, y ayer se resintió mientras calentaba.

El alicantino no participó en los individuales de la jornada inicial y tampoco estaba previsto inicialmente su concurso en los dobles de ayer.

Aunque no salte a la pista durante toda la eliminatoria de cuartos de final que se está disputando en Winston-Salem, David Ferrer aseguró que no ve en peligro su presencia en la gira de tierra batida, que debería empezar ya la próxima semana pues figura en la lista de inscritos del ATP de la Comunidad Valencia, cuya fase previa comenzó ayer a disputarse en el CT Valencia.
 
#185 ·
OK didn't know that David is injured. (Sorry for previous rant) ;)

Feel free to move this article to a Valencia thread...


Singles Preview: Ferrer, Ferrero Set First Round Tests

Top-seeded Spaniard David Ferrer will begin his European clay-court campaign with a first round clash against Daniele Bracciali of Italy at the V Open de Tenis Comunidad Valenciana. VAMOS!

Ferrer, who is currently No. 16 in the ATP Rankings, has a 2-0-career record against Bracciali – including one meeting en route to the Auckland title in January.

The 25-year-old Ferrer is appearing at his hometown event for fifth consecutive year. His best result came in 2005 when he finished runner-up to Russian Igor Andreev in the final.

Ferrer's second-seeded compatriot Juan Carlos Ferrero (pictured), who clinched the 2003 title (d. C. Rochus), challenges 18-year-old Latvian Ernests Gulbis.

Ferrero has reached the Costa do Sauipe final (l. to Canas) and was beaten Acapulco semifinals so far this year. He has an 11-7 match record.

Gulbis, currently No. 87 in the ATP Rankings, has won two titles on the ATP Challenger Circuit at Besancon and Sarajevo this season.

Defending champion Nicolas Almagro returns to the scene of his maiden ATP title last year (d. Simon) at No. 31 in the ATP Rankings.

Having battled through the qualifying competition to the title in 2006, the 21-year-old is the third seed this time around.

Almagro will play Jan Hajek of the Czech Republic in the first round.

Fourth-seeded Fernando Verdasco will look to repeat his 2006 triumph against Italian Potito Starace first up. Verdasco beat the Italian 6-3, 7-6(4) in the second round last year.

Verdasco is currently 6-9 for the season, but always performs well in Valencia. The 23-year-old captured his only ATP title at the event in 2004 (d. Montanes) and has since lost in the 2005 quarterfinals and 2006 semifinals.

Last year’s beaten finalist Gilles Simon, the No. 5 seed from France, will look to make it two wins out of two against Russian Teimuraz Gabashvili in the first round.

Simon clinched his first career ATP title in Marseille (d. Baghdatis) two months ago and is currently No. 39 in the ATP Rankings.

Sixth-seeded German Florian Mayer has been drawn against Spanish wild card Santiago Ventura. Mayer won their only previous meeting in the 2005 Wimbledon first round.

Italian Filippo Volandri, the No. 7 seed, will look to record only his second ATP-level win of the season against 2005 champion Igor Andreev, a wild card entrant.

Andreev beat Volandri 0-6, 6-1, 6-3 in the 2005 Palermo final. The Russian, who reached a career-high No. 24 in the ATP Rankings (April 3, 2006), is now placed No. 235 after undergoing left knee surgery last year.

Meanwhile, eighth-seeded Spaniard Guillermo Garcia-Lopez challenges fast-rising Evgeny Korolev of Russia in the first round. Two places separate the pair in the ATP Rankings – Garcia-Lopez is No. 64, while 18-year-old Korolev is No. 66.

http://www.open-comunidad-valenciana...es_preview.asp
 
#187 ·
It makes sense though. He wasn't out practicing with the rest of the team yesterday.
 
#189 ·
Yes, I'm more concerned about the long-term impact of this, but still doesn't make complete sense about this week-end as it seems the problem only first started bothering him Friday, after the line-up and draw. But the commentators here also indicated he'd been struggling on the court all week in practice, so maybe Robredo and Verdasco did seem the best options.
 
#190 ·
Saturday, April 7, 2007
Spain's Davis Cup team could have used the No. 2 player in the world

By John Delong
JOURNAL COLUMNIST


Mr. Rafael Nadal
Somewhere relaxing
Manacor, Mallorca, Spain

Dear Rafa,

Greetings from Winston-Salem, N.C., where the United States won both singles rubbers yesterday to take a 2-0 lead over your Spanish Davis Cup teammates in the quarterfinal tie you decided to pull out of last week.

Just writing to say we all wish you were here.

Sorry you couldn't make it.

But thanks, anyway.

Really and sincerely, thank you so much. Thank you for being the No. 2 player in the world and helping sell the tickets and making it the largest crowd at a Davis Cup tie in the U.S. in the last 17 years. They announced a sellout of 14,453, and outside of some empty seats in the top few rows of one section in the upper deck, that was pretty close to accurate.

Thank you so much for going to the Wimbledon final last year and scaring the Americans into picking an indoor hardcourt and coming here instead of heading elsewhere to play on grass again, as they usually do in these situations. The only other time the U.S. has played a home tie against Spain on anything other than grass, Clark Graebner was playing Juan Gisbert in 1968.

Thanks for losing to James Blake in the past on various hardcourts so that the decision to come to Winston-Salem was even easier. Nobody would like Blake's odds against you on grass, but here at Joel Coliseum on an indoor hardcourt, a win was feasible.

Thank you for beating Andy Roddick so badly in Indian Wells that this tie got hyped as the biggest tie on American soil since, oh, maybe 1992 when the U.S. beat Switzerland to win the Davis Cup in Fort Worth. That's why fans from 48 states were here, according to ticket order forms, even when you weren't.

Thanks for giving everyone here several weeks of electric anticipation before you made it public that you weren't coming, regardless of when you knew you were going to rest up for the clay-court season. Shattered dreams are better than no dreams, at least here in Winston-Salem.

And those who want to see the U.S. win its first Davis Cup since 1995 pass along their thanks for not showing up, because this one is over and the U.S. is on to the semifinals as soon as the Bryan brothers take care of business in doubles this afternoon.

Make no mistake, Rafa, most of the people who bought up all the tickets within two weeks were hoping to see you come to Winston-Salem. Even the biggest diehard American tennis fans, including the Net Heads, wanted to see you up close and personal. You've got that rock-star icon aura, Rafa. The folks around here are used to seeing low-key, laid-back, no-charisma athletes like Tim Duncan, not you. On the court, you're still not Roger Federer, but off it you're John, Paul, George and Ringo all rolled into one, and you know it.

And make no mistake, most of the people here don't really hold it against you for not coming even if this foot injury stuff still sounds really dubious. They know the deal. They know you've got the clay-court season to get ready for, and they understand that if you were ever going to skip a Davis Cup tie, now's the time - in April, on an indoor hardcourt surface that the Americans doctored perfectly to their liking, in a year when the draw plays out so badly that Spain wouldn't have had that great a chance of winning the Davis Cup anyway.

They know that the Davis Cup format is drawing criticism from all over, and they understand that maybe it will be good for all in the long run if you and Federer and other top players eventually force the International Tennis Federation to come up with a feasible format alternative.

Hey, the weather turned really cold here yesterday, so a lot of folks in Winston-Salem would have rather been on a sunny beach on your beautiful island, too. Mallorca in the spring, with your sore feet propped up - truly, Rafa, nobody would begrudge you that if they really thought about it.

You did miss some pretty good stuff, though.

You missed Blake playing with great emotion and regaining his confidence and routing your teammate Tommy Robredo, who as you know has a terrible Davis Cup record and probably wouldn't have been here had you shown up.

You missed a passionate news conference afterward as Blake talked about his family and how he considered his teammates brothers and how strong the bond is among the U.S. team, how committed they are to winning the Davis Cup this year. Blake said some nice things about you, by the way. Wished you were here, but understood why you weren't.

You missed seeing Fernando Verdasco jump out to a 5-2 lead in the first set against Roddick, only to see Roddick roar back for an easy and emphatic straight-sets win.

And you missed having a good smoke with David Ferrer back near the loading dock. Ferrer didn't play yesterday, and he took at least two smoking breaks while Robredo and Verdasco were getting stomped inside by Americans with healthy feet.

Which leads to another thing you probably need to know in case you ever come to Winston-Salem some day.

Winston-Salem is an old tobacco town. Winston and Salem, smoke 'em if you got em. This is not the American town that is known for its witches. That's Salem, Mass. When your teammates got here they were under the mistaken impression that this place was haunted, and that apparently made them a little spooked.

We're not haunted.

We're just sad you're not here.

But we say thanks, anyway.

• John Delong can be reached at jdelong@wsjournal.com.
 
#193 ·
So true, and imagine living surrounded by them. I guess right now it's a blessing there aren't tennis fans in my office.

I saw the article a few days ago, and while not a Rafa-fan in the least, also thought it was hard on him. I enjoy Davis Cup, have a great deal of respect for those who make it a regular part of their season, but in the end, the players are the ones knowing what's best for their professional careers and that's what should come first.
 
#198 ·
From Tommy Robredo's blog on the ATP website:

Today I practiced with David Ferrer for an hour, then watched some of the Formula 1 race and i had a practice with rafa in the afternoon before to get to the hotel for a shower and a massage with ivan ( is david ferrer and myself physio for this week and hopefully for the future but now he is under exam ... jejeje).

At the moment we are following the TV show '24' with Kiefer Sutherland. a friend of mine made a present to me six months ago and it was the first edition of 24, but i didnt startto watch that till indian wells) and right now after a month, I am on the fifth season !!!

this 24 show is like an addiction to chocolate, as you start waching then you cant stop!!! even my coach watched a chapter in miami in an apparment that we rented there and after that he didnt let me watch a chapter without him. then at davis cup fernando gave the first season to David Ferrer and he got crazy about that as well..after dinner every night David was going to his own room to see it and pepo and javi piles were coming to my room. i recomend you all to watch it!!!! its so good!


Hey Tommy if Ivan doesn't pass the test/exam I'm currently available to take his place.:devil: The things I have to do for David.:rolleyes:
 
#204 ·
#200 ·
:lol: What is it with men and 24?
 
#208 ·
:hug: I think Tommy might have ogled me at Cincy last year but I tried to block it out of my mind.
 
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