[Dr Mug]

After the best year of his career, the very exciting question arising, whether he has now reached his ceiling or whether he can improve further in terms of his game, but also ranking.

What he probably cannot improve:

- determination: he is already working so hard, it seems unlikely that he can work even harder in the off season. Maybe this season gives him extra motivation.

- scheduling: Having been called a vulture so often on this forum, he also deserves credits for his clever scheduling. By maximising clay tournaments he was able to snatch so many titles this year. I don't see anything he can improve here.


So where do you see him in 2013? Can he become a contender for #3 or will he decline from now on?

[Slasher1985]

Originally Posted by Dr Mug

- scheduling: Having been called a vulture so often on this forum, he also deserves credits for his clever scheduling. By maximising clay tournaments he was able to snatch so many titles this year. I don't see anything he can improve here.

Yeah, Ferrer surely cares about this. He loses sleep at nights thinking at all the fair posters around here calling him a vulture.

He can improve definitely. But will he? That's a totally different question.

[Mark Lenders]

No, his decisive annihilation of the super strong Bercy field was just the start, a sign of things to come. Ferrer has shown that not even the toughest draws are enough to faze him. Expect some Slams and the #1 ranking in the coming years.

[pusher for life]

There is no peak for Vulture. There's never been anyway.

All those years, it was just the same thing. Out-of-form and injured players + luck = his career.

What's he gonna do next year ? It all depends on his opponents and his luck.

[Abel]

He will complete a CYGS next year.

[Blue Heart24]

I do think this year is his peak,but I hope he'll stay in the top 5-10 for a couple of more years,maybe snatch another Masters and surprise the top 4 now and then,unlikely in Slams but in other events,certainly a good chance on clay for that.And gotta beat Federer for once

[August]

I think Ferrer has played most of this season on his peak level and I don't know how much better a season he could anymore have. If we look at this season, there wasn't many matches where he underperfomed. He could've beaten Rafa in Barcelona F and Rome SF, and maybe Murray in Wimby QF, where he could've then get even to final.

But where are his limits? In slams, SFs and QFs are his normal level, maybe earlier rounds in Wimbledon. A slam final? Possible but needs a wonder to avoid Fed/Nole/Rafa in QF and SF. Wimby this year was maybe his best chance for a slam final, Murray in QF and Tsonga in SF were players he could have beaten. Well what about a slam title? That should be a crazy slam. It should be something like this; Rafa can't play RG and in SF Ferru beats DelPo, who beat Nole in QF. And in final he'd beat Berdych who beat Federer in his SF. Not unrealistic but veeery unlikely.

But how well can he do in the Masters Series? For sure he'll reach semis in TMSs, but to get into final, it should almost be a weak TMS, like Monte Carlo, Shanghai, and Paris often are. What about winning another TMS title? As long as he avoids Fed/Nole/Rafa in final, he can do it.

And how well can he do in WTF? On proper, fast, indoor court, all WTF players have a chance to beat him. And on slow HC, he can well get to semis. But if others don't play their best tennis, he can even win WTF, even on fast indoor HC, he has already one WTF final. But to win WTF, he should avoid Fed/Nole in the final, Rafa as a weak indoor player could be enough vulnerable so that Ferru could beat him.

But in general, how much can Ferrer still achieve? My answer is as much as one can achieve without facing a player of Fed's, Nole's, or Rafa's calibre. And Murray isn't one of those players, Ferrer can beat Murray, like we saw at RG.

Another thing is how many years Ferrer has left on this level. He's 30 now, so I'd say 2 or 3 at maximum. And this season was so good for him that I think this will remain as his best season ever. That's why I'd love him to win WTF to get his career-best year-end ranking of #4.

[Sophitia36]

I don't know, honestly. I think he can still improve, he has improved his game immensely in the past few years. But will it be enough to ever win a Slam? I'm not sure.

The problem is, Murray seems to be improving too, he got his confidence boost with his first Slam... And the other guys, they're just really really good.

It will be interesting to see how he performs at the WTF against the various top players. That is, provided he does not underperform dramatically after winning two tournaments and having just one day to rest.

[CescAndyKimi]

Originally Posted by August

I think Ferrer has played most of this season on his peak level and I don't know how much better a season he could anymore have. If we look at this season, there wasn't many matches where he underperfomed. He could've beaten Rafa in Barcelona F and Rome SF, and maybe Murray in Wimby QF, where he could've then get even to final.

But where are his limits? In slams, SFs and QFs are his normal level, maybe earlier rounds in Wimbledon. A slam final? Possible but needs a wonder to avoid Fed/Nole/Rafa in QF and SF. Wimby this year was maybe his best chance for a slam final, Murray in QF and Tsonga in SF were players he could have beaten. Well what about a slam title? That should be a crazy slam. It should be something like this; Rafa can't play RG and in SF Ferru beats DelPo, who beat Nole in QF. And in final he'd beat Berdych who beat Federer in his SF. Not unrealistic but veeery unlikely.

But how well can he do in the Masters Series? For sure he'll reach semis in TMSs, but to get into final, it should almost be a weak TMS, like Monte Carlo, Shanghai, and Paris often are. What about winning another TMS title? As long as he avoids Fed/Nole/Rafa in final, he can do it.

And how well can he do in WTF? On proper, fast, indoor court, all WTF players have a chance to beat him. And on slow HC, he can well get to semis. But if others don't play their best tennis, he can even win WTF, even on fast indoor HC, he has already one WTF final. But to win WTF, he should avoid Fed/Nole in the final, Rafa as a weak indoor player could be enough vulnerable so that Ferru could beat him.

But in general, how much can Ferrer still achieve? My answer is as much as one can achieve without facing a player of Fed's, Nole's, or Rafa's calibre. And Murray isn't one of those players, Ferrer can beat Murray, like we saw at RG.

Another thing is how many years Ferrer has left on this level. He's 30 now, so I'd say 2 or 3 at maximum. And this season was so good for him that I think this will remain as his best season ever. That's why I'd love him to win WTF to get his career-best year-end ranking of #4.

The only place Ferrer has any sort of advantage over Murray is clay. And tbh, I don't see that lasting much longer.

On every other surface Murray will bitchslap him.

Look at all their head to head except clay. Their last 11 matches, Andy has spanked him 6 times.

Ferrer has won 5 times.. 4 of those on clay.

Their most recent meetings 2011/2012, of the 6 matches, Andy has won 4 times.

Conclusively, the only hope Ferrer has is that he plays Murray on clay, any other surface and he will most likely lose.

Now skewer the stats and compare Ferrer to Djokovic, they have only met on clay 4 times. And Ferrer has taken 3 matches.

I think it's obvious he's a clay specialist, which is why he schedules most his matches on clay.

The only players of the top 4 that Ferrer doesn't have a good match up against is Rafa and Roger...And that is pretty self explanatory.

In other words, Ferrer's best chance to do anything significant in a grandslam is the FO... And unless Roger/Rafa combust, he's not winning any slams anytime soon.

That's what happens when you're an all clay mug like Almugro.

[TigerTim]

Considering he is average height unless he has lowered his roof or grown massively I doubt it.

[EddieNero]

Mug era is played mostly outdoors so no.

[Pirata.]

Originally Posted by CescAndyKimi

I think it's obvious he's a clay specialist, which is why he schedules most his matches on clay.

Clay specialist whose first slam semifinals were on hard courts

[Wing Man Frank]

I will never understand the hatred of Ferrer. It defies sense.

I can only assume it's from Berdych and Tsonga fans who are so unbelievably upset at the fact that a man with seemingly less talent has managed to have a much better career.

[DJ Soup]

See Ferru take the AO title and then fade into oblivion

[Nole Rules]

Originally Posted by Wing Man Frank

I will never understand the hatred of Ferrer. It defies sense.

I can only assume it's from Berdych and Tsonga fans who are so unbelievably upset at the fact that a man with seemingly less talent has managed to have a much better career.

Much better career my ass. They are about even.