adidas International

January 9, 2003

Juan Carlos Ferrero

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Juan Carlos, please.

JUAN CARLOS FERRERO: Is not easy to say, but, you know, was a different time. There was finish a year, you know, play in the final. Here, today, I think I play high level, you know. I think I had to play a bit aggressive against him, because he is also very aggressive, and he's coming to win a tournament in Chennai. But anyway, I think I can't compare to, you know, the final and here, the level, you know, is more or less.

JUAN CARLOS FERRERO: I don't know, I don't know. Is depend of the day. The tennis is completely different all the days, you know. Maybe tomorrow with Schuettler I go to the court and I play bad and I lose. So I don't know if the second week I will be very good, you know. But only I know if tomorrow I'm gonna play semifinals. If I go in this way, of course I'm gonna be very good for the first week in Australia, because I don't know if I'm gonna be in the second. It's not easy.

JUAN CARLOS FERRERO: A little bit, a little bit. Because is the third match of the year, you know, and I needed some rhythm, some rhythm to play like this. I think, you know, I think also is the motivation. I play against Srichaphan. He came to win a tournament. I had to play very good. I go to the court with a lot of motivation and play very good.

JUAN CARLOS FERRERO: Tomorrow I don't think is gonna be better (laughing). But I don't know, if I play in the same level, I think I have many chance to win.

JUAN CARLOS FERRERO: Yeah, I know, I did very well everything, you know. I serve very good and I move very well, you know, very fast. I play a really good, solid match, very solid match.

JUAN CARLOS FERRERO: Maybe, yes. Because I know if I play good here, I can go up to the No. 1, you know, I can be close to the No. 1. So I have to play very good here. Marat retired today, and I won today, so maybe I'm closer than the No. 3. So I go step by step. But I know if I play good here in this month, I have many chances to go up.

JUAN CARLOS FERRERO: Is difficult like all the players. Is not easy to be only one month to rest, you know? Is not to rest because you have to practice all the day, you have to prepare physically, mentally, everything. So is not easy, but you have to do because the tennis right now is like this. You have to start very, very soon and you have to finish very late.

JUAN CARLOS FERRERO: Yep.

JUAN CARLOS FERRERO: Yes, it is. Because last year I didn't play because the injury, and two years ago I played the exhibition in the Kooyong. So I never play a tournament. So is the best start of my life.

JUAN CARLOS FERRERO: Sometimes happen, you know. I didn't know. Only I know that yesterday he retired from the doubles and today, you know, I know that he had a problem in his shoulder. So it's a surprise, of course. But we knew that he has a problem.

JUAN CARLOS FERRERO: You know, I have a lot of time to play against him in the whole year, so doesn't matter.

JUAN CARLOS FERRERO: He's the No. 1, so he has to be the favorite. For me, if I play good, I am the favorite because I know that if I am play very good against him I can win him. But of course everybody know that he's the No. 1 and he has a good quality, you know, and he has a lot of chances to win.

JUAN CARLOS FERRERO: We have the same problems in the whole year because all the players, you know, doesn't matter the ranking - No. 1, No. 2, No. 80 - you know, everybody play very good in the men's and it's very difficult to play against anybody. So it doesn't matter, the seed. You have to play good. And if you play good, of course if you are No. 3 you are going to win. If you are 3, it's because you are a little bit best of the other ones.

JUAN CARLOS FERRERO: I know, but if you do something good like this week, semifinals, final, champion, you did it, you go to Australian winning a tournament, with a lot of confidence. And we'll see what's happen there. But you won a tournament. For mentality, it's really good. So you won a tournament, it's because you are playing good. If you go to Australian playing good, you have a lot of chances to win. Maybe you are tired because you play five matches, but, you know, you are in a Grand Slam and you are very motivated and doesn't matter if you are a little bit tired, you're gonna play good.

JUAN CARLOS FERRERO: The first two weeks of December I did a lot of physically, you know, with maybe one hour, one hour and a half of tennis. Then the last two weeks of December I played like three hours of tennis and one hour and a half physically.

JUAN CARLOS FERRERO: Yes, yes.

JUAN CARLOS FERRERO: Is the same, is the same. Is not exactly fast, exactly fast, but it's like the same. Is the same name.

JUAN CARLOS FERRERO: No, no, I practice in Villena. It's Alicante, close to Valencia. You know Valencia?

JUAN CARLOS FERRERO: Like one hour by car.

JUAN CARLOS FERRERO: It's academy, my academy. It's with my name, so...

JUAN CARLOS FERRERO: No, of course not (smiling).