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WESTERN & SOUTHERN FINANCIAL GROUP MASTERS

August 17, 2006

Juan Carlos Ferrero

CINCINNATI, OHIO

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. You had a bit of misfortune previously against Nadal. What is it about him that makes it so difficult for you specifically?
JUAN CARLOS FERRERO: Yeah, well, is difficult for everybody I think, no? Is winning a lot of matches, no? Is not only for me.
I think he moves very well in any surface. You know, to win a point against him, you have to hit the ball really good two, three or four times.
And, you know, I feel very good here. The court I think give me a little bit more chances because is fast. And if I serve good, I think I will have more chances to win.

Q. When Roger goes out early in a tournament, which doesn't happen often, does everyone remaining, like you, think suddenly, Now I have a good chance, a better chance?
JUAN CARLOS FERRERO: Well, maybe a little bit, but anyway, you know, all the times that I played against Roger I play great matches. Last year I had two matchpoints. You know, of course it's very difficult to beat him, but I love to play against him. So, you know, is better I think to play in the final against him than not.

Q. Than not?
JUAN CARLOS FERRERO: Yeah, for me.

Q. What makes him a good player to play against? What makes it an enjoyable thing to play him?
JUAN CARLOS FERRERO: Well, I think he dominate all the shots, you know. He can do whatever. He plays with a lot of rhythm, and I like this. He's very nice person. So everything total, it's wonderful to play against him.

Q. When Rafa was a junior, did you know much about him, being that you're both from Spain? Did you know much about him?
JUAN CARLOS FERRERO: Junior? What do you mean, 18 years old?

Q. Just when he just first started playing.
JUAN CARLOS FERRERO: He start to play 16 in the tour, so, you know, we start to know about him because we heard about his results in Juniors and everything. He start to play in Monte-Carlo very, very early. He won some matches against Albert Costa, so that one of the good players on clay court. So we knew very early about him.

Q. When did you know he'd be as good as he is?
JUAN CARLOS FERRERO: Well, of course we knew that he's very good because he start to win very early. He start to dominant the person very good, you know, at age like 18, 19. So it means that he has control everything in the court. He is very good mentally. Always in important points he plays very good, so this makes very sense that he can play very good anyway.

Q. How do you feel you've been playing this week?
JUAN CARLOS FERRERO: I've been playing very good. I think I didn't lose a set. I am serving very good all the time. I'm feeling very comfortable in that kind of courts, so we'll see.
Against Rafa, always is like a (derby?) that we say in Spain, you know, when we play each other. But that said, the court makes a lot of difference, I think.

Q. You mentioned the speed of the courts might help you. How much does the speed help you?
JUAN CARLOS FERRERO: No, because if you serve good, you know, you can have a lot of free points. You know, I think Rafa, he likes to play a lot of rallies and run and, you know, and maybe here it's -- maybe the points are gonna be shorter.
But we'll see. I like to play with a lot of rhythm all the time. All the time that I played against him, we play a great battle. Always he beat me, but I think not easily.
So, you know, we'll see what's happen tomorrow.

Q. After 2003 you had the chicken pox, that kept you out for I think a month. Any other injuries or anything that's kind of --
JUAN CARLOS FERRERO: A month? No. I was three months, and then I almost broke my rib. I fell down in the court and I was like three more months. Then I didn't have any more injuries, you know. It's only that I have.

Q. Has it been hard then for you to kind of work your way back up to where you were before?
JUAN CARLOS FERRERO: Yes, because I lost a lot of points in these six months, you know, and I have very low in the ranking. I have to start again.

End of FastScripts...

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