David Ferrer: 'Rafael Nadal, Ferrer, Moya made me improve my game'
David Ferrer played 1,099 matches in career, winning 727 and losing 372 of them. Next week in Buenos Aires he will play his 1,100th match on the ATP Tour, then he is also committed to Acapulco, Barcelona and Madrid tournaments before ending his career. In an interview to La Nacion, Ferrer commented on what it meant to him to play so many matches: 'It made me feel pain in my Achilles when I wake up every morning (laughter). But yeah, that's my career. When I look back I think I was very lucky in not dealing with serious injuries, being consistent for many years.'
Then he also spoke about how his character evolved: "It was difficult to change until I did not understand I could have good and bad days. It was key to see the likes of Juan Carlos Ferrero, Rafael Nadal and Carlos Moya, the guys I was close with, to know how they evolved. It made me improve my daily attitude and my routines. When you play a sport where there is extreme pressure... I was very exigent as a young guy and in the end it made me lose my nerves.'
Ferrer also said that passion is not enough to keep playing: "I think it needs to be combined because my ultimate excitement is to be at the top, having a higher ranking, being in the top 20, playing big tournaments, staying on the main courts. My injuries made my ranking go down and when it happens you lose the excitement. This combo of things made it being my last year as a tennis professional. I respect all the professional players who enjoy playing little tournaments, but doing it at my age and with all what I achieved does not excite me. When you are used to win matches, reaching the final rounds, keeping a consistency and you see that your body is not the same, younger guys come up, you try re-inventing yourself and the ranking is stil down...'
ALSO READ: Rafael Nadal: Worse players than David Ferrer won a Grand Slam title
from Tennis World USA http://bit.ly/2MVIQSt
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