Wednesday 26 September 2012

Busy Ferrer aims to continue hot streak in KL


KUALA LUMPUR: Top seed David Ferrer is undoubtedly having his busiest – and best – season ever.
Ferrer (pic) has played a whopping 72 matches this year, winning five ATP Tour titles as well as reaching the semi-finals of the French Open and US Open and the quarter-finals of the Australian Open and Wimbledon.
The icing on the cake will have to be Ferrer’s heroics in helping Spain qualify for their second consecutive – and ninth overall – Davis Cup final two weeks ago.
 The Spaniards will face the Czech Republic in the final in November.
“Yeah, this has been my best season ever. I’m playing some of my best tennis this year. It was important to me and to my country and it really feels good to have helped Spain reach the final again” Ferrer told a press conference in KL yesterday. “I think we have a really good chance of winning (the Davis Cup final), but the Czechs have good players in (Tomas) Berdych and (Radek) Stepanek.”
Ferrer will be playing in his third Malaysian Open but the Valencia native is coy about his chances.
“It’s really great to be back here. I never like to focus on the final. I like to take it one match at a time. I’ll try to do my best but the players who are here are really good and it will be difficult to beat them,” he said. Arguably one of the best returner in the game, Ferrer enjoys cycling and football when he’s not spending hours at the gym or tennis courts.
The 30-year-old looks to be in great shape when others his age, like Andy Roddick, have chosen to retire. And Ferrer attributes his longevity to fitness and a little bit of luck. “Tennis is very challenging. It’s important to have good physical conditioning. I am very fortunate that I’ve never suffered any serious injuries,” he said.
The world No. 5, who received a first round bye, will meet either Dominic Inglot or Alex Bogomolov Jr in the second round of the Malaysian Open ATP 250 tennis championship tomorrow.