David Ferrer- Getty Images

Playing in the Shadows

April 28, 2008

Perhaps the most unheralded player in the top 10 of the South African Airways ATP Rankings is none other than David Ferrer, the talented Spaniard who crept into the upper echelon of the tennis world with few people noticing.

The 26-year-old currently sits at No. 5 in the world rankings, a place he has held since November of last year. But despite continued stellar play, he is often overshadowed not only by world No. 1 Roger Federer (Switzerland), No. 2 Rafael Nadal (Spain), and No. 3 Novak Djokovic (Serbia), but also talented veterans like Andy Roddick (United States) and David Nalbandian (Argentina) and young phenoms such as Andy Murray (Scotland) and Richard Gasquet (France).

Instead of bowing down to the players in the headlines, Ferrer has been unrelenting as he asserts his dominance. He’s maintained his place among the sport’s best with consistent play and big wins over the elite players at major events.

Ferrer (pronounced fuh-RER, not FAIR-er) has been a top 25 player since April of 2005, when he reached the quarter-finals or better at three straight tournaments, including Masters Series events in Miami and Monte-Carlo. However, aside from a brief stint in the top 10 early in 2006, he was unable to break down the wall that stood between him and the biggest names on the tour.

All that changed late last season, when Ferrer exploded onto the scene at the 2007 US Open, where he reached his first career Grand Slam semifinal. His run to the final four included a stunning four-set upset of countryman Nadal, and while he eventually fell to Djokovic in their semifinal contest, Ferrer showed at the event that he was officially a force to be reckoned with in the men’s game.

Proving the result was not a fluke, the second-ranked Spanish player (behind Nadal) followed up his semis appearance with a victory at the AIG Japan Open Tennis Championships in Tokyo the following month. The triumph was his third title of the season (he also collected the winner’s trophy in Auckland and Bastad earlier in the year) and marked the first time in his career he recorded three tournament victories in a single season. He capped off a remarkable 2007 by playing out-of-this-world tennis at the season-ending Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai, China. In a tournament featuring the world’s eight best players, Ferrer posted wins over Nadal, Djokovic, Roddick, and Gasquet in the round robin and playoffs before falling to the Mighty Fed in the final.

Ferrer has continued to excel this season. He won his sixth career title earlier this month in Valencia, Spain, posted quarter-final results at the Australian Open and the recent Masters Series event in Monte-Carlo, and has remained in the top five of the world rankings despite pressure from Roddick and Nalbandian, who have both been impressive so far in 2008.

With the clay court season in full swing, Ferrer will be playing on his best surface and has the ability to emerge from the shadows. Maybe this is the time North American tennis fans will finally sit up and take notice.