Friday, January 28, 2011

Australian Open Day 12: Ferrer

Curtain Call

Player: David Ferrer
Age: 28
Nation: Spain
Current Ranking: 7
Notable Conquest: Rafael Nadal (1st seed, Spain)
Today's Result: loss to Andy Murray (5th, UK) in four sets


Photo via World Amazing Sports Players

I have to admit that I really would have loved to see Ferrer take out both Murray and Djokovic (3rd, Serbia) for the title, partly because I find it difficult to root for either of the finalists but mostly because Ferrer so richly deserves it. He's not even the third most glamorous Spaniard on the men's tour and yet he's been camped out in the sport's top tier for ages. He is one of the toughest outs in the game. Look at his overall history in the Slams and one sees that, while this is only his second time in the semis, he hasn't lost in the first round of a major since Wimbledon '05. The fittest player in the world, he can outlast anyone: a classic grinder. Nadal himself showed how much he respects the man by even showing up for their match, never mind his adamant insistence that his loss not be attributed to injury. I'm genuinely disappointed that Ferrer's tournament is over.

On to the final we go. Without Fed or Rafa, I'm not sure I'll be overly eager to crawl out of bed on Sunday morning to watch. I'm sticking with my Djokovic pick but it would be kind of nice for Murray to win if only to get everyone to shut up about the fact that he hasn't won a Slam yet. Of course, as My Wife pointed out, they'll all find something else for which to browbeat him.

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