RG12 - Match of the Day: David Ferrer (ESP) (6) v Rafael Nadal (ESP) (2)

ROLAND GARROS 2012
MEN's SFs

"Match of the Day"
Rafael Nadal(ESP)[2] v David Ferrer(ESP)[6]
at
Court Philippe Chatrier

1:00 PM Paris Local Time

Ask anyone here at Roland Garros how they see Rafael Nadal’s semi-final against David Ferrer turning out, and there isn’t too much variation in the replies. This answer is reasonably typical: “I think you can win a set from Rafa, but there is a difference between winning a set and winning a match. Winning a match against Rafa is almost impossible.” Sounds about right. So who spoke those words? Step forward David Ferrer, assessing his own task in the last four against his good friend Rafa Nadal.

Nadal is 15-4 up in their career meetings, with 11 of their last 12 meetings under his belt. Ferrer has not beaten him on clay since their first-ever encounter, in Stuttgart eight years ago. Nadal has surrendered his serve just once so far this tournament, holding 60 out of 61 times (surprisingly it was Simone Bolelli who breached his defences in the first round). And of course Nadal is going for a record-breaking seventh title at Roland Garros this year. So can Ferrer, or anyone, or anything else stop him?

“Naah,” says Jim Courier, twice champion here, mitigating only: “Injury?”

Not unbeatable

Yet lest we forget, Rafael Nadal has lost at Roland Garros, famously in 2009, to Robin Soderling in the fourth round. So it can happen. But back then the Spaniard's knees were causing him physical pain, and his spirit wasn’t feeling so good either as his parents werehaving marital difficulties.

“Why I lost? The first thing is because you cannot win always,” states Nadal. “Second thing, the normal thing is to lose, the normal thing is not to win because only one player wins. Third thing, the opponent played much better than me.

“I had a tough year that year – some problems at home and, most important thing, a lot of problems in my knees. He [Soderling] played very aggressive. His shots were flat, long. He had not many mistakes.” And unusually, the crowd was against Nadal, encouraging the underdog. Nadal has no argument with that.

“I love a lot this place,” he says. “I love a lot this tournament and it’s difficult to say something negative. It was disappointing about the crowd, I don’t want to lie, but yes, because I was having tough moments even winning tournaments. But that feeling I only had that year. The rest of the years, seriously, I don’t feel the crowd against me, never. Last year I played the final against Roger. I feel the crowd 50-50 supporting a great tennis match, and that’s it.”

'Ferru' on fire

For many it is a surprise that this semi-final marks new career territory at Roland Garros for Ferrer. He has made the semis at the US Open in 2007 and Australia last year. But never here. Mats Wilander, three times a French Open winner, has noted Ferrer’s subtle ability to make his opponents play badly. He did it against no.4 seed Andy Murray, usurping the Scot’s allotted place in the Big Four. But to do it against Nadal is very hard to foresee.

“I’m quite certain this is going to be a very physical match,” says ‘Ferru’. “Maybe Rafa has more pressure than me because he's the best clay court player in history. He improves every time. He's improved on all his shots.

“I knew I was capable of making it to the semifinals. It is a big relief. I played the quarter-finals twice, and this time I made it. I arrived here in a pretty good shape, both physically and mentally. So I will try to play beautiful tennis. But it's just a tennis match.  We both want to win it, so I'm going to do everything I can. Then we can play with our PlayStations together, no problem.”

And by the way, Ferrer would like to clear something up. When he wrote ‘Feliz Cumpleanos’ on the camera lens after his fourth round win over Marcel Granollers on Monday, it was his fiancée to whom he was wishing happy birthday and not, as some had it, Nadal.

“I like Rafa very much,” smiles Ferrer. “But not that much.”

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