Champion of the second edition of the Rio Open presented by Claro, Spaniard David Ferrer was back at Jockey Club Brasileiro this Friday to celebrate the 10th edition of the tournament.
Now retired, Ferrer was invited by the organizers to pay a visit to the place where he last played in 2017.
“I was really happy to get this invitation, I know a lot of people who still work at the tournament and I was really impressed with how much the event has grown ever since I last came here”, said the former number 3 in the world.
“This was a very well organized event when I came, held in a club, like the one in Barcelona, but I was impressed with what I saw. It definitely evolved in many aspects, like the player’s room, and I just regret that I cannot go back in time to enjoy it more then I did back then, being so focused on playing.”
But it was not only the event that impressed the captain of Spain’s Davis Cup Team. João Fonseca, 17-year-old-Brazilian-sensation of this year’s edition, also caught Ferrer’s eye.
“I saw him playing on TV, I still haven’t watched him playing live, what I’m doing tonight, but he really impressed me as a player. He seems to be very mature for his age, how he handles each point. It’s obvious too early to start saying that he’ll be the new Guga or the new Sinner but he does have potential. He won last year’s US Open boys’ championship, which shows that’s he’s talented.”
Ferrer also had only positive things to say about Spanish star Carlos Alcaraz, who retired of the Rio Open earlier this week with an ankle injury.
“Carlos is a blessing for us in Spain. After Rafa we never thought we would have a player that could come anywhere close to him, but Carlos definitely can. He’s special, he’s smart, he’s good in every aspect of the game and he’s young. I’m positive he’s gonna make history and for sure he’s gonna be at least Spain’s second best player ever”, said Ferrer.
Now retired, Ferrer was invited by the organizers to pay a visit to the place where he last played in 2017.
“I was really happy to get this invitation, I know a lot of people who still work at the tournament and I was really impressed with how much the event has grown ever since I last came here”, said the former number 3 in the world.
“This was a very well organized event when I came, held in a club, like the one in Barcelona, but I was impressed with what I saw. It definitely evolved in many aspects, like the player’s room, and I just regret that I cannot go back in time to enjoy it more then I did back then, being so focused on playing.”
But it was not only the event that impressed the captain of Spain’s Davis Cup Team. João Fonseca, 17-year-old-Brazilian-sensation of this year’s edition, also caught Ferrer’s eye.
“I saw him playing on TV, I still haven’t watched him playing live, what I’m doing tonight, but he really impressed me as a player. He seems to be very mature for his age, how he handles each point. It’s obvious too early to start saying that he’ll be the new Guga or the new Sinner but he does have potential. He won last year’s US Open boys’ championship, which shows that’s he’s talented.”
Ferrer also had only positive things to say about Spanish star Carlos Alcaraz, who retired of the Rio Open earlier this week with an ankle injury.
“Carlos is a blessing for us in Spain. After Rafa we never thought we would have a player that could come anywhere close to him, but Carlos definitely can. He’s special, he’s smart, he’s good in every aspect of the game and he’s young. I’m positive he’s gonna make history and for sure he’s gonna be at least Spain’s second best player ever”, said Ferrer.
