Early years Born in
Ontinyent, Ferrero came to prominence in 1998 when he made the final of the Junior French Open, losing to
Fernando González. He finished the year ranked as the No. 17 junior. He then made his professional debut in 1998 by reaching the finals of his first Futures tournament in Italy. He won two Futures events in Spain and ended the year ranked No. 345.
1999: ATP debut Ferrero made his ATP main draw debut at the
Grand Prix Hassan II as a qualifier, where he reached the semi-finals. He followed this up by winning a Challenger event in Naples. He then received a wildcard at the
Barcelona Open, where he reached the third round, losing to
Carlos Moyá. He reached back–to–back finals at his next two tournaments, after which he debuted in the top 100 at No. 95. He reached his fourth Challenger final of the year at Graz, where he lost to
Tomáš Zíb. He then played at the
Austrian Open, where he earned his first top 20 win in the second round against No. 15
Tommy Haas, before losing in the quarterfinals. He made his Grand Slam debut at the
US Open in August, losing to ninth-seeded
Greg Rusedski in the first round. The following month, at just his fifth Tour-level event, he won his first career title at the
Majorca Open, which propelled him from No. 68 to 47. He ended the year at No. 43 and won the
ATP Newcomer of the Year award.
2000: Top 20 debut Ferrero began the year at the
Auckland Open, where he made the quarterfinals. He reached the third round in his
Australian Open debut, where he was defeated by
Younes El Aynaoui in a tight five–setter. In
Dubai, he earned his first top 10 win over ninth-ranked
Nicolás Lapentti in the second round, before losing to
Nicolas Kiefer in the final. He backed this up with a semifinal at the
Franklin Templeton Tennis Classic, which he lost to Australian
Lleyton Hewitt. He lost his first matches at
Indian Wells to
Michael Chang and in
Miami to
George Bastl. He then represented Spain at the
Davis Cup for the first time, where he won both of his matches. During the European clay season, Ferrero made back–to–back quarterfinals at the
Estoril Open and the
Monte Carlo Open, his first Masters quarterfinal. He lost to
Nicolás Lapentti and
Gastón Gaudio respectively. He made it to his second final of the year at the
Barcelona Open, which he lost to
Marat Safin. By doing so, Ferrero entered the top 20 for the first time, ranked No. 18. Ferrero only made the third round of the
Italian Open, where he lost to
Mariano Puerta, and the second round of the
German Open, where he lost to
Andrei Pavel. He bounced back by reaching the semifinals of his first
French Open after defeating No. 10
Àlex Corretja, before losing to the eventual champion
Gustavo Kuerten in five sets. He chose not to compete at
Wimbledon. At the
US Open, Ferrero reached the fourth round but lost in straight sets to eventual champion
Marat Safin. He represented Spain at the
Olympics in Sydney, where he reached the quarterfinals, losing to France's
Arnaud di Pasquale. He then suffered losses in the first match at his next four events: in
Vienna to
Richard Krajicek, in
Toulouse to
Magnus Gustafsson, at the
Swiss Indoors to
Richard Krajicek, and at the
Stuttgart Masters to
Younes El Aynaoui. The drought ended when he reached the semifinals of the
Paris Masters, where he lost once again to eventual champion Safin. Ferrero lost in the first round of the
Stockholm Open to
Adrian Voinea. Ferrero then played for Spain in the Davis Cup final against Australia. He won both his matches against
Patrick Rafter and
Lleyton Hewitt, leading Spain to their first Davis Cup title. Although Ferrero did not win any titles in 2000, his performances in the slam tournaments helped him end the year ranked No. 12.
2001: Top 10 debut Ferrero began the year poorly, suffering three consecutive losses. This streak began with a second round loss at the
Australian Open to Australian
Andrew Ilie in five sets, followed by losses at the
Davis Cup to Dutch
Raemon Sluiter, in five sets, and in the first round at
Rotterdam to
Ivan Ljubičić. Ferrero bounced back with a title win in
Dubai, where he upset World No. 5
Magnus Norman in the quarterfinals before defeating
Marat Safin in the final. He suffered a first-round loss at
Indian Wells in three tie–break sets to
Nicolás Massú, and a fourth-round loss to
Gastón Gaudio in
Miami. Ferrero began the European clay season by winning the
Estoril Open in an all–Spanish final, defeating
Félix Mantilla. With this win, he became No. 9 in the world, his first entry into the top ten. Ferrero then suffered an early exit at the second round of the
Monte Carlo Masters to
Galo Blanco. He recovered by winning two tournaments in a row: the
Barcelona Open, where he defeated
Carlos Moyá, and the
Rome Masters, where he defeated
Gustavo Kuerten. This was Ferrero's first win over a world No. 1 and his first Masters title. Ferrero made it to a third consecutive final at the
Hamburg Masters, which he lost to
Albert Portas. He reached the semifinals at the
French Open for the second consecutive year after defeating
Lleyton Hewitt in straight sets. He then lost to the No. 1 seed, defending champion, and eventual champion Kuerten in straight sets. Ferrero then played his first
Wimbledon, where he reached the third round before losing to Britain's
Greg Rusedski in straight sets. Ferrero reached the finals at
Gstaad, where he lost to
Jiří Novák. He lost to
Nicolás Lapentti in the quarterfinals of the
Austrian Open, and to
Patrick Rafter in the quarterfinals of the
Canada Masters. Ferrero's results in the US were disappointing: he lost to
Hicham Arazi in the second round of
Cincinnati, and was upset by compatriot
Tommy Robredo in a tight five-setter in the third round of the
US Open. Ferrero then helped his
Davis Cup team get back to the World Group stage by defeating Uzbekistan's
Oleg Ogorodov. He made the quarterfinals of the
Salem Open, where he lost to
Rainer Schüttler, and of
Lyon, where he lost to
Younes El Aynaoui. Ferrero then lost in the first round of the
Stuttgart Masters, to
Thomas Enqvist and the
St. Petersburg Open, to
Rainer Schüttler. At the final Masters event of the year in
Paris, he lost to Arazi in the third round. Ferrero qualified for the
Tennis Masters Cup. In the round robin stage, he lost to
Yevgeny Kafelnikov, but defeated
Gustavo Kuerten and
Goran Ivanišević to advance to the semifinals. In the semis, he lost to eventual champion
Lleyton Hewitt. He finished the year ranked World No. 5.
2002: First slam final, injuries Ferrero missed the 2002 Australian Open due to bursitis in his right knee. He instead started his year at the
Milan Indoor, where he was upset by eventual champion
Davide Sanguinetti in the second round. Ferrero represented Spain in its
Davis Cup tie against Morocco, where he won against
Hicham Arazi but lost to
Younes El Aynaoui. He made his first quarterfinal of the year at the
Open 13, where he was upset by No. 99
Cédric Pioline. At
Rotterdam, Ferrero lost his opening match against eventual champion
Nicolas Escudé. As the defending champion in
Dubai, he retired in his second-round match, 1–2 down against El Aynaoui with a pulled abductor. Ferrero's form continued to dip as he suffered more early exits: in the first round of
Indian Wells against
Greg Rusedski, in the third round of
Miami against
Adrian Voinea (having suffered a stress fracture), and in the second round of the
Estoril Open against
David Nalbandian. Ferrero bounced back at the
Monte Carlo Masters, where he earned his first top-10 wins of the year against
Tommy Haas and
Sébastien Grosjean, before defeating
Carlos Moyá in straight sets to clinch the title. However, Ferrero was unable to keep his form. He lost to
Alberto Martín at the third round at
Barcelona, to
Ivan Ljubičić in the second round of
Rome, and to
Alberto Costa in the first round of
Hamburg. Due to this bad run of results, Ferrero fell out of the top 10 for the first time in a year. At the
2002 French Open, Ferrero reached his first Grand Slam final, after upsetting No. 4
Andre Agassi in four sets and No. 2
Marat Safin in straight sets. Despite being the strong favourite, Ferrero lost to Alberto Costa in four sets. His foot was injured during the tournament, but he played through it with the aid of some cortisone shots. Ferrero lost early at
Wimbledon to 98th-ranked American
Jeff Morrison in straight sets. He reached the finals at the
Generali Open, where he lost to
Àlex Corretja. He made it to the semifinals of the
Cincinnati Masters, where he lost to eventual champion
Carlos Moyá. At the
US Open, Ferrero lost in the third round to
Fernando González. He won his second title of the year in Hong Kong, avenging his recent loss to Moyá by beating him in the final. Ferrero then lost in the quarterfinals of the
Madrid Masters to
Andre Agassi, and the semifinals of the
Swiss Indoors to
Fernando González. Ferrero again qualified to play the
Tennis Masters Cup. In the round robin stage, Ferrero recorded a loss against
Roger Federer but wins over
Andre Agassi and
Jiří Novák to advance to the semifinals. He defeated compatriot
Carlos Moyá to advance to the final, which he lost to World No. 1
Lleyton Hewitt. Ferrero ultimately finished the year ranked No. 4.
2003: World No. 1, Roland-Garros victory Ferrero made a strong start to 2003 by reaching the finals of the
Sydney International, where he lost to
Hyung-Taik Lee. He went on to reach the quarter–finals of the
Australian Open, where he lost to
Wayne Ferreira. Ferrero once again represented Spain at
Davis Cup in a tie against Belgium, where he won both of his matches, defeating
Christophe Rochus and
Kristof Vliegen. Ferrero then entered the
Rotterdam Open, but was forced to retire with a sprained ankle in the quarterfinals against
Raemon Sluiter. Ferrero lost in the round-of-32 at the next two Masters events,
Indian Wells and
Miami, to
Brian Vahaly and
Marcelo Ríos respectively. At the quarterfinals of the Davis Cup, where Spain was drawn against Croatia, Ferrero won his only match against
Mario Ančić. Ferrero won his first title of the year as defending champion at the
Monte Carlo Masters, where he defeated
Guillermo Coria. Ferrero reached the semifinals in
Barcelona, where he lost to
Marat Safin. He also reached the semifinals of the
2003 Rome Masters, but retired against
Roger Federer with a shoulder injury. Ferrero won the
Valencia Open, without losing a set, defeating
Christophe Rochus in the final. Ferrero then won his first and only slam tournament at the
2003 French Open, defeating surprise finalist
Martin Verkerk in straight sets. Ferrero reached the 4th round of Wimbledon, where he lost to
Sébastien Grosjean in four sets. He reached back–to–back quarterfinals at the
Generali Open, where he lost to
Mariano Zabaleta, and at the
Idea Prokom Open, where he lost to
Luis Horna. He lost early at both
Canada and
Cincinnati. At the
2003 US Open, Ferrero's good form at the majors continued: he eliminated both former world No. 1s and US Open champions
Lleyton Hewitt and
Andre Agassi in four sets. He then lost to
Andy Roddick in straight sets in the final. This result nonetheless saw Ferrero seize the No. 1 ranking from Agassi. Ferrero then represented Spain once again at the Davis Cup, this time against Argentina. He defeated
Gastón Gaudio, losing only four games, but lost to
Agustín Calleri in straight sets. In Bangkok, Ferrero played for the first time in individual competition as World No. 1 and reached the final, which he lost to
Taylor Dent. Ferrero took his next title at the
Madrid Masters by defeating
Nicolás Massú in straight sets. This was his first hard–court Masters title. Ferrero was presented with the Spanish "National Sportsman of the Year" award by
King Juan Carlos. Soon afterwards, however, Ferrero embarked on a six-match losing streak. He lost in the third round of the
Paris Masters to
Jiří Novák. At the
Tennis Masters Cup, he lost all three of his round robin matches against
David Nalbandian,
Andre Agassi, and
Roger Federer. Representing Spain in the Davis Cup final against Australia, he lost both his matches in five sets, against
Lleyton Hewitt and
Mark Philippoussis. Ferrero ended the year ranked No. 3, behind
Andy Roddick and
Roger Federer.
2004: Injuries, year-end No. 31 Injuries began to plague Ferrero throughout 2004, and his ranking and form dipped. Despite making the
Australian Open semifinals early in the year, where he lost to
Roger Federer in straight sets, and the finals of
Rotterdam, where he lost to
Lleyton Hewitt,
chicken pox kept him out for the entire month of March. Ferrero returned to competition at the Davis Cup in a Spanish tie against the Netherlands. He won both his matches there, defeating
Raemon Sluiter and
Martin Verkerk. Ferrero then reached the semifinals of the
Valencia Open, where he lost to
Fernando Verdasco. After a first-round loss in
Monte Carlo to
Alex Corretja in April, Ferrero needed another month out for rest and recuperation. On May 8, Ferrero fell during a practice session, where he injured his ribs and his right wrist. He entered the
French Open to defend his title underprepared, and lost in the second round to
Igor Andreev in straight sets. At
Wimbledon, Ferrero reached the third round before losing to
Robby Ginepri in straight sets. After Wimbledon, Ferrero failed to win back-to-back matches for the rest of the year. He lost in the first round of the
Gstaad to
Stefan Koubek, and in the first round of the
Canada Masters, where he retired against
Fabrice Santoro. Ferrero suffered second round exits to
Tommy Robredo in
Cincinnati, to
Mardy Fish at the
Summer Olympics, to
Stefan Koubek at the
US Open, to
Kevin Kim at the
China Open, to
David Ferrer at the
Grand Prix de Tennis de Lyon, and to
Luis Horna in
Madrid. He ended the year ranked No. 31, his first time finishing outside the top 30 in five years.
2005: Recovery to year-end top 20 In 2005, Ferrero hoped to return to the top of the game. However, he began his year with a loss to
Jan Hernych at the
Auckland Open. At the
Australian Open, he met sixth-ranked
Guillermo Coria in the round-of-32 and lost 6–3, 6–2, 6–1. After this loss, Ferrero dropped to No. 64 for the first time since September 1999. Ferrero's ranking then continued to plummet, eventually hitting No. 98. He recorded a first round loss at the
Open 13 to eventual champion
Joachim Johansson, and second round losses at the
Rotterdam Open to
Radek Štěpánek, at the
Dubai Tennis Championships to
Roger Federer, and at
Indian Wells to
Carlos Moya. Ferrero made a decent run at the
Miami Masters, but lost in the fourth round to
David Ferrer. At the
Valencia Open, Ferrero lost in the first round to
Rafael Nadal. He bounced back by reaching the semifinals of
Monte Carlo, where he lost to
Guillermo Coria. He then upset
Gastón Gaudio and
Nikolay Davydenko on the way to the final of the
Barcelona Open, which he lost to
Rafael Nadal. These results pushed Ferrero back inside the top 50. He lost in the second round of the
Estoril Open to
Carlos Moyá. He ended the European clay season by reaching the third round of the
Hamburg Masters, which he lost to
Nikolay Davydenko, and of the
French Open, where he lost to Marat Safin. During grass season, Ferrero reached the quarterfinals of
Halle, where he lost to
Tommy Haas, and the fourth round of
Wimbledon, where he lost to
Roger Federer. He then returned to clay, and made back-to-back quarterfinals at the
Swedish Open and the
Croatia Open, losing to eventual champions
Rafael Nadal and
Guillermo Coria. Ferrero did not fare well during the North American swing, losing in the third round of
Rogers Cup to
Dominik Hrbatý, in the second round of
Cincinnati to
Andy Roddick, and in the first round of the
US Open to
Arnaud Clément. He bounced back by reaching the semifinals of the
China Open, which he lost to Nadal. At the
Davis Cup play-offs against Italy, Ferrero lost his first match against
Andreas Seppi after having been two sets up. However, he then won the decisive rubber against
Daniele Bracciali in straight sets to bring Spain back into the World Group. Ferrero then competed at the
Palermo Open, but lost in the quarterfinal to
Tomas Behrend. He reached his second final of the year at the
Vienna Open, defeating
David Nalbandian and
Radek Štěpánek en route before losing to
Ivan Ljubičić. In his last three events of the year, Ferrero lost early: to
Max Mirnyi in the first round of
Madrid, to
José Acasuso in the second round of the
Swiss Indoors, and to
Tomáš Berdych in the third round of the
Paris Masters. Ferrero ended 2005 ranked No. 17.
2006: First Masters final since 2003 In 2006, Ferrero once again lost his first match at the
Sydney International, to
Chris Guccione. At the
Australian Open, he lost in the third round to
Nicolas Kiefer in four sets. Ferrero reached his first semifinal of the year at the
Argentina Open, losing to compatriot
Carlos Moyá, but then lost in the first round of the
Brasil Open to
Flávio Saretta. At the first two masters events of the year,
Indian Wells and
Miami, Ferrero lost to
Paradorn Srichaphan in the third round and
Dmitry Tursunov in the second round, respectively. Ferrero began his French Open preparation at the
Valencia Open but lost in the first round to unseeded eventual champion
Nicolás Almagro. At the
Monte Carlo Masters, Ferrero reached the third round, where he lost to friend
David Ferrer. He reached his second quarterfinal of the year at the
Barcelona Open, losing once again to Almagro. Ferrero lost in the first round of
Rome to
Paul-Henri Mathieu, and in the third round of
Hamburg to Ferrer. At the
French Open, he lost in the third round to
Gastón Gaudio in straight sets. Prior to Wimbledon, Ferrero made the quarterfinals of
's-Hertogenbosch, where he lost to
Florent Serra. At
Wimbledon, despite leading 2 sets to love against
Radek Štěpánek in the third round, he lost the match in a tight fifth set. At the
Swedish Open, Ferrero reached the quarterfinals, losing to
Jarkko Nieminen. He then lost in the first round of
Umag to
Albert Portas, and in the second round of
Canada to
Fernando González. Ferrero reached his lone final of the year at the
Cincinnati Masters. He notched his first top 10 win of 2006 with a win over
James Blake in the second round, followed by consecutive victories against World No. 2
Rafael Nadal and No. 7
Tommy Robredo. This was the first time Ferrero had recorded a win over Nadal. He moved into a Masters final for the first time since 2003, which he lost to
Andy Roddick in straight sets. Ferrero ended the year on a five-match losing streak, beginning with a loss in the second round of the
US Open to
Marc Gicquel in straight sets. This was followed by losses in
Thailand to
Mischa Zverev, at
Metz to
Julien Benneteau, in
Vienna to
Jürgen Melzer, and in
Madrid to
Robin Söderling. He ended the year ranked No. 23.
2007: Wimbledon quarterfinals Ferrero's 2007 season began poorly, with a first-round loss at the
Auckland Open to
Nicolás Massú and a second-round loss at the
Australian Open to
Danai Udomchoke. Ferrero bounced back by reaching the final of the
Brasil Open, which he lost to
Guillermo Cañas. He was eliminated in the round robin stage of
Buenos Aires, and the semifinals of the
Mexican Open, where he lost to
Carlos Moyá. Ferrero reached the fourth round of
Indian Wells, where he lost to
Rafael Nadal (6-1, 6-1). He lost in the second round of
Miami to Cañas and in the
Valencia Open to
Alberto Martín. He bounced back temporarily by reaching the semifinals of the
Monte Carlo Masters, where he lost to
Roger Federer. However, he fell in the second rounds of
Barcelona and
Rome to
Potito Starace and
Pablo Andújar respectively, and in the third rounds of
Hamburg and
Roland-Garros, to Federer and to
Mikhail Youzhny. Despite losing in the first round of
's-Hertogenbosch to
Carlos Berlocq, Ferrero was able to reach the quarterfinals of
Wimbledon for the first time, defeating No. 9
James Blake in the third round and earning his first top 10 win of the year. While he then lost to World No. 1 Federer in four sets, this result meant Ferrero had reached the quarterfinals of all four slams. Ferrero backed this result up by reaching the quarterfinal at the
Stuttgart Open, which he lost to
Feliciano López. He was then upset in the first round of the
Austrian Open by
Andreas Seppi. Ferrero's North American swing was a disappointment. Despite making it to the third round of
Cincinnati, he lost in the first round of
Canada to
Lleyton Hewitt, and in the first round of the
US Open to
Feliciano López. He bounced back by reaching the semifinals of the
Vienna, losing to
Stanislas Wawrinka, and the third round of
Madrid, losing to
Novak Djokovic. Ferrero's final match of the year was a first-round loss to
Marcos Baghdatis at the
Paris Masters. He ended the year ranked No. 24.
2008: Injuries, year-end No. 55 Ferrero made a strong start to 2008, reaching his first and last final of the year at the
Auckland Open, where he lost to
Philipp Kohlschreiber. He then defeated
David Nalbandian to advance to the fourth round of the
Australian Open, where he lost to
David Ferrer in four sets. Ferrero then suffered three consecutive losses: to
Nicolas Mahut at the second round of the
Open 13, in
Rotterdam to
Teymuraz Gabashvili, and in
Dubai to
Andy Roddick. He reached the fourth round in
Indian Wells, where Nalbandian defeated him. In
Miami, Ferrero lost to
Tomáš Berdych in the third round, and in
Valencia to
Marat Safin in the first round. Ferrero reached the third round of the
Monte Carlo Masters, where he lost to World No. 2
Rafael Nadal in straight sets (6–4, 6–1). Less than a month later, however, Ferrero stunned Nadal in straight sets (7–5, 6–1) in the second round of the
Rome Masters. This was Ferrero's second career victory against Nadal in eight meetings, and ended Nadal's streak of seventeen successive match wins in Rome. It was widely publicised that Nadal had been injured during this match, despite the fact that Ferrero had also been struggling with a string of injuries. Ferrero lost to
Stan Wawrinka in the next round. Ferrero then played the
French Open, where he won the first set of his first round match against
Marcos Daniel before retiring due to a leg injury. The next tournament he entered was
Wimbledon, where he retired in the second round against
Mischa Zverev due to a hamstring injury. Ferrero missed the next three months of competitive play with a shoulder injury. He returned to the
China Open where he made quarterfinals, losing to eventual champion
Andy Roddick. His next tournaments were the
Vienna Open, where he lost in the second round to
Jürgen Melzer, and the
Grand Prix de Tennis de Lyon, where he lost in the quarterfinals to
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Ferrero ended the year ranked No. 55, his lowest year–end ranking since 1998.
2009: Return to the top 20 Ferrero began the year badly, with early losses in the second round of the
Auckland Open to
Philipp Kohlschreiber, in the first round of the
Brisbane International to
Florent Serra, and in the first round of the
Australian Open to
Fabrice Santoro. With this string of losses, Ferrero dropped out of the top 100 for the first time in almost 10 years, falling to No. 101. However, he then reached the quarterfinals of the
Brasil Open, where he lost to
Thomaz Bellucci, and of
Buenos Aires, where he retired against
David Nalbandian with a leg injury. In March, Ferrero captured his first singles title since 2003 by defeating fifth–seeded Serra in the final of the
Grand Prix Hassan II in
Casablanca, Morocco. Ferrero was unable to sustain this success throughout the rest of the clay court season. He lost in the first round of the
Barcelona Open to
Igor Kunitsyn and failed to qualify for the
Rome Masters. He then suffered second–round losses in
Portugal to
Nikolay Davydenko, in
Madrid to
Fernando Verdasco, and at
Roland-Garros to
Philipp Kohlschreiber. Ferrero launched a surprising comeback during the grass season. He reached the semifinals of the
Queen's Club Championships, where he lost to
Andy Murray, and the quarterfinals at
Wimbledon, equalling his best result there by defeating tenth seed
Fernando González and seventh seed
Gilles Simon before losing to
Andy Murray in straight sets. These performances saw Ferrero climb from No. 90 to No. 37 in the span of a month. He then reached the finals of the
Umag Open, where he lost 6-3, 6-0 to
Nikolay Davydenko. At the
Washington Open, Ferrero advanced to the third round, beating
Tommy Robredo before a loss to
Tommy Haas. Ferrero qualified to play the
Canada Masters. He defeated
Lleyton Hewitt in the first round in straight sets, ending Hewitt's three-match winning streak against him. He then defeated 13th seed
Gaël Monfils, before losing once again to Andy Murray. Ferrero lost in the first round of the
Cincinnati Masters to
Marin Čilić. He began his campaign at the
US Open by defeating Fabrice Santoro in what would be Santoro's last US Open match. In the second round, Ferrero mounted a remarkable comeback from two sets down for the third time in his career to defeat
Philipp Petzschner in five sets. Ferrero lost in the fourth round to eventual champion
Juan Martín del Potro in straight sets. With this result, Ferrero managed to re-enter the top 20, having been ranked No. 115 just five months earlier. At the
China Open, Ferrero lost to
Fernando Verdasco in the second round. He then entered the
Shanghai Masters, where he missed out on being seeded by one ranking spot. He was crushed in the first round by the 13th seed
Radek Štěpánek, winning only seven points in the second set. He also lost in the first round of the
Stockholm Open, to
Marcos Baghdatis. Ferrero then competed in the
Valencia Open but was defeated by
Pablo Cuevas in the first round in a three–set battle, after serving for the set at 5–3 in the second set. He ended the year ranked No. 23.
2010: Three titles Ferrero had a bad start to the 2010 season. He began the year once again at the
Auckland Open, where he retired against
Michael Lammer with an injury, trailing 1–3 in the second round. At the
Australian Open, Ferrero suffered a shock defeat to
Ivan Dodig, having been two-sets-to-love up and seemingly cruising to victory. As the first seed at the
Brasil Open, Ferrero rediscovered his form. He crushed
Łukasz Kubot in the final in 61 minutes, conceding one of his service games but breaking all of Kubot's to win 6–1, 6–0. At
Buenos Aires, Ferrero defeated top seed
David Ferrer in the final to take his second title in a row and extend his winning streak to ten matches. This victory also raised his ranking to No. 16. At the
Mexican Open in Acapulco, Ferrero defeated
Diego Junqueira,
Igor Andreev, defending champion
Nicolás Almagro and
Juan Mónaco to reach his third consecutive final. He then lost to
David Ferrer in three sets. Both players admitted that Ferrero's fatigue played a major role in the final set. Following this tournament, Ferrero became World No. 14, his highest ranking since 11 October 2004. Ferrero defeated
Daniel Köllerer in the second round of
Indian Wells to claim his first hard-court victory of the season, losing only eight points on serve. He lost to
Juan Mónaco in the third round in a match that lasted over three hours. At the
Miami Masters, Ferrero lost in the round of 16 to
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. At the
Monte Carlo Masters, he defeated
Marcel Granollers,
Benjamin Becker, and Tsonga before losing to
Rafael Nadal in straight sets in the quarterfinals. At the
Barcelona Open, Ferrero was upset by
Thiemo de Bakker in the third round. At the
Rome Masters, his form continued to dip as he suffered a shock loss to qualifier
Santiago Giraldo in the first round. Ferrero went into the
French Open seeded 16th and was tipped by some to make a good run there. However, he was upset in the third round by
Robby Ginepri. After coming back from a two-set deficit and being a break of serve up in the decider, he lost in the fifth set. Ferrero's grass season was disappointing. He lost to lucky loser
Dominik Meffert in the first round of
Halle. His bad form continued at
Wimbledon, where he lost to
Xavier Malisse in five sets in the first round. He returned to clay at the
Stuttgart Open, where he lost to
Albert Montañés for the first time in six meetings in the semifinals. He was upset by Florian Mayer in the quarterfinals of
Hamburg. Ferrero then won his third title of the year at the
Umag Open, beating
Pablo Cuevas,
Alexandr Dolgopolov,
Andreas Seppi, and
Potito Starace in the final. Ferrero missed the
Canada and
Cincinnati Masters due to a knee injury. He returned to play at the
US Open, where he defeated
Martin Kližan and
Ricardo Mello in straight sets, but lost to
Jürgen Melzer in straight sets in the third round. He missed the rest of the season due to knee and wrist injuries, for which he received surgery in October. He therefore ended the year ranked No. 28.
2011: Final ATP title In 2011, Ferrero withdrew from the
Auckland Open and the
Australian Open. As the defending champion, he withdrew from the
Brasil Open and
Buenos Aires. He also withdrew from
Mexico,
Indian Wells,
Miami, and
Monte Carlo, as the recovery from his wrist and knee surgery took longer than expected. Ferrero made his return at the
Barcelona Open, where he defeated
Xavier Malisse,
Mischa Zverev, and
Simone Vagnozzi, but lost in the quarterfinals to
Nicolás Almagro. At the
Madrid Open, he lost in the first round to
Thiemo de Bakker, after which he indicated that the end of his tennis career might be near. He missed the
Rome Masters,
French Open, and
Wimbledon due to the same injury, and his ranking dropped to No. 85. Ferrero returned to competition at the
Stuttgart Open. There, he defeated
Bastian Knittel,
Mikhail Youzhny,
Marcel Granollers,
Federico Delbonis, and straight-setted
Pablo Andújar in the final to capture the title. Ferrero then went to
Hamburg, where he lost in the first round to
Cedrik-Marcel Stebe. As the defending champion in
Umag, he reached the semifinals, where he lost to eventual champion
Alexandr Dolgopolov. He lost in
Canada to
Ernests Gulbis and in
Cincinnati to
Feliciano López, both in the first round. Ferrero's next tournament was the
US Open, where he defeated
Pablo Andújar in the first round in five sets. In the second round, he defeated Frenchman
Gaël Monfils in an electrifying five-set match. He was drawn against Marcel Granollers in the third round, who retired in the second set of the match. In the fourth round, Ferrero lost to
Janko Tipsarević in four sets. At the
China Open, Ferrero lost in the quarterfinals to
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. He reached the third round at the
Shanghai Masters, where he was defeated by
David Ferrer after having wasted three match points in the second set. At the
Valencia Open, Ferrero lost in the quarterfinals to
Juan Mónaco. His final tournament of the year was the
Paris Masters, where he lost in the first round to
Nicolas Mahut. He ended the year ranked No. 50.
2012: Final season Ferrero began his 2012 season with a loss to
Benoît Paire in
Sydney. He entered the
Australian Open, where he lost in the first round to
Viktor Troicki in five sets, after failing to convert a match point in the fourth. After the match, Ferrero was fined $1,500 for "audible obscenities" on court. Ferrero represented Spain in the
Davis Cup for the last time in a tie against Kazakhstan, where he defeated
Mikhail Kukushkin in five sets. He then played a disappointing
Golden Swing, losing in the first round at all three tournaments. At the
Brasil Open he lost to
Leonardo Mayer, in
Buenos Aires to
Kei Nishikori, and at the
Mexican Open to
Stan Wawrinka. Ferrero then missed three months of competition due to a wrist injury. Ferrero returned at the
Madrid Masters, where he lost in the first round to qualifier
Igor Andreev. At the
Rome Masters, Ferrero beat
Kevin Anderson and
Gaël Monfils, his second and third wins of the year. However, in the third round, he lost to
Roger Federer in three sets. Ferrero then entered the
Nice French Riviera Open. He beat
Robin Haase after saving a match point, but lost to Brazilian qualifier
Thomaz Bellucci in the second round in straight sets. At the last French Open of his career, Ferrero won his first round match against French wild card
Jonathan Dasnières de Veigy, before a second round loss to
Marin Čilić in straight sets. Ferrero did not play a warm-up tournament before
Wimbledon, where he lost in the first round in straight sets to defending champion and world No. 1
Novak Djokovic. He then lost in the first round of
Umag. On September 12, Ferrero announced that he would officially retire from professional tennis after the
Valencia Open in October. He stated that "The Valencia Open 500 will be my last tournament, in the best possible scenario. This season injuries have prevented me from playing regularly and it was a tough year as I realised on the court that I did not have the same ambition after 14 years at the top level." Ferrero played his final singles match in the first round of the Valencia Open, where he lost to fellow Spaniard
Nicolás Almagro in straight sets. His retirement ceremony took place at the tournament.
2017 In 2017 it was announced that Ferrero would return to the ATP Tour to play in the Barcelona doubles draw alongside
Pablo Carreño Busta. However, this would be his only tournament, and they lost in the first round. ==Davis Cup==