Ferreira's 55 Not Out Wednesday, June 23, 2004
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So far this week we have seen nine-time champion Martina Navratilova, at 47 years of age, become the oldest player to compete at Wimbledon since Madeline O’Neill in 1922. We have also seen Goran Ivanisevic return to The Championships for the first time since winning the title in 2001. And both were successful in their opening rounds.
But there is another player who merits more than a fleeting glance. The South African Wayne Ferreira is contesting his 55th consecutive Grand Slam – more than any other player in the Open era.
In playing his first round match on Tuesday, the 32 year-old surpassed the previous mark of 54 set by Stefan Edberg. Ferreira beat the Monte Carlo-based Croatian Ivan Ljubicic, the 28th seed, 5-7, 7-6, (7-5), 7-5, 6-2.
Ferreira made his Grand Slam debut at Wimbledon in 1990, when he ousted Yannick Noah in his first match at the AELTC, arriving in the main draw via the Qualifying competition.
He missed that year’s US Open but returned in Melbourne in the January of 1991 and has not missed a Grand Slam since then, recording his best results at the Australian Open, where he reached the semi-finals on two occasions, 1992 and 11 years later in 2003.
A former world number six (in 1995), Ferreira has always been viewed as a traditional serve-volleyer, winning the Queen’s title in 1992 and making the final there the following year, as well as at Manchester in 1994. But despite his grass court credentials, he has never gone further than the quarter-final stage at The Championships, a feat he achieved in 1994. He has however been a regular in the Round of 16.
His Grand Slam results have been a source of disappointment. “I have regrets that I didn’t win or get to a final,” he said. “There were some years when I had good chances, but didn’t take them. But I really can’t complain. I’ve loved what I’ve been doing.”<br>
He’s also seen a lot of changes, and is sad that even the grass has been tampered with, declaring they play more like hard courts these days. “I wish they were quicker, more like they were in the 90s. I remember coming here then and I served and volleyed every first and second serve. If you didn’t, you lost. Since then it’s been a struggle to serve and volley on second serves. It has changed a lot.
“For me it’s been disappointing because I would have won a lot more matches if it had stayed that way. The changes have taken away a bit of the serve and volley game, which is sad, because that is what grass is for – it is supposed to be a serve and volley game.
“Even so, I love coming here and it’s been great that I have been able to do it for so many years.”<br>
Retirement beckons after the US Open. Ferreira readily admits that his family is now the priority, not tennis, which he describes as being a bit of a struggle. “When you don’t do well, it is difficult,” said Ferreira. “And when the family need you it makes it tougher, as the motivation becomes difficult – especially as I have been paying for so long.
“I’ve tried to retire on three occasions, but each time I started to play better and so I gave myself more time because I started to enjoy myself again.”<br>
Other players have been congratulating Ferreira over the last few months on his longevity. If he does retire after Flushing Meadow, he will be credited with 57 Grand Slam appearances, equal to the number played by Ivan Lendl and Michael Chang and one short of Jimmy Connors’ 58.
To set the longevity record was never his initial intention but, having realised it, Ferreira is delighted. It’s an achievement that many of today’s players find difficult to comprehend. They respect him because, as Ferreira points out, “… they know how difficult it is to stay healthy for this amount of time!”
