Like a typical Spaniard, Juan Carlos Ferrero brought his own brand of tennis on clay and stamped his authority on Roland Garros in 2003 by winning the French Open. Many would have expected him to go on like that as this swift Spaniard showed a lot of potential and raised the hopes of his ever-swelling fan base to a great extent – unfortunately, he could not come near to his lone Grand Slam triumph throughout his career. Now that Ferrer has announced that he will bid adieu to tennis next month after competing on tour a little over nine years – it’s heartening to see that a player of his talent could not add more laurels to his well-spent career. But, his contributions to the game have been tremendous – in a way that do not look dazzling from the vanguard.

Nicknamed as "Mosquito" due to his speed and slight physical build – Juan Carlos Ferrero will retire after next month’s Valencia Open. Interestingly, the Spaniard lost to Andy Roddick in the U.S. Open – it was Roddick who supplanted Ferrero from the No. 1 position in the fall of 2003. The Spaniard also reached the US Open final in 2003, but lost to Andy Roddick. Next season, Ferrero reached the semi-finals of the Aussie Open, where he lost to Roger Federer. The Spaniard also made it into the quarter-finals at Wimbledon in 2007 and 2009.

Though, Ferrero could not win more than one Grand Slam, he achieved decent success on ATP World Tour. He claimed 16 career titles, comprising of ATP World Tour 1000 series titles in Madrid, Monte Carlo and Rome. Ferrero managed to stay in the World’s Top 50 after this year’s Wimbledon, but he failed to do so after falling early at the US Open.

Announcing his retirement, Ferrero quoted: “The Valencia Open 500 will be my final tournament, in the best possible scenario. This season injuries have prevented me from playing with regularity and it was a tough year as I realized on the court that I did not have the same ambition after 14 years at the top level.”

“Among the memories I would pick out the Davis Cup win in 2000, because I understood afterwards how much it meant to the country,” he insisted. “But certainly for a player, winning a grand slam or getting to number one in the world is the most important. What I will miss most is the competition, it will difficult to fill the void.”

He further added that “I am starting a new phase in my life with tremendous excitement. I will continue to be involved with tennis through the Valencia Open, the academy, the foundation that carries my name and other projects.”

Ferrero who is a very good friend of World No. 5 David Ferrer – has been quite consistent on ATP World Tour.  He finished inside the World’s Top 25 players for eight years. He also represented Spain in 17 Davis Cup ties and notched up a very good 18-6 win-loss record in singles. He was also figured in three Davis Cup finals.