Juan Carlos Ferrero is taking time out from the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam to answer your questions!

Juan Carlos was a French Open champion in 2003 and became the world number one in September 2003.

Nicknamed Mosquito, Ferrero was a member of the 2000 and 2004 winning Spanish Davis Cup teams and he is a huge fan of football team Real Madrid.

Ferrero reached the final of the ABN AMRO tournament in Rotterdam last year and is hoping to go one better this year, but Tim Henman and Roger Federer are two of the players standing in his way.

Send your questions using the form on the right of the page by 09:00 GMT on Saturday.

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/hav...say/4250549.stm

this is the website that you can send your questions to. I'll keep my eyes open and see if they publish the questions and answers afterwards.

Ooo! I'm going to remember to ask something. *makes a note*

They did one with Mario the other week and I ended up forgetting. =X I had a really good question as well. Did they ever publish anything to do with that? *runs off to investigate*

Thanks for the heads up, JC_Fan_UK! (What's your name?)

I had a quick look for the Mario one as I remembered them asking for questions but couldn't find it.

I've just asked a question

"Due to injuries and illness last year you seemed a shadow of your old self, however, the start of this year has shown early promise - how much has the support and confidence of your many fans helped you prepare for 2005. Good luck and all the best for the rest of the year. "

(btw my name's Lucy)

legend!!! i cant believe the beeb hav nabbed him 4 an interview!!

what means GMT?

LOL :P

Greenwich Mean Time

Greenwich Mean Time. 1 hour behind you in Holland. :)

That's a good question, Lucy. Thanks again for posting the link. Now, what to ask...?!

--

Edit: Carole, you beat me to it.

*evil grin*

Haha alright
thanks both

btw: I need some help!
Ive got a question but I dunno if ive translated in good english so is there anybody who can help me and take a look? :unsure:

yep try me

okay Rois i'll PM you

haha.....i asked a question regarding fans as well! lol....i just asked him how much we impacted his performance as a pro athlete and stuff...i couldn't really think of anything, but it was an alright question so i just asked it hehe

Oh I just don't know what to ask! :unsure: It is totally awesome that he is doing this though. I really hope that at least one of our questions get answered! That would be awesome. :D

haha, i asked another question....about what his goals were for this year, cuz i really am interested to know what his goals are.

I just asked him a question!!

"Your run at the Australian Open was a pretty good one considering your current form. Did the way you played in the Australian Open, especially in the second round match, serve as a stepping stone to build your confidence? Do you think that if you play steadily and gradually improve you can become a better player than what you were last year?"

Ok, I guess that's more than one question but if he can answer "yes" to my questions, that will give me a lot of hope, if he has hope in himself.

managed to find Mario's questions and answers in case anyone is interested. May also give some ideas of questions to ask JC.

What is your mindset for the start of 2005? Do you feel confident already or do you feel a big start at The Aussie Open would help you "get your groove back"?
Louis-Antoine Paquin, Canada
I set pretty big goals for last year and I achieved them - the three biggest things for me were the Olympic Games, the Grand Slams and the Davis Cup. We won the bronze medal in Athens, I made semi's in Wimbledon and we stayed in the World Group in Davis Cup so I think last year was very successful. I have put my goals also high for this year. Unfortunately, there were two tournaments I was supposed to have played already this year - in Adelaide and Auckland - but I injured my ankle. Luckily I can now play and I'm ready for the Australian Open. I have to hang in and fight through some rounds. Fitness-wise I'm feeling good and I'm hitting the ball well so we will see how I do in match situations.

What are your goals for 2005?
Dean Saumon-Sar, Norway
I want to keep improving my game. I'm now in the top 30 and I want to go even further. Hopefully I can break into the top 20 but I will go a step at a time. When I get to that goal I will look to the next one. I always keep my goals high and I want to do well in the Grand Slam tournaments, the Davis Cup and other big tournaments.

Do you believe that Croatia has a chance to win the Davis Cup? What do you think about the first round against the USA?
Dean Saumon-Sar, Norway
We have a really good team now - me, Ivan Ljubcic, Ivo Karlovic and Roko Karanusic, who qualified here in Melbourne. I think we can go very far. We need a bit of luck but Ivan and me showed that we can play well in singles and doubles and we are going to try to go all the way, even this year if we can. But, as you say, we are playing the United States in the first round on their home ground, so it's going to be an unbelievably tough first round. We will try, fight and hang in there.

Do you fell pressured to follow Goran's footsteps!?
Martina, Croatia
Goran has put the bar pretty high for all of us and maybe I get the most pressure because I'm the youngest, we play similar and we are from the same town. I'm just going to try to carry the flag that Goran, and before him Nikki (Pillic) and Zeljko (Franulovic) carried - the flag for people from Split and for Croatia.

Has there ever been a match which you wish you could have played again for any reason?
Kiran, Scotland
Every match happens the way it does for a reason. Whether you win or lose you can learn a lot - it's a school. It makes you grow up, work even harder and work even better. Maybe you might play terrible one time but you have to suck it up and maybe next time you play better and win. I would keep everything the same and try to keep improving - hopefully that will bring me all the way.

You were the last person to beat Federer on grass. Considering his improvement over the last two years, do you think you could still beat him on the surface and do you think there are any other players who could?
Julia Nicholls, England
When I played Roger in 2002 he was one of the best and I was ranked about 190. He hadn't really had a good record at that stage in Grand Slams and I played some unbelievable tennis. The last two years though he got really confident and he's playing really good tennis. He's human, he's beatable but I think he can also have a bad day. There are some guys also that, if they play good, like (Marat) Safin, like (David) Nalbandian, can push him. But, at the moment, he is playing like he cannot lose.

What are your relationships with the others players on the tour and with whom are you friends?
Charlotte Le Carlier, France
I'm friends with a lot of the Croatian guys and I go to dinners with them. I also know a lot of the Dutch guys because I spend a lot of time practicing in Amsterdam. It's nice to go out for a dinner and a drink with the other players.

What has been your best moment in tennis so far?
Siobhan Dunne, UK
There have been two - first beating Roger at Wimbledon because that was the first time I came to the big stage. Beating him there was a tremendous feeling. The other time was when I won the bronze medal in doubles at the Olympics because it showed what an effect that sport can have on people. A lot of Croatian people were out in the streets celebrating our win. Sport can make people at home really proud and happy.

How come players from Croatia almost always are big servers?
Jaideep Tiwari, India
First we are tall! That is the biggest advantage for fast serving. When you are tall you can't move fast like Lleyton Hewitt but you have other weapons - you can serve big and go for big shots.

What is your favourite football team?
Dario,USA
I like to watch football a lot. My favourite team is Hajduk Split, my home team, but I spend a lot of time away and watch a lot of football on tv. When I was young I went to a lot of games back home, but now I like to turn on the tv and watch good games in the Italian, Spanish and English leagues.

Mario, do you have a girlfriend? Is it difficult to entertain a relationship while being a tennis player and travelling all the time?
Odile Crocro, Belgium
No, I don't have a girlfriend. So it's tough to answer the second question!

Is your greatest dream to win Wimbledon like your countryman and friend Goran Ivanisevic?
Dean Saumon-Sar, Norway
I grew up listening to Goran's answers to the question 'are you going to win Wimbledon', so Wimbledon has always been something special to me. All the four Grand Slam tournaments are special to me. Australia is the toughest conditions for me. Wimbledon has huge tradition, and I would like to be one day a part of that and try to do what my countryman did.

How do you try to throw off feeling nervous before matches?
William Stileman, England, UK
I always have some nerves but I've played a lot of matches and you try to put the nerves in a positive way. I have my ritual, I try to warm up, and wait, think how my opponent plays and how can I beat him. I think anyone who says that they are not nervous are lying because we are all human beings and nerves are normal.

I saw you play John McEnroe at the superset tennis at Wembley last year and would like to know your thoughts on his style of play? How would it hold up in today's ultra fast play? Having played both Federer and McEnroe who do you think has the most natural tennis ability?
Duncan Wood, France
That surface that they had in Wembley for the SuperSet was fairly quick. There are not so many surfaces like that on tour unfortunately. You could see us both serve and volleying and John, even now, for one set, is really tough. He showed that to me because I played really good tennis and I only won 9-7 in a very tight match. On one set on these courts, he is very tough. It's always tough to compare different generations, but both McEnroe and Federer are unbelievably loose and play with such ease that when you are watching at home you think tennis is easy!

When you were preparing for the match against Tim Henman at Wimbledon last year, did you feel pressured, or did you feel you were going to go out there and have fun as you had nothing to lose?
Camilla Gibbs, England
I think it's not the case that I had nothing to lose because I was in the quarterfinals of Wimbledon, it was my first time, I was playing great. I wanted to go as far as I could. For sure it was a different experience for me and I played Tim, who is huge in England, and he had just had a great French Open. A lot of people thought he was going to win the tournament. The first set was very tight, I got a bit lucky in it, but after that I made very few mistakes. As soon as I got warm everything was fine.

What do you see as the main strength to your game and outside of tennis, who has given you the most inspiration to make it as a player?
Alex, England
My main strength is my serve and volley game because it's very rare that people have this attacking style of game. You have to combine a lot of things - you have to come into the net, slice and I think I showed last year that I can play all different surfaces. I played well in all the Grand Slams, and I want to get better.

For sure I wouldn't have started to play if it wasn't for my brother because I was with him when he was playing, just picking up the balls. As soon as I got older, I loved watching Goran, Becker, Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi in the Frankfurt Masters matches. That generation was serving-and-volleying all the time on faster surfaces and they were great players. It was real entertainment.

thanks! ^_^
so does somebody know when the questions will be answerd?

ahh! thanks for posting mario's Q&A! hehe

oooh....poor mario, doesn't have a girlfriend...heheh, that'll all change once i meet him in march at DC! hahahaha lol jk

if i knew he was pimp when this question thing was going on, i would've so asked him if it was true.....haha stupid question, but it would've been funny lol

just posted in my question for jc....haha..this time its actually a real one...just about his goals, and if he thinks his form last year set him too far back...last time i wasted my question to him just asking if pat or his sisters were here with him in melbourne..sheeesh!!! ><

I just sent in a question for JC. I asked what the favorite gift is that he's ever received from a fan. I'm hoping that he'll say something that he's gotten from someone on this Forum. I know that some girls have given him portraits that they have drawn. Hopefully he'll get asked my question, because I know that they don't do them all. Either way, this'll be fun. ^_^

I just sent one in too...with Bethany's help of course :) I asked about the whole Maria Sharapova thing, and if there's any truth to it. Hopefully they'll publish it so we can all find out exactly what is going on!

I hope that JC won't get offended if they do publish it! :ph43r:

ohhh...juicy question...maria!!!

yeh....i hope they answer the question about fave gifts from fans...would be good to know he liked the postcard album!!

awww that would be so awesome if he mentioned the postcard thing cuz it was a really collective effort from fans all over the world hehe.
i sent in like a bunch of more questions, questions i got from the mario interview, like who he's closest to on tour and like some other stuff, i don't even remember haha.
and wow tennis rocks, ur bold, bold. haha....i doubt he'll answer it if they ask.

hahaha i think i sent in about 10 questions - not that i can fecking remember what the half of them were!!

[QUOTE] Yeah I asked about Maria as well hopefully he'll be open enough to answer:)

lol my silly question//suggestion:

Hey Juan-Carlos,

I know your nickname is Mosquito, and you're not pleased with it anymore. So I've come up with another nickname: Puss in Boots (it's from the movie Shrek 2, I hope I've seen it) Because, his body and looks it seems like he's small and he's seems harmless. Like you, because you seem to be harmless too, but when you play your killer forehand, you turn into one of the best players. And offcourse Puss is also Spanish.
So maybe Juan-Carlos in Boots...

lol a bit long but I just had to send it :P

:lol: That's hilarious! I'm not so sure it will get published, but I hope they show it to him all the same just for the entertainment value!!

I'm so darn sure there's gonna be a question about the Sharapova-thing... but I don't think he'll answer it. Or his answer would be something like "we are very good friends" or something, a pretty uncomfortable reply.

I sent 3 questions... I don't remember them exactly
1 was about how confident he was on winning the French Open again
another was about how he felt about all the female attention he gets (I know he answered such a question before but that was a couple of yrs ago :P )
and the other one was something about his birthday...

uhm.. does somebody?

well the deadline for questions i saturday at 9am GMT so it'll be up on the website maybe on sunday?? i dunno.

I don't know, but I'd disagree with Roisin, I wouldn't have thought that it would be as soon as Sunday. They do have to sort through all the questions, then ask them at a time convienient for JC, then type up the responses... I'd doubt that they'll be up on Sunday. But maybe I'm wrong.

ahahaa..anne..that is sooooo cutee!!!...i hope they show it to him...!!

I can't wait till they post the Q &A i'm so interested to know what he's gonna say and I hope some of our questions get in there ^_^

yeah deadlines passed so i cant ask any more questions *sniff*

i think ive asked about 10 now :D

Are you physically 100% - if so, how difficult is it to regain top form?
John, UK

Physically I am 100% since December of last year. I was working very hard before the Davis Cup final to prepare and I've felt 100% from then until now. I haven't had any injuries from then until now. My game? It's always difficult to be 100% but I'm in a good way at the moment because I feel 100% again mentally.

What are the differences when entering tournaments as a lower-ranked player, as opposed to being a top seed?
Estella in Ireland

Because I'm no longer seeded it's tougher ¿ I had to play against Joachim Johansson in the first round last week in Marseille. In the past when I was a top seed I would have played a match like that in the quarters or semifinals. This is the big difference but I have to do it to get higher in the rankings.

Do you think you can get back to your very best in time for the French Open?
Sebastien, France

I don't know when it is going to happen, but I have a lot of confidence in me that I will be the same Juan Carlos as I was before, and very soon.

You had back and rib injuries last year as well as chicken pox - what was the lowest point of 2004?
Carlos, Spain

The difficult moments were when I knew that I had the chicken pox and that it would take two or three months to recover. I had to start from zero again physically because the virus left me at zero per cent. When I started to come back I had my rib broken when I fell on court and that was another two months out. Those five months were pretty difficult for me.

How surprised were you to be dropped for the Davis Cup final?
Jose, Spain

It was difficult because I had been playing well for the whole year and the coaches told me that I would play, but then I had some problems with my hand two days before the Friday matches so they decided to choose Nadal instead. It was difficult for me not to be in the Friday matches but I had to understand. Inside me I wanted to play but this was the decision of the captain and they had to make it.

Do you plan to play for the Spanish Davis Cup team this year and do you think that Spain can retain the title?
Vinka, Croatia

It's always very difficult to retain the Davis Cup title and this year we would have to play two or three rounds outside Spain. This makes it very difficult because the other teams will put down very fast court surfaces down, but maybe we can. You never know!

You've been number one and won a Grand Slam title. What goals do you feel you haven't achieved yet?
Izabella Vermesi, Romania

I want to enjoy tennis, feel the enjoyment of the people as they watch my game and I want to get some titles ¿ some Grand Slams and some Masters Series, and to try to get my ranking very high again.

You have had a great career already but what's been the highlight so far?
Paul, Solihull, UK

Winning the Davis Cup, the Grand Slam title in Paris and becoming the World Number One. Of course playing in the end of year Masters three times was good as well. Just saying it sounds good!

Who has the hardest serve to break?
Rodney, Paris

There is more than one - probably Joachim Johansson, Andy Roddick and Wayne Arthurs. All of these guys are very difficult to break.

Besides the other Spanish players on the tour, who are the players that you get along with the best?
Caitlin, USA

South American players of course, but I have good relations with everyone. The language with the South American players helps a lot but I also get on well with the other European players. The American players stay together and so we don't talk a lot, but I still have good relations with them.

Describe yourself in three words.
Jo, England

This is difficult! Simple, normal and a family-guy.

What is it like to play against Andre Agassi? What are the secrets to beating him?
Mark Witchell, United Kingdom

I enjoy playing against Agassi. The secret is not to make many mistakes because he makes you run a lot on the court and you have to be confident. When I played him I was really playing well and I need to be because he can play to such a high level.

In terms of sheer talent, who do you think is a better player: Roger Federer or Pete Sampras?
Rishi, Holland

I prefer Sampras. He does everything so easily in the court. Roger does too, but I prefer to watch Sampras.

Do you enjoy playing in England and is it conceivable that we might see a Spanish men's Wimbledon finalist soon?
Oliver Hughes, United Kingdom

I enjoy to play on grass courts and I've played good matches in Davis Cup on it as well as reaching the fourth round twice at Wimbledon. Maybe Some year I can do even better at Wimbledon but it's difficult because we don't have any grass courts in Spain to practice on. We can only play on synthetic grass courts which are a little bit different. Maybe one day one of us can win at Wimbledon.

What will you do when you aren't a tennis player any more?
Corinna, Germany

Good question! I would like to be a soccer player or a motor racing driver.

Do you see Rafael Nadal as a future World number one and if so, when?
Alex, Switzerland

He's very young but he does everything well. If he continues like he is he will be in the top ten for sure. I don't know if he can be the World Number One but I think he can definitely make the top ten.

................................
boo none of my questions were asked!

mine isn't either :( :P

but the 'obvious' questions were asked... no revelations here...

yeah i agree, wheres all the contraversal ones that everyone asked huh???? bboooooo bbc.... <_< i wanted some gossip :P

What will you do when you aren't a tennis player any more?
Corinna, Germany
Good question! I would like to be a soccer player or a motor racing driver.

OMFG, roisin, is that corinna from MTF??? "good question!" >> how fucking lucky is she!!!

jesus, now dat u mention it...it flipping is her!!!!!!!!!!! :omg: