David Ferrer has rightly turned his attention towards the Barcelona Open later this month after withdrawing from Monte Carlo with a thigh injury.
The Spaniard was all set to play in Monaco this week and make the semis of the illustrious clay event but a niggling thigh injury picked up in the Miami Masters final kept him away from the tournament.
Maybe it was a good thing Ferrer hasn’t played, for with perennial Masters betting favourite, Rafael Nadal, searching for his ninth consecutive title there was little chance of the 31-year-old winning and so taking a week’s rest to rebuild his fitness ahead of the Grand Slam summer was maybe a good idea.
Indeed, that Miami final with Andy Murray proved just how fit the ATP’s top players must be to challenge for trophies. The pair battled out a gruelling three-set encounter on a hot, sticky Miami court and although the standard of tennis was not there the commitment certainly was.
Both players appeared exhausted when Murray finally earned championship point and Ferrer’s recent revelation he played through a strained thigh goes some way to highlighting just how badly these guys want to win.
Ferrer could probably have played Monaco, but that would have hampered his chances at Barcelona where he is expected to pick up from where he left off.
The Spaniard lost to Nadal 7-6 7-5 in the final last season and will seek revenge over the king of clay when they meet on home soil. With the Madrid Masters and French Open just around the corner, Ferrer has a busy schedule and cannot afford to be injured before the second Grand Slam of the season.
His decision to withdraw from Monte Carlo is therefore justified; Betfair bookies believe that his reasoning should put him in good stead to make the Roland Garros semis this summer.
