David Ferrer: hungry for the title - or just hungry?
David Ferrer may look lean and mean out on the court - and that’s precisely what he is.
Like most pro athletes, he follows a strict regimen of diet and exercise that keeps him in top physical condition and able to keep those legs pumping for hours on the notoriously energy-draining red, slidey stuff. This is particularly important at a Grand Slam event where you have to play the best of 5 sets - and sometimes need all them to win your match.
And David’s opponent today - Radek Stepanek - is one of those players that, when he is on form and playing his best tennis, he can beat anyone out there. Today he was on form and was determined to win.
But David does not only have the advantage of his Luxilon Original 130 strings. Our ever-observant photographer, Manuela, was able to catch sight of a couple of David’s lesser-known secrets for maintaining his energy level during those long matches.
© Manuela Davies - doubleXposure.com
The American pioneers knew a thing or two about keeping hunger at bay while crossing those arid deserts for days at a time on their one horsepower modes of transport. A strip of beef jerky kept deep in your pocket might be a little salty and ripe after a few hot days in the saddle but it could always be counted on to provide a few much-needed calories when the going got tough and the Gatorade ran out. Beef jerky is a little harder to come by in Paris than it is in Yuma, Arizona (did you know that word “yummy” originated from the famous beef jerky store established in Yuma in 1850?) but the cowskin of your leather racquet grip is a good substitute in a pinch - and, after a few games, is even able to reproduce that sweaty ripeness beloved of the early pioneers . It is, of course, a little tough to chew but that’s what keeps you going back for more - knowing that each gnawing session will be a little juicier than the last. And all that chewing is also good for developing and accentuating the jaw line - important if you are to appear determined and menacing to your opponent. And the taste will also create enough of a sour face for him to think that you mean business out there.
© Manuela Davies - doubleXposure.com
David’s second secret is to always have an emergency source of supply for the time when the grip finally becomes too soggy to stay in your hand and a new racquet has not yet been softened up. Those black rabbit ears that David always has tucked into his shorts are not just for luck! (yes, I know that it’s normally a rabbit’s foot - but tennis players like to be a little different - look at Bethany Mattek…). They are also a handy source of nutrition! Their strategic placement even creates a ‘groininess’ that is similar to the beef jerky of pioneering times! A quick, discreet nibble can be taken under the guise of wiping the sweat from your face by slipping the ear into the towel before applying it to your face. Of course, David doesn’t sweat any more in the third set of a match than he does in the second, but you will see him taking more frequent trips to the towel as the match progresses and the need for a quick fix of ear becomes more urgent. This remedy was well know to the English in Victorian times when fresh meat in the cities was much scarcer than it is today. The cries of “ear ear” could often be heard from the poor that would surround butchers shops at the end of the day, hoping to find a little to eat when practically nothing was left. It is still heard today from people in a crowd hoping to be noticed by someone of importance who is addressing them.
Armed with such an array of strategies to maintain an edge over his opponent, David was able to win his match 4-6 6-2 1-6 6-3 6-3 and will meet Gael Monfils of France in the quarterfinals.
© Manuela Davies - doubleXposure.com
As instructed by Mirka, eager to have time for a little shopping before dinner at L’Arpege (where normal people need to make reservations several weeks ahead), Roger Federer (Alu Power Rough and Wilson Natural Gut) won his match against Julien Benneteau of France in straight sets - 6-4 7-5 7-5. He will play his quarterfinal match against Fernando Gonzalez of Chile.