Juan Carlos Ferrero: "Want to be one of the greatest tournaments in the world"
Juan Carlos Ferrero , director of the JC Ferrero Equilte Academy near Valencia, about his tennis school in times of Corona, the hopes for Carlos Alcaraz and the secret of why Spain is always among the best in the world.
by tennisnet.com
last edit:
Mar 09, 2021, 01:54 pm
Juan Carlos, how did you deal with the corona crisis in your academy in 2020?
We managed to get most of our players to stay with us. Employees from all areas - the maintenance team for the seats, cooks, teachers and trainers - have also moved; we have virtually sealed off the academy. After the stress of the first few days, we got a certain normalcy and routine. In the end it was a strange but not a bad experience. The parents were very grateful afterwards and told us that this stay was a great decision.
What restrictions and measures are there in Spain and what regulations do you have to observe?
Since the first lockdown, the restrictions have always been different, and we have had to quickly adapt our measures again and again. Travel is much more difficult now than it was before the pandemic, and as a result, the number of players who come to train for short stays has fallen dramatically. And that there were fewer tournaments. We ourselves have organized many different tournaments to face this situation and enable our players to compete. Otherwise, we put in place many different safeguards to prevent infection: separate areas for employees, daily symptom monitoring, regular control tests, reallocation of classrooms and outdoor fitness areas. Lots of things that luckily worked fine, at least until now.
You offered a total of 23 tournaments from June to December 2020 - what were the regulations for the players and coaches here?
We worked in a similar way to our regular players, but made a distinction between those who stayed at the academy and those who didn't. Anyone staying on site should present a negative test on arrival or get tested here. The referees also had their own areas. We had a Covid officer who checked the removal and correct use of the mask. We proceeded differently depending on the tournament, but we always knew that the most important thing was to avoid get-togethers and cross-contacts.
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Did you have spectators on site?
Most of the time it was forbidden. If they were allowed to have a limited number, the places filled quickly. A lot of people wanted to come, but we couldn't offer as many seats as usual, so unfortunately some spectators could not be there.
The ITF Junior Cup, a G1 tournament, is taking place for the 20th time this year. What has changed in the last 20 years and what are your plans for the future?
We have become more important to players over the years. We are also holding a great ATP Challenger event and have adjusted the offers, such as private player's lounges and the restaurant, private transport through the official hotel, clay courts and the spectator areas ... We had to have one for the last two editions due to the corona situation Take a small step back, but we hope that in 2022 we can even move up to Grade A and be able to offer what we had before the pandemic - or expand the offers to become one of the greatest tournaments in the world.
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One of your "Big Names", Carlos Alcaraz, made his breakthrough on the Challenger Tour and won his first match in a Grand Slam tournament at the Australian Open. How often do you see him? And do you train together regularly?
Carlos is a special player at the academy for me because I'm his head coach. I play with him every day and travel with him most of the time. I am responsible for its entire development, but of course I discuss everything with my team in order to cover all aspects: tennis, fitness, physio, the mental area ...
What are your main goals with him for 2021?
Our main goal is to crack the top 50. If you are in the top 100, you can play in most of the ATP Tour events and gain a lot of experience.
How optimistic are you for the even younger generation after Alcaraz?
Carlos is a player we won't see often. At the academy we have other great players his age, including younger ones, who will be pretty good in the future. I think there will be a lot of Spanish players who will represent us on the ATP Tour, as they have done in recent years. One problem is that social media is very distracting and it is becoming more difficult to find young aspiring players like Carlos. It used to be the case more often.
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How is it in the women's area?
We saw a strong level among the Spanish women at our ITF events. There are many who are improving a lot and moving into the professional arena - but here, too, there are many distractions along the way. But in the last few years there have been fewer professional tournaments for women in Spain, which of course makes things more difficult. At the moment there are more and more ITF tournaments, which certainly helps a lot.
What is the "Spanish secret" that you have had so many top players over the years?
On the one hand, of course, our great tradition in tennis, with many clubs, tennis schools and the good weather throughout the year. The kids can play all over Spain and have tournaments in all age groups. So many young players come together who can compete. After that, of course, it depends on each individual player - the work they put in and their goals.