JUAN CARLOS FERRERO: MOSQUITO SEASON IS AGAIN UPON US

With less than three weeks before the second grand slam begins on the renowned Terre Battue of Roland Garros, that buzzing sound you're hearing is again that of Spain's Juan Carlos Ferrero, who is making his all too familiar springtime claycourt charge. But could this be the year that Ferrero wins his coveted French title? After freezing against Albert Costa in the final last year, the 2003 version of Ferrero appears to be more hardened and ready to take the next step toward super stardom and grand slam immortality.

In just the last month, the 23-year-old Ferrero has racked up clay titles at the TMS-Monte Carlo and another just last week in Valencia, for his ninth career ATP win, and seventh on clay. The victory also improved his record this season on dirt to an impressive 17-1 heading into the TMS-Rome with his lone setback coming to a fired-up Marat Safin in the semifinals at Barcelona. Overall, he's a solid 29-6 on the year and currently stands at No. 2 on the latest ATP Champions Race, just 109 points behind leader Andre Agassi.

But for Ferrero, bigger things may await. "Mosquito," "Chavalito," "Juanco" or whatever nickname you want to call him, Ferrero is on course to become Spain's greatest player ever. Quite amazing when you consider that four years ago at this time, Ferrero was just another fly about to hit the ever-widening windshield of pro tennis, yet now he's poised to finish among the ATP's Top 5 for a third consecutive year, a feat never before accomplished by a Spaniard, and enter Roland Garros as the prohibitive tournament favorite.

To his close countryman, though, his rocket rise up the ATP ranks has not been unexpected.

"I am completely impressed with this guy," praised Alex Corretja in 2000 of the then-budding 20-year-old star. "He is an unbelievably good player. The good thing is that he is even a better guy than a player and that is real important. The guy didn't show any nerves or anything. So I hope he is going to be really good and he is going to be soon, I believe, Top 10 for sure."

Top 10, done. Top 5, done that, too. And No. 1? Perhaps. At least that's now on the hit list, warns Ferrero.

"I am not that far away from becoming the No. 1 player in the world. I am only around 1,000 points away from achieving it," said Ferrero last week in Valencia. "The key will be whether I can play better and more consistently on hardcourts. If I continue to play well in the European claycourt season and then take that form to the hardcourts in the United States, I could finish the year as the world No. 1."

His assessment couldn't ring more true.

At the heart of Ferrero's game is his superior foot speed and uncommon aggressiveness. While most of the Spanish players adhere to more of a counter punching, defensive approach, Ferrero prefers to set up camp near the baseline where he can quickly go from defense to offense in just seconds, often with explosive results. Anchored by a stinging topspin forehand and a steady backhand along with a vastly underrated serve, Ferrero's game is quickly adaptable on all surfaces, as proven by his results. When stripped down, his game is pure tennis at its finest: Get every ball back, and anything short, crush. Quite basic, really.

Said good friend Carlos Moya following a loss to Ferrero last season, "The thing is that I don't feel he (Ferrero) has a weak point where I can attack him. That is really difficult to play. And you have to be really patient, and that's something that I don't have. I try to make as many winners as I can. And with him, he all the time the ball is coming back, he runs so fast. He has like two forehands and his backhand is pretty strong."

And it's not just the physical qualities that set Ferrero apart, he also understands the sport's mental requirements. "Every year you gain more experience and you feel a bit better," Ferrero said. "You're able to know what to do whenever you come up against a difficult situation. You know how to make a point. If you can, you know how to relax on the court, and how to be under less stress. I think you approach your game in a better way."

Composed for a youngster? Sure sounds like it. But it's a trait he's managed to learn over time.

Under the watchful eye of father Eduardo, mother Rosaria and older sisters Ana and Laura, a young Juan Carlos first took to the sport at age 4, hitting balls against the a wall of the family-owned textile factory in the Spanish town of Onteniente. And when he wasn't hitting against the wall, he was out on the soccer fields learning the fine art of footwork and movement.

"When I was young I was playing soccer and tennis and little by little I had dedicated myself more and more to tennis and finally I stayed with tennis," Ferrero said. "At school I became more serious with tennis and I devoted myself entirely to tennis, but the thing is, I started playing with my father and we were going from soccer to tennis and tennis to soccer and finally I stayed with tennis."

With soccer was out of the picture, it was not soon after that Ferrero met up with tennis teacher Antonio Martinez, who asked the 11-year-old to train with him at his Esquelite tennis center in Villena, a short 20-mile drive from his family in Onteniente.

At the camp, which astonishingly had only hardcourts, Fererro's game continued to flourish as he won the world under-13 title. As the buzz surrounding the talented youngster spread, other camps including the Barcelona national center, where many of the current day "Armada" trained; Nick Bolletieri's academy in Florida; and even the camp in neighboring Valencia, where Marat Safin was working out, all began wooing Ferrero away from Villena. But Ferrero declined, opting to stay in Villena, where he could remain close to his friends and family, the most important things in his life. And in doing so, Ferrero and Martinez began to form their bond that still exists some 12 years later.

At age 17, Ferrero suffered his first tragedy when his mother, Rosario, lost her battle with breast cancer. A crushed Ferrero, who had always been close to his mother, considered leaving the sport entirely.

"I took it very badly," says Ferrero of his mother's passing. "And I was on the verge of leaving tennis. But I thought of carrying on for her, as she likes me to play so much."

Martinez, who had already become like a second father to Ferrero at the time, was also by his side in support. "He was a big inspiration to me," Ferrero said.

Despite reaching the French Open junior final in 1998 and enjoying success in the Satellite ranks, the wiry 6-foot Ferrero was not a big hit on the junior circuit, and most tennis observers felt the teenager lacked the size and strength to make it big on the rigorous pro circuit. That sentiment was echoed among some of the established Spanish veterans. But in 1999, Ferrero showed he had what it takes by reaching the semifinals in Casablanca in his first career ATP event. Six short months later, he claimed his first career tour title stunning Corretja in the final in Mallorca, which was fittingly played in a converted bull fighting coliseum.

Having grown up amidst the bulls - in his village the bulls would run in the streets once a year - Ferrero understood that to be a great bull fighter, one not only needed the guts, but also quick feet and superb instinct. And on that day in Mallorca, Ferrero, who dedicated his first win to his late mother, showed Corretja he had the talent and the will. A prophetic Corretja declared after the match, "A star is born."

The tour's newest star went on to finish 1999 ranked No. 43, a staggering 302-position improvement from the previous season, which also earned him "ATP Newcomer of the Year" honors. And this was just the tip of the paella.

Ferrero followed up his rookie performance by reaching finals in Dubai and Barcelona and the semifinals at Roland Garros, leapfrogging to No. 12 by the end of 2000.

Even outspoken John McEnroe took notice of the burgeoning blond star, chiming in during a 2000 USA Network US Open telecast: "He's got a chance at going a long, long way. This guy could be the best Spanish player ever; that's saying something."

But what Ferrero remembers most from that year, and perhaps his greatest achievement to date, was his awe-inspiring performance in the 2000 Davis Cup final against Australia, where he defeated Patrick Rafter and then in front of a raucous Barcelona crowd which included King Juan Carlos, he toppled Lleyton Hewitt in Sunday's clincher to give Spain their first Cup title in history.

"It was a dream come true," a joyous Ferrero said following his historic win.

King Juan Carlos even told Ferrero it was one of the best victories he's seen in his lifetime. High praise indeed for the country's newest hero.

Once the celebrations calmed down, it was back to work. And there was still more to do, more to learn. Ferrero was not content.

Off the heels of his Davis Cup high, Ferrero forged ahead in 2001, compiling perhaps his most complete season. He finished No. 5 behind the strength of four titles including a hardcourt win in Dubai, and the clay crowns at Estoril, Barcelona and Rome, during which time he enjoyed a 16-match win streak. His strong performance qualified him for his first year-end Tennis Masters Cup in Sydney, where he surprisingly reached the semifinals on hardcourt.

Last year, despite being hampered for much of the clay season with a sore ankle, Ferrero finished a spot higher in the rankings to end at No. 4, thanks to his finalist effort at Roland Garros and perhaps more impressively, a finalist showing at the prestigious Tennis Masters Cup, where he was cut down by Lleyton Hewitt in five tough sets.

This season, Ferrero again finds himself on a tear. And he now has his sights set again on a title run at Roland Garros, where following back-to-back semifinals, he reached the finals last year only to succumb to the pressure and countryman Costa. But with a stronger head and having learned from last year's setback, it seems inevitable a title at his dream event will come true, it's just a matter of time. But Ferrero wants more than just a French win as he's also interested in the No. 1 ranking and a US Open crown, which, as he says, "would shut up the other people saying that the Spanish people are not good playing on hardcourts."

First things first, though, it's Roland Garros, on the clay surface he feels most at home. "I have a lot of confidence. It's easy to play good for me," says Ferrero of his clay game. "So when I feel very good physically, you know, and very good mentality, I go to the court and the tennis is coming along."

So with just a few more weeks to go, the ball is again in Ferrero's court.

"Every tennis player dreams of winning a grand slam tournament. I was always dreaming of winning the French Open. That is the tournament I like best," said Ferrero when he first came on tour in 1999. "And I also want to be remembered as one of the best players in history and that is why I am working hard to become one of the best players in history."

At the rate he's going, there's no reason to believe otherwise.

T.J. Thomas is a writer/editor for Tennis-X.com. He can be reached at tthomas@tennis-x.com.