Nicolas Alamgro Has Lost All 12 Matches With David Ferrer, But He Will Fight On Tuesday

by Tom Gainey | January 20th, 2013, 10:45 am
  • 3 Comments

Nicolas Almagro hasn’t had much luck against David Ferrer. In fact, he hasn’t had any luck against his countryman. In 12 previous matches against Ferrer, Almagro has won none. Goose egg. Zero. 0-12. But all good streaks must come to an end at some point and Almagro says he’s ready for a fight come Tuesday when the two meet for a 13th time in the Australian Open quarterfinals.

“Will be a good fight,” Almagro said after a retirement win over Janko Tipsarevic Sunday. “We know him. I know him. He know me. Will be somewhat different match. We never play in a Grand Slam, I think, if I remember well. And, well, is a big opportunity for me to be in a semifinal. I’m ready to fight I’m healthy and I’m happy with my tennis. I think I’m playing really good. He hitting the ball with a lot of confidence, and we’ll see what happen on Tuesday.”

Almagro has played well since an opening first round five-set win over Steve Johnson. The baby-faced Spaniard hasn’t dropped a set and is full of confidence.


“I don’t know why,” he said. “I’m playing good. I’m hitting the ball with confidence, playing really aggressive, going to the net to close the point, and, well, that’s it. I need to be ready for a big fight. I’m going to prepare that match tomorrow, not today.”

A win puts Almagro into his first career Grand Slam semifinal which begs the next question, Almagro in a Slam semi on hardcourt? Makes you cringe a little doesn’t it?


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3 Comments for Nicolas Alamgro Has Lost All 12 Matches With David Ferrer, But He Will Fight On Tuesday

MMT Says:

Almagro won’t beat Ferrer because he has added almost nothing to his game to account for the problems he has with Ferrer. Same game, same result.


Michael Says:

This guy Almagro has all the shots in his arsenal. But still he manages to lose often. I do not just understand. May be he lacks the big match temperament. But he is one of the most talented guys in the tour.


MMT Says:

Almagro doesn’t like to play close to the baseline like the top players, and the result is that if a player can vary height and depth of shot against him, he struggles to adjust his court positioning and becomes inconsistent. A player who can his slice and/or hit flat backhands, followed by deeper or looped shots in short sequence can easily unsettle him. He could solve this problem by developing an effective slice or a better half volley on the forehand, but he has done neither.

His topspin backhand may be the best in the game, but his slice is useless, and players can neutralize the effectiveness of his backhand if they can force him to get down to hit it, which he does on flat shots and slices because the alternative of stepping closer to the baseline and taking it on the rise, is not in his arsenal.

He also lacks an effective net game, and the result of that is that he has to hit more shots from the baseline to finish a points off, and that causes him to make unforced errors against players who retrieve well.

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