Juan Carlos Ferrero (Spain)

Juan Carlos Ferrero (Spain)

Age: 24 Lives: Villena, Spain Plays: Right-handed, two-handed backhand Grand Slam titles: One (French Open 2003) Seed: 4
Record at the French Open: 2003-winner, 2002-finalist, 2001-semi-finalist, 2000-semi-finalist
The champion comes into Roland Garros with little of the form which swept him to the 2003 crown. Ferrero has struggled with illness and injury all year. He most recently withdrew from the Tennis Masters in Hamburg with a wrist injury. Earlier in the year chicken pox drove him out of the Pacific Life Open in Indian Wells and he injured his leg and stomach at the Australian Open, causing him to miss Spain's Davis Cup first-round tie against the Czech Republic. Ferrero likes to wear down his opponents with metronomic groundstrokes and will need to be fit if he is to repeat his heroics of a year ago.