David Ferrer took one look at the weather in Paris this morning and knew right away that his already slim chances of upsetting Rafael Nadal in the French Open final had just got slimmer.
Rain and unseasonally cold temperatures in the French capital were the last thing the 31-year-old Spaniard wanted to see for his first Grand Slam final in what was his 42nd attempt.
His intuition proved to be spot on as he lost 6-3, 6-2, 6-3 to a player he considers to be a close friend, but a merciless adversary on court. Ferrer did manage to win a set in each of their two meetings leading into Roland Garros — in Madrid and Rome, but there the conditions, he said, had been more in his favour.
For today's final the cold and the raindrops that fell for most of the match meant that the claycourts were slower and the balls were heavier. "To beat Rafael on a claycourt, I need to play more aggressive. I need to finish the points at the net and to play my best tennis to beat him. But when the court is slower, it's very difficult. He has more power than me with his shots, and it's very difficult for me to beat him."