Ferrer Awards Lopez Barcelona Wild Card

Feliciano López announced early this season that it will be his last on the ATP Tour. David Ferrer was keen to do something special as a parting gift. He surprised Lopez at his home in Madrid with an invitation to the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell. 

The director of the ATP 500 event, which takes place on clay from 17-23 April, made the trip to the player’s house to tell him the news in person. “He was the last person I was expecting to see,” admitted López when he opened the door. “I wasn’t expecting this visit.

Ferrer explained: “This is a wild card for you to come and play on centre court.”

The news means that the event has now publicly announced its first invitation, which has gone to a player who played his first professional match in Barcelona at the age of 16. Now 41, López will say his goodbyes having competed there 22 times with a 21-21 record, and reached the quarter-finals in 2011 and 2012. 

“I’m very grateful to everyone that forms part of the tournament organisation and, of course, to David Ferrer for giving me this opportunity once again,” Lopez said. “David is a very special person in the world of tennis, there are few players who are more loved and respected than he is.

“In Barcelona they can be very happy that they made the right choice, there could not be a better ambassador for the tournament. I’m especially excited that he is running Barcelona and I’m doing Madrid at this point in our lives. We are on parallel paths.”

Lopez, who is also the Mutua Madrid Open Tournament Director acknowledged that, “Barcelona is where I started my career and this city will always have a special place in my heart. Being able to have a send-off at this tournament is the end to my career that I always dreamed of. I left home very young, at 13, and I have many great memories from the city.”          

Lopez, No. 551 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings in 1998, received an invitation to play in Barcelona qualifying, and he certainly made the most of his opportunity. In his first professional match on the courts of the RCTB-1899, he beat Jan Weinzierl 6-3, 6-3. In his next encounter he made history, qualifying for the main draw by defeating Marcos Górriz 6-2, 6-4.

In his first match in the main draw, he clashed with Jiri Novak, his first Top 100 opponent (No. 90), but it was the end of the road for him, he lost the encounter 6-0, 6-2. 

However, in the doubles competition his name appears on the roll of honour after his 2018 victory alongside Marc López. “It was one of those great moments in my career. Before then I’d come so close to the title with Rafa [they lost in the final] and it was a tournament that I felt like I should win. I played with Marc, who was also very excited to win it because it was his club and it’s a week I’ll remember for the rest of my life.

Did You Know?
López holds the record for appearances at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell with the 22 he will reach this season. He played every year from 2001 to 2012, was absent in 2013, but returned in 2014 and has since played there every season. Rafael Nadal, who will reach 17 this year, is second on the list.