Andy Murray says David Ferrer's longevity is an inspiration for others
Wednesday 27 January 2016 12:56, UK
Andy Murray says David Ferrer deserves a lot of credit for trying to improve his game at the age of 33 ahead of their quarter-final clash at the Australian Open on Wednesday.
Murray, who turns 29 in May, will go up against the former French Open finalist as the favourite, having won all of their last five meetings.
Ferrer, however, is a tireless opponent, relentless in his work ethic and still considered one of the fittest players on the tour.
Ferrer has reached four major semi-finals and one major final in his career - but his consistency at the top of the men's game makes him a serious proposition for the World No 2.
It is 277 weeks since Ferrer was last ranked outside the top 10 and 340 weeks since he was not in the top 20. In his last 22 Grand Slams, only three times has he failed to make the second week.
Murray beat Ferrer fairly comfortably in four sets at the same stage of the French Open last year but he is yet to find his best form in Melbourne.
He admits off-court issues have taken their toll, which could make Ferrer's never-say-die attitude all the more exhausting.
"He [Ferrer] obviously works extremely hard. He's in good shape. He fights so hard in every single match," Murray said.
"He's been rewarded for that with an unbelievably consistent career at the top of the game.
"This year he's made some changes to his racket as well, which would suggest that he's still trying to improve and trying to learn and do different things as well. All credit to him."
Ferrer, along with Roger Federer who is 34, appears to have paved the way, with five of the world's current top 10 aged 30 or older, and only one - Japan's Kei Nishikori - younger than 28.
And Murray says Ferrer's durability amongst the elite has inspired him to believe he can play long into his thirties.
"Roger's [Federer] in kind of the same position as David, both of them have been around the game for a long, long time and been up at the top," Murray said.
"The more players that do that, I think the more other players look at it and go, actually, you know, I can do that as well.
"You don't have to retire when you're 31 now or when you're 32. As long as you still have the passion and dedication to work hard, and obviously if you can stay injury-free, it's possible.
"Even Feliciano Lopez, he's 35 this year too. There's a lot of guys that seem to be playing a little bit longer now. All it comes down to is really the body and your passion."
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