David Ferrer might be feeling his age as he is set to face 19-year-old Elias Ymer, who defeated fellow teenager Nick Kyrgios in the second round of Barcelona, 2-6, 7-5, 7-6 (7).
The 33-year-old said that Kyrgios is physically tough and dangerous. "He hits the ball with a lot of strength and power, has a great service and even if he is better on hard courts, is still very dangerous on clay," Ferrer said. "I guess the most important thing is that he’s young and has nothing to lose."
The Australian returned to the tour in Barcelona after pulling out of Miami and not playing Monte Carlo because of an ankle injury. The No. 41-ranked Kyrgios reached the Australian Open quarterfinals, but then did not play due to a back injury until Indian Wells, where he lost to Grigor Dimitrov and also suffered an ankle injury.
Ferrer will play Ymer in the next round, whom he has practiced with before. He said Ymer is talented and has "a brilliant future ahead."
The Spaniard is currently ranked No. 8 and said he has no plans to retire. "I’ll keep playing as long as I am competitive enough to be one of the best players in the world," he said.