VIENNA, October 29, 2016

David Ferrer is back in Vienna in order to defend his title at the Erste Bank Open 500. The 34-year-old Spaniard has played at least one final in each of the past 11 seasons, but has yet to reach one this year. He was forced to hold off a match point to beat Serbia’s Viktor Troicki in Friday’s quarterfinal.

“I do not like the epic matches, I just like to win,” Ferrer told after the two and a half hours encounter. “But obviously, those are the matches to remember.”

The Spanish veteran also spoke about the current situation of men’s professional tennis in Spain. “There might re-appear a new ‘David Ferrer’ but not a new Rafa Nadal. He is unique but there are also some players like Pablo Carreno or Roberto Bautista, who will have a bright future on the tour,” said Ferrer, who has finished in the top 10 of the Emirates ATP Rankings for the past six years. He is currently ranke world number 19.

“Nor do I think that we will have again two Spanish players inside the top 5,” he referred to the year 2014, when Nadal and Ferrer were both on top of the game. Neither of them will appear at this year’s season finale of the ATP World Tour Finals in London.

Ferrer will next take on Andy Murray in Vienna’s semi-finals. The Brit brings a 14-6 head-to-head record against the Spaniard. The pair met in the final of the Erste Bank Open 2014 with Murray winning in three sets.

“We both have changed a lot since then,” Ferrer said. “I am two years older and he is at his best.”