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Wayne Ferreira

South African tennis player


South African tennis player

FieldValue
nameWayne Ferreira
imageWayne Ferreira ATC2010.jpg
countryRSA South Africa
residenceLafayette, California, U.S.
birth_date
birth_placeJohannesburg, South Africa
height
turnedpro1989
retired2005
playsRight-handed (two-handed backhand)
careerprizemoneyUS$ 9,969,617
singlesrecord
singlestitles15
highestsinglesrankingNo. 6 (8 May 1995)
AustralianOpenresultSF (1992, 2003)
FrenchOpenresult4R (1996)
WimbledonresultQF (1994)
USOpenresultQF (1992)
OthertournamentsYes
MastersCupresultRR (1995)
GrandSlamCupresultQF (1993)
OlympicsresultQF (1996)
doublesrecord295–210
doublestitles11
highestdoublesrankingNo. 9 (19 March 2001)
AustralianOpenDoublesresult3R (1993, 1996, 2000, 2001)
FrenchOpenDoublesresultQF (2000)
WimbledonDoublesresultSF (1991, 1994)
USOpenDoublesresultSF (1994, 2000)
Teamyes
HopmanCupresultW (2000)
medaltemplates-expandyes

| medaltemplates-expand = yes

Wayne Richard Ferreira (born 15 September 1971) is a South African tennis coach and a former professional player. Ferreira won 15 ATP singles titles and 11 doubles titles. His career-high rankings were world No. 6 in singles (in May 1995) and world No. 9 in doubles (in March 2001).

Junior career

As a junior player, Ferreira was ranked world No. 1 junior doubles player and No. 6 junior singles player. He won the junior doubles title at the US Open in 1989.

Professional career

Ferreira turned professional in 1989. He won his first ATP doubles title in Adelaide in 1991.

1992 was Ferreira's breakthrough year on the ATP Tour. He started out by reaching the semifinals of the Australian Open. In June he won his first ATP singles title at Queen's Club, London. His second singles title came just a few weeks later at Schenectady, New York. He also teamed-up with compatriot Piet Norval to win the men's doubles silver medal for South Africa at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. Ferreira was defeated in the second round in the Olympic singles that year.

After 1993, when he didn't win any singles titles, in 1994 he won a career-best five singles titles. He then won another four events in 1995. He competed at the Olympics again in 1996, reaching the quarterfinals in both men's singles and men's doubles, with Ellis Ferreira as his partner.)

The biggest titles of Ferreira's career came at Toronto in 1996 and Stuttgart in 2000 (both Tennis Masters Series events).

Ferreira teamed up with Amanda Coetzer in 2000 to win the Hopman Cup for South Africa. He played in his third and final Olympic tournament that year; this time, competing only in singles and being defeated in the first round.

Ferreira is the former record-holder for the most consecutive Grand Slam tournament appearances in men's tennis, having participated in 56 consecutive slams between the 1991 Australian Open and the 2004 US Open. Ferreira's best Grand Slam results came at the Australian Open – where he reached the semifinals twice in 1992 and 2003.

Ferreira was known for regularly causing upsets against top players. He is one of the few players with a positive record against 20 time Grand Slam champion, Roger Federer. Ferreira teamed up with Federer in the men's doubles at Wimbledon in 2001. They got to the third round and were due to face Donald Johnson and Jared Palmer (the eventual champions) before Federer withdrew to focus on his singles campaign. In addition, Ferreira has a 5-6 head-to-head record against 14 time Grand Slam champion Pete Sampras, with Sampras breaking the tie by winning their final match at the 2002 Canadian Masters. He also holds a positive head-to-head record against multiple Grand Slam champions and former world No. 1 ranked players, including Patrick Rafter, Yevgeny Kafelnikov, John McEnroe, Ivan Lendl and Björn Borg.

Though Ferreira retired from the professional tour in 2005, he still played on the Outback Champions Series senior tour. He finished both 2006 and 2007 fourth on points in that series.

Coaching

Starting in 2020, Ferreira was the coach of Frances Tiafoe and became his primary coach, replacing coach Zack Evenden, until the end of the 2023 season when they split. During that period Tiafoe won two titles and became a top 10 player.

He coached Jack Draper on a trial basis, starting in May 2024, that ended prior to the 2024 US Open. During that period Draper won his maiden ATP title in June 2024.

He did a trial with Yosuke Watanuki during the 2025 Sunshine Double.

Since March 2025 he is coaching Alexei Popyrin.

Endorsements

Ferreira played with and endorsed rackets made by Slazenger early in his career. He switched to Dunlop Sport very early in his career and stayed with them, using the 200G racket, until the end of his ATP career.

Career statistics

Olympic games

;Finals: 1 (1 silver medal)

ResultYearOlympicsSurfacePartnerOpponentsScore
Silver1992BarcelonaClayPiet NorvalGER Boris Becker
GER Michael Stich6–7(5–7), 6–4, 6–7(5–7), 3–6

Masters Series finals

Singles: 3 (2–1)

ResultYearTournamentSurfaceOpponentScore
Loss1993Indian WellsHardUSA Jim Courier3–6, 3–6, 1–6
Win1996CanadaHardAUS Todd Woodbridge6–2, 6–4
Win2000StuttgartHard (i)AUS Lleyton Hewitt7–6(8–6), 3–6, 6–7(5–7), 7–6(7–2), 6–2

Doubles: 12 (6–6)

ResultYearTournamentSurfacePartnerOpponentsScore
Win1991MiamiHardSouth Africa Piet NorvalUSA Ken Flach
USA Robert Seguso5–7, 7–6, 6–2
Loss1992RomeClayAUS Mark KratzmannSUI Jakob Hlasek
SUI Marc Rosset4–6, 6–3, 1–6
Loss1993RomeClayAUS Mark KratzmannNED Jacco Eltingh
NED Paul Haarhuis4–6, 6–7
Loss1994RomeClayESP Javier SánchezRUS Yevgeny Kafelnikov
CZE David Rikl1–6, 5–7
Loss1994CincinnatiHardAUS Mark KratzmannUSA Alex O'Brien
AUS Sandon Stolle7–6, 3–6, 2–6
Win1995HamburgClayRUS Yevgeny KafelnikovZIM Byron Black
RUS Andrei Olhovskiy6–1, 7–6
Loss1999CanadaHardZIM Byron BlackSWE Jonas Björkman
AUS Patrick Rafter6–7, 4–6
Loss2000RomeClayRUS Yevgeny KafelnikovCZE Martin Damm
SVK Dominik Hrbatý4–6, 6–4, 3–6
Win2000Monte CarloClayRUS Yevgeny KafelnikovNED Paul Haarhuis
AUS Sandon Stolle6–3, 2–6, 6–1
Win2001Indian WellsHardRUS Yevgeny KafelnikovSWE Jonas Björkman
AUS Todd Woodbridge6–2, 7–5
Win2001RomeClayRUS Yevgeny KafelnikovCAN Daniel Nestor
AUS Sandon Stolle6–4, 7–6
Win2003Indian WellsHardRUS Yevgeny KafelnikovUSA Bob Bryan
USA Mike Bryan3–6, 7–5, 6–4

Career finals

Singles: 23 (15–8)

Legend
Grand Slam (0–0)
Tennis Masters Cup (0–0)
ATP Masters Series (2–1)
ATP Championship Series (1–4)
ATP Tour (12–3)

|

Titles by surface
Hard (11–4)
Grass (1–2)
Clay (1–1)
Carpet (2–1)

|}

ResultW/LDateTournamentSurfaceOpponentScore
Loss0–1Feb 1992Memphis, USHard (i)USA MaliVai Washington3–6, 2–6
Win1–1Jun 1992Queen's Club, UKGrassJPN Shuzo Matsuoka6–3, 6–4
Loss1–2Jul 1992Stuttgart, GermanyClayUKR Andrei Medvedev1–6, 4–6, 7–6(7–5), 6–2, 1–6
Win2–2Aug 1992Schenectady, USHardAUS Jamie Morgan6–2, 6–7(5–7), 6–2
Loss2–3Mar 1993Indian Wells, USHardUSA Jim Courier3–6, 3–6, 1–6
Loss2–4Jun 1993Queen's Club, UKGrassGER Michael Stich3–6, 4–6
Win3–4Jan 1994Oahu, USHardUSA Richey Reneberg6–4, 6–7(3–7), 6–1
Loss3–5Feb 1994Rotterdam, NetherlandsCarpetGER Michael Stich6–4, 3–6, 0–6
Loss3–6Jun 1994Manchester, UKGrassAUS Patrick Rafter6–7(5–7), 6–7(4–7)
Win4–6Aug 1994Indianapolis, USHardFRA Olivier Delaître6–2, 6–1
Win5–6Sep 1994Bordeaux, FranceHardUSA Jeff Tarango6–0, 7–5
Win6–6Oct 1994Basel, SwitzerlandHard (i)USA Patrick McEnroe4–6, 6–2, 7–6(9–7), 6–3
Win7–6Oct 1994Tel-Aviv, IsraelHardISR Amos Mansdorf7–6(7–4), 6–3
Win8–6Feb 1995Dubai, UAEHardITA Andrea Gaudenzi6–3, 6–3
Win9–6May 1995Munich, GermanyClayGER Michael Stich7–5, 7–6(8–6)
Win10–6Oct 1995Ostrava, Czech RepublicCarpetUSA MaliVai Washington3–6, 6–4, 6–3
Win11–6Oct 1995Lyon, FranceCarpetUSA Pete Sampras7–6(7–2), 5–7, 6–3
Win12–6Mar 1996Scottsdale, USHardCHI Marcelo Ríos2–6, 6–3, 6–3
Loss12–7Jul 1996Washington, D.C., USHardUSA Michael Chang2–6, 4–6
Win13–7Aug 1996Toronto, CanadaHardAUS Todd Woodbridge6–2, 6–4
Loss13–8Apr 1999Tokyo, JapanHardGER Nicolas Kiefer6–7(5–7), 5–7
Win14–8Nov 2000Stuttgart, GermanyHard (i)AUS Lleyton Hewitt7–6(8–6), 3–6, 6–7(5–7), 7–6(7–2), 6–2
Win15–8Aug 2003Los Angeles, USHardAUS Lleyton Hewitt6–3, 4–6, 7–5

Singles performance timeline

Tournament19881989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004SRW–LWin–loss0–00–01–16–414–410–49–46–46–410–36–44–49–42–49–48–44–40 / 57104–56Win–loss0–09–65–89–811–817–818–75–79–96–819–86–95–67–92–22 / 105128–103
Grand Slam tournaments
Australian OpenAAA4RSF4R4R2R2R4R2R4R4R3RQFSF3R0 / 1439–14
French OpenAAA2R3R2R1R3R4R3R3R2R3R1R1R3R1R0 / 1418–13
WimbledonAQ12R2R4R4RQF4R3R3R4R1R4R1R3R1R3R0 / 1529–15
US OpenAAA2RQF4R3R1R1R4R1R1R2R1R4R2R1R0 / 1418–14
Year-end championships
Tennis Masters CupDid not qualifyRRDid not qualify0 / 12–1
Grand Slam CupNHDNQ1RQF1RDid not qualifyNot Held0 / 31–3
ATP Masters Series
Indian WellsNMEA3R2RF2RQFQF2R2R1R2R1R1R1R2R0 / 1417–14
MiamiNMEA4R2R2R3RQF2R3R4R2RQF2R1R3R2R0 / 1416–14
Monte CarloNMEAA3RA2RAA2R2RA2R1RA2RA0 / 76–7
RomeNMEA3R2R1R3RSFSF1R2R2R1RQF3R2RA0 / 1321–13
HamburgNMEA1R2R1RAQFQF3R3R3R3R1R2RQFA0 / 1217–12
CanadaNMEAAA3RSF3RW3R1R3RSF1R1R1RA1 / 1119–10
CincinnatiNMEA3R1R3R3R3RQF2R2R1R1R1R3R1RA0 / 1314–13
Stuttgart1NMEAA2R2R3R2R2RA2R2RWQFA2RA1 / 1013–9
ParisNMEA2R2R2R2RSF3RA1R1R3R1RA1RA0 / 115–11
N/A
Year-end ranking3152291734112221291042265413623926128

1Held as Stockholm Masters until 1994, Essen Masters in 1995, Stuttgart Masters 1996–2001, Madrid Masters from 2002–08.

Doubles: 24 (11–13)

ResultNo.DateTournamentSurfacePartnerOpponentsScore
Win1.Jan 1991Adelaide, AustraliaHardSouth Africa Stefan KrugerNED Paul Haarhuis
NED Mark Koevermans6–4, 4–6, 6–4
Win2.Mar 1991Miami, USHardSouth Africa Piet NorvalUSA Ken Flach
USA Robert Seguso5–7, 7–6, 6–2
Win3.Jan 1992Auckland, New ZealandHardUSA Jim GrabbCAN Grant Connell
CAN Glenn Michibata6–4, 6–3
Loss1.Apr 1992Johannesburg, South AfricaHardSouth Africa Piet NorvalSouth Africa Pieter Aldrich
South Africa Danie Visser4–6, 4–6
Loss2.May 1992Rome, ItalyClayAUS Mark KratzmannSUI Jakob Hlasek
SUI Marc Rosset4–6, 6–3, 1–6
Loss3.Aug 1992Summer Olympics, Barcelona, SpainClaySouth Africa Piet NorvalGER Boris Becker
GER Michael Stich6–7, 6–4, 6–7, 3–6
Loss4.May 1993Rome, ItalyClayAUS Mark KratzmannNED Jacco Eltingh
NED Paul Haarhuis4–6, 6–7
Win4.Aug 1993Los Angeles, USHardGER Michael StichCAN Grant Connell
USA Scott Davis7–6, 7–6
Loss5.Nov 1993Antwerp, BelgiumCarpetESP Javier SánchezCAN Grant Connell
USA Patrick Galbraith3–6, 6–7
Loss6.May 1994Rome, ItalyClayESP Javier SánchezRUS Yevgeny Kafelnikov
CZE David Rikl1–6, 5–7
Loss7.Aug 1994Cincinnati, USHardAUS Mark KratzmannUSA Alex O'Brien
AUS Sandon Stolle7–6, 3–6, 2–6
Win5.May 1995Hamburg, GermanyClayRUS Yevgeny KafelnikovZIM Byron Black
RUS Andrei Olhovskiy6–1, 7–6
Loss8.Oct 1995Lyon, FranceCarpetRSA John-Laffnie de JagerSUI Jakob Hlasek
RUS Yevgeny Kafelnikov3–6, 3–6
Win6.Feb 1998Antwerp, BelgiumHardRUS Yevgeny KafelnikovESP Tomás Carbonell
ESP Francisco Roig7–5, 3–6, 6–2
Loss9.Jul 1998Washington, D.C., USHardUSA Patrick GalbraithRSA Grant Stafford
ZIM Kevin Ullyett2–6, 4–6
Loss10.Mar 1999London, UKCarpetZIM Byron BlackGBR Tim Henman
GBR Greg Rusedski3–6, 6–7
Win7.Aug 1999Los Angeles, USHardZIM Byron BlackCRO Goran Ivanišević
USA Brian MacPhie6–2, 7–6
Loss11.Aug 1999Montreal, CanadaHardZIM Byron BlackSWE Jonas Björkman
AUS Patrick Rafter6–7, 4–6
Loss12.Oct 1999Lyon, FranceCarpetAUS Sandon StolleRSA Piet Norval
ZIM Kevin Ullyett6–4, 6–7, 6–7
Win8.Apr 2000Monte Carlo, MonacoClayRUS Yevgeny KafelnikovNED Paul Haarhuis
AUS Sandon Stolle6–3, 2–6, 6–1
Loss13.May 2000Rome, ItalyClayRUS Yevgeny KafelnikovCZE Martin Damm
SVK Dominik Hrbatý4–6, 6–4, 3–6
Win9.Mar 2001Indian Wells, USHardRUS Yevgeny KafelnikovSWE Jonas Björkman
AUS Todd Woodbridge6–2, 7–5
Win10.May 2001Rome, ItalyClayRUS Yevgeny KafelnikovCAN Daniel Nestor
AUS Sandon Stolle6–4, 7–6
Win11.Mar 2003Indian Wells, USHardRUS Yevgeny KafelnikovUSA Bob Bryan
USA Mike Bryan3–6, 7–5, 6–4

Doubles performance timeline

Tournament19881989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004SRW–LWin–loss0–00–04–25–25–47–48–30–02–13–20–12–310–45–35–40–01–10 / 3657–34Win–lossN/A0–08–613–76–710–68–33–35–44–510–716–813–47–57–10–06 / 75110–66
Grand Slam tournaments
Australian OpenAAA1R2R3R1RA3RAA2R3R3R2RA2R0 / 1012–10
French OpenAAAA3R2RAAA1RA2RQF1R2RAA0 / 78–7
WimbledonAA3RSF1R3RSFAAAA1R2R3R2RAA0 / 916–8
US OpenAA3R2R3R3RSFAAQF1RASF2R3RAA0 / 1021–9
ATP Masters Series
Indian WellsNMEA1RQF2R2R1R2R2R1R2RSFW1RWA2 / 1320–11
MiamiNMEAWSF2R2RAAQFQF1R2RA1RAA1 / 916–8
Monte CarloNMEAAQFA1RAAQ22RAW1RAAA1 / 57–4
RomeNMEA1RFFFAQFA1RQFFW2RQFA1 / 1128–10
HamburgNMEA1RA1RAW1R2R1R1R2R1RSFAA1 / 109–9
CanadaNMEAAA1R1R1RAAAF2R1RQFAA0 / 77–7
CincinnatiNMEAQF1R2RFQFA1RAA2R2R2RAA0 / 912–7
Madrid (Stuttgart)NMEA2R2R1RAQFAAA2RQFQFAAA0 / 77–6
ParisNMEA1RQFQ1AAAAQ1QF2RAAAA0 / 44–4
Year-end ranking511357872531351959100114663114315685495

Senior Tour championships

  • 2007– defeated Jim Courier 2–6, 6–3, [11–9] in the Stanford Championships
  • 2007– defeated Aaron Krickstein 6–3, 6–3 in The Oliver Group Champions Cup

Top 10 wins

Wins023017215131330032
#PlayerRankEventSurfaceRdScoreFR199119921994199519961997199819992000200120022003
1.ECU Andrés Gómez10Indian Wells, United StatesHard2R6–4, 7–6(7–5)121
2.USA Ivan Lendl4Sydney, AustraliaHard (i)3R6–4, 2–6, 7–564
3.TCH Karel Nováček10Australian Open, Melbourne, AustraliaHard2R3–6, 6–3, 7–6(8–6), 7–6(9–7)46
4.USA Pete Sampras4Memphis, United StatesHard (i)QF6–4, 6–226
5.CRO Goran Ivanišević4Stuttgart, GermanyClayQF6–3, 6–7(7–9), 6–416
6.CRO Goran Ivanišević6Rotterdam, NetherlandsCarpet (i)SF6–2, 3–6, 7–517
7.GER Michael Stich8Munich, GermanyClayF7–5, 7–6(8–6)12
8.GER Michael Stich8Hamburg, GermanyClay3R7–5, 6–16
9.RUS Yevgeny Kafelnikov6Lyon, FranceCarpet (i)SF1–6, 7–6(7–3), 6–313
10.USA Pete Sampras2Lyon, FranceCarpet (i)F7–6(7–2), 5–7, 6–313
11.ESP Sergi Bruguera10Paris, FranceCarpet (i)3R6–2, 3–6, 7–6(7–3)11
12.RUS Yevgeny Kafelnikov6ATP Tour World Championships, Frankfurt, GermanyCarpet (i)RR3–6, 7–6(7–5), 6–19
13.USA Pete Sampras1ATP Tour World Championships, Frankfurt, GermanyCarpet (i)RR7–6(7–1), 4–6, 6–39
14.USA Jim Courier8Indian Wells, United StatesHard3R6–4, 6–410
15.USA Jim Courier9Cincinnati, United StatesHard3R7–6(11–9), 6–7(4–7), 6–210
16.SWE Thomas Enqvist7Davis Cup, Växjö, SwedenCarpet (i)RR6–4, 6–4, 6–410
17.AUS Patrick Rafter3London, United KingdomCarpet (i)QF6–4, 6–447
18.USA Pete Sampras1Miami, United StatesHard3R0–6, 7–6(8–6), 6–336
19.CHI Marcelo Ríos3Hamburg, GermanyClay2R4–6, 6–4, 6–332
20.USA Pete Sampras1Basel, SwitzerlandHard (i)1R4–6, 7–6(7–4), 6–335
21.AUS Patrick Rafter3Lyon, FranceCarpet (i)QF6–4, 6–129
22.NED Richard Krajicek9Australian Open, Melbourne, AustraliaHard3R6–7(1–7), 6–7(5–7), 6–4, 6–2, 6–326
23.RUS Yevgeny Kafelnikov5Toronto, CanadaHardQF6–3, 7–6(7–1)31
24.SWE Thomas Enqvist7Stuttgart, GermanyHard (i)2R6–2, 7–519
25.AUS Lleyton Hewitt8Stuttgart, GermanyHard (i)F7–6(8–6), 3–6, 6–7(5–7), 7–6(7–2), 6–219
26.FRA Sébastien Grosjean8Stuttgart, GermanyHard (i)3R6–3, 3–6, 7–6(9–7)36
27.RUS Yevgeny Kafelnikov4Rome, ItalyClay2R6–4, 4–6, 6–244
28.ESP Albert Costa7Cincinnati, United StatesHard2R7–6(8–6), 6–244
29.ESP Albert Costa8US Open, New York, United StatesHard2R1–6, 6–7(10–12), 6–4, 7–5, 6–439
30.ESP Juan Carlos Ferrero4Australian Open, Melbourne, AustraliaHardQF7–6(7–4), 7–6(7–5), 6–139
31.FRA Sébastien Grosjean9Los Angeles, United StatesHardQF7–6(7–4), 6–7(4–7), 6–225
32.AUS Lleyton Hewitt5Los Angeles, United StatesHardF6–3, 4–6, 7–525

References

References

  1. "Wayne Ferreira: Profile". Association of Tennis Professionals.
  2. (15 June 1992). "Results Plus". The New York Times.
  3. (8 August 1992). "Barcelona; South Africa Wins Medals". The New York Times.
  4. "Wayne Ferreira". [[OlyMADmen]].
  5. "Wayne Ferreira: Career Titles/Finals". Association of Tennis Professionals.
  6. (17 August 1996). "Ferreira Deals with Confusion". The Hartford Courant.
  7. (6 November 2000). "Plus: Tennis; Ferreira Ends Four-Year Drought". The New York Times.
  8. Thompson, Jack. (9 January 2000). "Capriati Beats Hingis in Hong Kong". Chicago Tribune.
  9. Clarey, Christopher. (22 June 2004). "Ferreira Gets His Own Grand Slam Record: 55 in a Row". The New York Times.
  10. (1 September 2004). "Ferreira says goodbye after quick loss to Hewitt". CNN Sports Illustrated. Associated Press.
  11. Dillman, Lisa. (24 January 2003). "Agassi Is Cruising on Final Approach". Los Angeles Times.
  12. [[Roger Federer career statistics#Head-to-head vs. Top 20 Players]]
  13. (11 January 2013). "New Season and Another Record in Federer's Grasp". [[The New York Times]].
  14. "TIAFOE ADDS FORMER TOP 10 PLAYER WAYNE FERREIRA TO COACHING TEAM".
  15. (7 May 2024). "Jack Draper: 'I contemplated what my life would be if I didn't have tennis'". The Guardian.
  16. (25 August 2024). "Jack Draper 'really upset' by criticism in aftermath of Cincinnati controversy". The Guardian.
  17. (9 March 2025). "Watanuki: 'Quite tough' injury, trialing with Wayne Ferreira & more".
  18. (23 March 2025). "Popyrin Hires Former Top 10 Player to Get Out of His Crisis".
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