Rafael Nadal: David Ferrer Will Be Formidable Opponent in French Open Semis

Rafael Nadal has no reason to feel legitimately threatened against semifinal opponent David Ferrer, but the fellow Spaniard shouldn't be taken lightly.

After his win against Nicolas Almagro in the quarterfinals, Nadal moved his career record at the French Open to a robust 50-1 and is 15-4 against Ferrer as a professional. 

However, Ferrer's one of the more conditioned and agile players on tour, whose nimbleness aids him on any surface, and he's given Nadal issues in the past. Theoretically, Rafa should cruise past Ferrer, but it certainly could be labeled a "trap game" for the world's No. 2 player.

He's chasing his seventh French Open title, which would set the record at Roland Garros, and he'll face either Roger Federer or Novak Djokovic in what would be a challenging finals clash. 

While Nadal has always displayed unwavering determination and focus in Paris, the match with Ferrer is one of the instances in which he could subconsciously look past his opponent. 

Ferrer beat Rafa twice in 2007 and famously ended Nadal's attempt to win four straight majors at last year's Australian Open, although Nadal was visibly hobbled. 

This year, Ferrer, the No. 6 ranked player, beat Nadal in the semifinals 6-3, 6-2 of the Mubadala World Tennis Championships in Abu Dhabi. 

After the major triumph, he fell to Nadal on two occasions, in Barcelona and Rome, but his vast experience playing against Nadal could conceivably play into his favor today. 

Like Nadal, Ferrer's experienced a relatively smooth road to the semis. Besides losing one set to Andy Murray in the quarterfinals, he's been quietly consistently to date. 

Nadal has grandiose goals of becoming the true King of Clay this weekend, but he must take care of the crafty Ferrer—a task that won't be easy—before reaching Federer or Djokovic. 

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