David Ferrer has been one of the most consistent tennis players in the last 20 years. If it wasn’t for Rafa Nadal, I think he’d have at least a couple of Grand Slams to his name. Unfortunately, his career is finally coming to a close at 36 years of age. He has chosen to retire after the Madrid Masters. In my opinion, he is one of the best players to come out of Spain in their history. People argue that he’s the fifth best player Spain has ever had, after Sergi Bruguera, Juan Carlos Ferrero, Carlos Moya and Rafa Nadal. That being said, he’s probably the second most consistent after Rafa Nadal. Does consistency put him ahead of the pack? Let’s take a look at the numbers.

David Ferrer: seven top ten finishes. 27 titles. Five Grand Slam semifinals, one final. Three-time Davis Cup champion.

Sergi Bruguera: three top ten finishes. 14 career titles. 2 Grand Slam titles, one semifinal and one final.

Carlos Moya: five top ten finishes. 20 career titles. One Grand Slam title, one final and one semifinal.

Juan Carlos Ferrero: three top ten finishes. 16 titles. One Grand Slam title, two finals and three semifinals.

I’m not even bothering with putting Nadal’s stats up there because it blows these guys away. We all know about Nadal’s stats. That being said, one can argue that David Ferrer is the second-best Spaniard. Although he has no Grand Slams, he does have way more titles, more top ten finishes and more semifinal appearances at Grand Slams than anyone else. Let’s not forget the three Davis Cups either. For me, it’s obvious he’s been the more consistent. Also, he gets my vote for the Hall of Fame. Consistency in the pros should be just as good as winning the slams. Time will tell though.

In the meantime, once retired, I wouldn’t be surprised if Ferrer shows up on the Champions Tour, alongside Courier, McEnroe, and Roddick. Roddick would probably not like seeing Ferrer on the other side of the net. The last time they met was in the third round of 2012 Wimbledon, with Andy losing in four sets.