Ferrer ready to defy Nadal at French Open

David Ferrer says he is ready to face the toughest challenge in world tennis - going up against Rafael Nadal on the clay courts of Roland Garros at the French Open.

The player they call "The Bulldozer" because of his relentless and attritional style has played 19 times against his fellow Spaniard and he has lost 15 of them.

Oddly, for two such claycourt stalwarts, only once previously have they met at Roland Garros and that was in 2005 when Nadal made his debut in Paris and won comfortably, 7-5, 6-2, 6-0, before going on to win his first Grand Slam title.