Philipp Kohlschreiber speaks very highly of David Ferrer

German tennis star Philipp Kohlschreiber has nothing but good to say about Spains Davis Ferrer. Ferrer, 36, is set to play a couple of tournaments this year as he will calling it a career at the Madrid Masters in May.

The Spaniard included the ASB Classic on his short list as he has been a regular participant of the event for the last decade and a half. Unfortunately, Ferrers Auckland campaign didnt end on the way he wanted as he was forced to retire his round-of-16 clash to fellow compatriot Pablo Carreno Busta due to a leg injury Four-time Auckland champion Ferrer twice tried to play through the pain but eventually broke down and retired the match after just two games played at 1-1.

I got goose bumps, Kohlschreiber said, per Stuff.co.nz. Kohlschreiber and Ferrer played a thriller Davis Cup clash last year — which the Spaniard won 7-6 (1) 3-6 7-6 (4) 4-6 7-5 to send his country into the Davis Cup semi-final.

He (Ferrer) is a great character on the tour, hes an idol for so many younger and older generations, the spirit he gave on the court, its one of a kind, Kohlschreiber said. Hes a great sportsman, but Im also pretty happy that last year we played one of the longer or best matches in Davis Cup (Ferrer won 7-5 in the fifth set), so I can share this moment with him.

I hope hes going to continue with his tournament schedule, where hes going to play four more tournaments. I hope hes fit for that and then gets a big celebration at home in Spain. Meanwhile, 35-year-old Kohlschreiber has reached the Auckland semi-final — where he will be meeting Tennys Sandgren.

Also read: Nick Kyrgios: I dont think there has ever been player like Bernard Tomic