Life was pretty good for Juan Carlos Ferrero in 2003. He had just won the French Open, his first (and only) Grand Slam title, and soon after was world No 1.

He also won three other titles, made the US Open final, where he was beaten by Andy Roddick, led his country to the Davis Cup final, received Spain's Sportsman of the Year award from King Juan Carlos and finished the year ranked a highly respectable No 3.

Everything was wonderful, much happiness, Ferrero recalled yesterday after a practice session with compatriot and world No 14 David Ferrer soon after arriving in the country for this week's Heineken Open.

"Everything seemed very easy and even when you play bad, you still have a chance to win. The other guys have more respect when they play against you.

"Everyone wants to be your friend, for sure, but now I don't think too much about it."

That's the thing about tennis. Tournaments roll around so quickly and players come and go more regularly than a No 22 bus that it's all about next week and the next tournament.

But it's one thing reaching the top of the world, it's another to stay there - unless, of course, your name is Roger Federer.

A series of injuries and poor form saw Ferrero drop outside the world's top 30 only 12 months later and after a difficult couple of years on tour, he did what a lot of athletes do - he contemplated his future.

At 26, he still has plenty of time left in the game but having won 11 singles titles, including a Grand Slam, and more than US$10 million in prize money, he had achieved more than most could ever dream of.

"I didn't play my best tennis last year and I had to rest for one month with injury," he explained. "I had to think about what I am going to do. I decided to come with a lot of goals. One of the important ones for me is to get into the top 10 again."

That quest starts tomorrow at the Heineken Open. Now ranked 23rd in the world, Ferrero is the tournament's sixth seed and will meet Chilean Nicolas Massu in a tricky first round encounter.

This is Ferrero's third visit to Auckland. He beat Federer in the first round in 2000 before losing in the quarter-finals and was a first round casualty in 2005.

But he was a notable absentee last year when his agent failed to lodge his entry form in time, despite having registered his intention to play.

He was instead handed a wildcard to the Sydney tournament because all the Heineken Open wildcards had been handed out.

He didn't feel like he owed the tournament one after last year's mix-up but his presence has helped ensure one of the strongest fields in Open history.

The Mosquito, as he is known because of his speed around the court and wiry, strong physique, would love to become a pest once more on the ATP tour.

He knows, however, just how hard it will be to break into the top 10 again, given the evenness of players below Federer and Rafael Nadal.

"I have a lot of experience in tennis so I know what I have to do to make it," he said.

"It's very difficult. You can see with Marat Safin and Andre Agassi, they went from No 1 in the world into the 100s and got up the rankings again. We are not like machines, we are humans.

"Sometimes we don't play our best tennis but this year I want to come back with power."

If he does, life is likely to be full of happiness for Ferrero once more.