David Ferrer was born in Xàbia (Jávea), in the province of Alicante, on 2 April 1982. At 13 he moved to Gandia to train, and two years later to Barcelona to the Catalan Tennis Federation. He turned professional in 2000, the year he began working with coach Javier Piles, who stayed with him until the end of 2013 and whom Ferrer has called a second father.
At 1.75 m he never had the heaviest shots on tour. He made up for it with fitness, speed and determination, keeping the ball deep and moving opponents from side to side, and he was one of the best returners of his time; Roger Federer called him the best returner in 2007. He was often compared to Lleyton Hewitt.
His first big run came in 2007, when he reached the US Open semifinals and the final of the Tour Finals, where he lost to Federer. He won the Davis Cup with Spain in 2008, 2009 and 2011. In 2012 he won his only Masters 1000 title in Paris, beating Jerzy Janowicz in the final, and he reached the US Open semifinals again. In 2013 he played his only major final, at Roland Garros, losing 6–3, 6–2, 6–3 to Rafael Nadal, and on 8 July 2013 he rose to world No. 3, his career high. He also reached the Australian Open semifinals in 2011 and 2013 and the Wimbledon quarterfinals in 2012 and 2013.
Ferrer won 27 singles titles, 13 of them on clay, and 734 tour matches. His closest rivalries were with fellow Spaniards such as Fernando Verdasco and Feliciano López and with Andy Murray, who led their meetings 14–6.
He announced in 2018 that 2019 would be his final season and said goodbye at the Madrid Masters, losing to Alexander Zverev. In July 2020 he began coaching Zverev, alongside Zverev's father, and he is involved in the Ferrer Tennis Academy in La Nucía. He was announced as director of the Barcelona Open, succeeding Albert Costa, and since 2023 he has been Spain's Davis Cup captain.