Carlos Alcaraz has won his first major event since splitting with Juan Carlos Ferrero in December 2025.
Ferrero’s departure left tennis fans questioning why Alcaraz would make such a decision after the most successful season of his career.
Of course, there was always going to be criticism of such a high-profile change to Alcaraz’s team: the pair had worked together since 2018 and seemed inseparable on the Tour.
What do you think is Carlos Alcaraz’s best surface and why?
However, Alcaraz has since won the Australian Open, quietening any noise concerning his split with Ferrero.
Following his title-winning efforts in Melbourne, Alcaraz has discussed how he felt about the criticism he received for splitting with Ferrero.
Carlos Alcaraz said criticism of Juan Carlos Ferrero split caused him to have doubts
In an exclusive interview with El Mundo, Alcaraz said: “As time goes on, I’ve become more aware of the power of words. Both a good word and a bad word can change a person’s mood. That’s why I always try to be very careful with what I say and how I say it.
“Some of the negative things I read or heard affected me; I even had a few doubts. But I also want to say that the positive things filled me with pride and made me happy.
“Thank God there were more good things than bad.”
It is wholly understandable that Alcaraz may have been feeling doubtful about his decision to part ways with Ferrero. The pair had been incredibly successful together, and the decision itself raised the pressure on Alcaraz to perform well throughout the 2026 season.
It now seems clear that the world number one should never have doubted himself. Alcaraz has more than proven his worth in Ferrero’s absence, becoming the youngest man to complete the ‘Career Grand Slam’ in men’s singles events and equalling a record held by Bjorn Borg.
While Ferrero is certainly an excellent coach, Alcaraz is simply too talented to fail on the Tour, as demonstrated by his Australian Open triumph.
Roger Federer’s former coach comments on the Carlos Alcaraz and Juan Carlos Ferrero split
Ivan Ljubicic, who coached Roger Federer between 2015 and 2022, has weighed in on Juan Carlos Ferrero’s influence on Carlos Alcaraz in the wake of the young Spaniard’s Australian Open victory.
In an interview with Sky Sports Italy, Ljubicic said: “Great coaches try to pass on what they know, their experiences, leaving it up to the player. If a coach makes the player dependent on him, he hasn’t done a good job.
Do you believe Carlos Alcaraz is already the greatest tennis player of all time?
“Ferrero’s work has been there. It is there and always will be. The fact that he wasn’t there with him doesn’t change the fact that this boy was built and shaped more by Juan Carlos. Life goes on.
“Juan Carlos, among other things, has also taken up another sport, he works in golf, and so they both move forward.
“I think it was very important for Carlos to win right away, even if there was a small doubt in his mind whether it was a right or wrong decision; now there’s definitely no longer any doubt.”
Following his title win in Melbourne, Alcaraz was expected to take part in the Rotterdam Open. However, he has since withdrawn from the event and his next tournament is set to be the Qatar Open.
Alcaraz reached the quarter-finals at the 2025 event, which was won by Russian star Andrey Rublev.
