Carlos Alcaraz has already had a monumental 2026, which has seen him break new ground in tennis.
The Spaniard’s victory at the Australian Open saw him become the youngest male player ever to achieve the Career Grand Slam.
However, Alcaraz has not won a tournament since February and his world number one status is now under threat from Jannik Sinner.
As the Spaniard fights to remain the best player on the ATP Tour, his former coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero, has explained what Alcaraz must do to become the best player in tennis history.
Juan Carlos Ferrero says how Carlos Alcaraz can become the best ever
Ferrero has long said Alcaraz has all the tools to become the greatest male player in the history of the sport.
His former coach has been watching Alcaraz in the first quarter of the season, which has seen him lift trophies at the Australian Open and the Qatar Open.
Carlos Alcaraz concedes Jannik Sinner will become world number one!
Will it happen this week in Monte Carlo?
Asked if Alcaraz can be the best ever in an interview with MARCA, Ferrero said: “Yes, of course. What he needs to do is keep his motivation intact.
“He needs to stay motivated when he’s achieving all the goals he’s set for himself, and then, when his motivation isn’t at 100%, professional discipline has to kick in.
“I think Carlos will stay motivated because he knows he has some very important players ahead of him, players who have achieved great success, and he wants to be one of them.
“I don’t see any reason to think his motivation will drop in the short term, and I hope he stays at this level for a long time because he’ll have opportunities to win major titles.”
Alcaraz had a difficult Sunshine Double, which saw him suffer defeats to Daniil Medvedev and Sebastian Korda.
He is now looking to defend his Monte-Carlo Masters crown, after lifting the trophy at the Masters event in 2025.
Carlos Alcaraz is set for ATP Tour first in Monte-Carlo
Alcaraz has become a stalwart of the ATP Tour since making his debut in 2019, which is why it might be surprising to find out that he has never played his next opponent at the Monte-Carlo Masters.
Alcaraz will play Tomas Martin Etcheverry in the round of 16, which has never happened before on the ATP Tour.
What do you think is Carlos Alcaraz’s best surface and why?
The clay court specialist could provide a tricky test for the world number one as he has played far more matches recently on the surface.
The pair’s match will see them collide for the first time on the ATP Tour, but they have met at a Challenger event in Trieste in 2020.
Alcaraz won that match in straight sets, but it will very likely be a very different test at the Monte-Carlo Masters.
