Carlos Alcaraz has announced his split from long time coach Juan Carlos Ferrero.
Alcaraz, who had worked with Ferrero since 2019, announced the departure on Wednesday in an emotional message posted on his social media accounts.
Under Ferrero’s guidance, Alcaraz won six Grand Slam titles and achieved the world number one ranking – something Ferrero also achieved during his time as a player.
Ferrero’s departure from Alcaraz’s coaching team will come as a shock to tennis fans worldwide, especially after the Spaniard’s most successful season to date on the ATP Tour.
What do you make of Carlos Alcaraz’s decision to part ways with Juan Carlos Ferrero?
Ferrero first watched Alcaraz play tennis when the Spaniard was only 15 years old, and the coach reflected on what he noticed about the young prodigy when speaking after Alcaraz’s US Open triumph in 2022.
Juan Carlos Ferrero noticed that Carlos Alcaraz was ‘very special’
Alcaraz won his first Grand Slam title in 2022 after defeating Norway’s Casper Ruud in the US Open final. The victory catapulted Alcaraz into the world number one spot for the first time in his career.
After the contest, Juan Carlos Ferrero was asked to comment on Alcaraz’s speed – specifically whether the young Spaniard had always possessed lightning fast acceleration.
Ferrero, who won the French Open as a player, revealed he quickly noticed how special a player Alcaraz was.
“Explosive [speed]. But at the same time he had to work a lot,” Ferrero began.
“When he arrived to academy when he was 15, he was like a spaghetti, very thin [smiling]. We had to work.
“Obviously we saw that he had very fast hands, very fast legs, but no muscles at all, not in the back, not in the legs. We had to work a lot.
“But obviously we saw something very special in him.”
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Carlos Alcaraz’s current coaching setup
Samuel Lopez is set to remain a part of Alcaraz’s coaching team.
Lopez coached Pablo Carreno Busta from 2015 to December 2024 before joining Alcaraz’s setup.
Alcaraz offered his thoughts on Lopez in December last year before a scheduled exhibition match against Ben Shelton in New York.
“I think Samuel, for me, is one of the best coaches that we have on tour,” Alcaraz said, as per ESPN.
“They [Lopez and Ferrero] trust each other 100 percent and being able to travel with both, for me, it’s going to be great. I think I’m going to grow as a player thanks to them. I think we are going to work pretty hard and pretty good for the next season and the next years. Hopefully we are going to make good results together.”
Alcaraz is set to play his first tournament of 2026 at the Australian Open, starting January 18. He has also been confirmed to play at the Barcelona Open later next year.
