In the middle of preseason after the best year of his tennis career, Carlos Alcaraz he announced by surprise that the pairing he made with Juan Carlos Ferrero will not continue the next course. “After more than seven years together, Juanki and I have decided to end our time together as coach and player,” explained the Murcian tennis player in a statement, in which he reviews everything they have experienced, which is no small thing: 24 titles, including six Grand Slams, reach number one before anyone else in history, in 2022, at 19 years, four months and six days; and finish 2025 also on top. «We have managed to reach the top, and I feel that, if our sporting paths had to separate, It had to be from up there. From the place we always work for and always aspire to reach,” says Alcaraz. Ferrero responded with emotional words, thanking his pupil and the team, although he also made it clear that he “would have liked to continue”, and even did not close the doors: “I am convinced that good memories and good people always find a way to cross paths again.”
Normality in the breakup
As always in these cases and except for reasons of force majeure, the athlete is the one in charge. From Carlos’s entourage they give normality to what happened: «Things that happen, everything has a beginning and an end. We have to have a very good stage. From now on another new stage begins,” They say from the circle closest to the number one in the world. This new stage begins with Samuel López on the bench, at least until the Australian Open. The Valencian coach has already been part of Alcaraz’s working group this season, and had even accompanied him to some tournaments in previous years.
Together since 2018
The relationship between Juan Carlos Ferrero and Alcaraz began in 2018. At that time the Murcian was a promising boy who had trained at his father’s club, the Royal Society Country Club, in El Palmar. He went to Villena, to the Ferrero academy, who became his coach, at first with Kiko Navarro, the coach he had since he was a child and who little by little moved away. In those first years, they remembered at the academy how Ferrero had to calm the boy’s impetus. He already had the talent, and his great forehand, but it had to be polished. He said Antonio Martínez CascalesFerrero’s mentor during his time as a tennis player and founder of the academy: “I don’t know if he will win a lot or a little, but I do know that we are going to have fun.” In reality, he did know, or at least he intuited it, because he has been in this for many years and knows how to spot a potential champion. Juan Carlos came from training Alexander Zverev and many other tennis players knocked on his door, important players like ThiemDel Potro, Cilic o tsitsipas, but he opted to continue with a boy who aimed high. In February 2020, Alcaraz made his debut on the ATP circuit, in Rio de Janeiro. The pandemic partly delayed the evolution. It was just a short break. 2021 helped him settle down and in 2022 the big explosion came with victory in the US Open and world number one.
Father-son relationship
From there, almost to infinity, to global stardom. Just this 2025 had been the most consistent year, without ups and downs except at the beginning, closed with 71 victories, eleven finals and eight titles. The relationship between Alcaraz and Ferrero was at times that of father and son, he has always been very close to him to try to keep him from straying, since it started with him when he was a child. But that child has already grown up. The atmosphere in the team was full of jokes “and laughter”, as Juanki himself says, but wear and tear is also inevitable. Now, says Alcaraz, «times of new adventures are coming and new projects for both of us.
