Carlos Alcaraz and Juan Carlos Ferrero reunited at the Inalpi Arena 361 days after ending their professional partnership, as reported by Marca.
The final between Carlos Alcaraz and Ben Shelton at the Rolex Paris Masters was not just another match on the circuit, according to El Confidencial, carrying added tension because Ferrero had already agreed to become Shelton’s coach starting next season.
The fixture also had a special flavor as Alcaraz faced the American who had eliminated him at the US Open in his first tournament back from injury, while recent victories in Vienna and Paris confirmed that Alcaraz in top form has no rival to challenge him, as detailed by Las Provincias.
“La semana de París ayude a Ben en algunos partidos,” said Juan Carlos Ferrero.
“Era la primera vez en ocho años que tenía que pensar cosas para ir en su contra,” said Ferrero. “No en contra sino para contrarrestar el juego de Carlos.”
Ferrero admitted that facing his former player was an unfamiliar experience after working together for more than seven years. Las Provincias said that the Spanish coach had assisted Shelton during select matches in Paris.
Although Ferrero is present at the ATP Finals in Turin, he is not sitting on Shelton’s bench during the tournament. According to Las Provincias, the coach stated, “Si finalmente llega el encuentro vamos a intentar normalizarlo al cien por cien. Ya ha llegado la hora.”
Mundo Deportivo reported that Ferrero, 46, will join a coaching structure alongside the player’s father, Bryan Shelton. The partnership aims to help the 24-year-old American gain consistency against top-ranked players.
“Vamos a intentar pulir ese diamante en bruto para poder competir de tú a tú con Alcaraz, Sinner y Zverev de manera constante,” said Ferrero.
Toni Nadal shared his perspective on the coaching change in an exclusive interview with SPORT, noting that Ferrero’s familiarity with Alcaraz’s game provides a distinct advantage.
“Evidentemente, para Ben Shelton es una muy buena elección contar con Juan Carlos Ferrero,” said Toni Nadal, according to SPORT. “Además de haber sido un gran jugador, ha estado mucho tiempo con Carlos y sabe por dónde se le puede hacer un poco de daño.”
SPORT reported that Ferrero and Shelton plan to collaborate across 12 tournaments per year, focusing primarily on Grand Slams and ATP Masters 1000 events.
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