Brother Alvaro Tipped to Become Carlos Alcaraz’s Assistant Coach to Bring ‘Emotional Support’ After Juan Carlos Ferrero Split
World No.1 Carlos Alcaraz has never progressed beyond the quarterfinals of the Australian Open.
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Juan Carlos Ferrero, Alvaro Alcaraz, Carlos Alcaraz (Image via Instagram/Juan Carlos Ferrero, X/Carlos Alcaraz Brasil)
Carlos Alcaraz will be commencing his Australian Open campaign on Sunday (January 18). He will be up against local boy Adam Walton, whom he previously defeated in last year’s Queen’s Club Championships.
Alcaraz will be entering the tournament with a reshuffled team, as Juan Carlos Ferrero will not be on the stands supporting him. The two shockingly put an end to their seven-year partnership last December because of failed contract negotiations.
Samuel Lopez, who joined Alcaraz’s team in December 2024, will be coaching him. The World No.1’s childhood coach, Kiko Navarro, thinks Alcaraz’s brother, Alvaro Alcaraz, who travels with him in almost every tournament, should play an important role in his team by becoming his assistant coach to provide emotional support. Navarro said during his interview with Punto de Break:
I’ve known him all my life. Of course, if he wanted to, he could get involved and play the role of a second coach with Samu perfectly. It depends on whether he wants to, but it’s not just the tennis part. Of course, Álvaro also knows a lot about tennis, but he can also contribute a lot on the emotional side. In the end, it’s a mix of everything. At a tennis level, there’s not much more to teach him. It’s more tactical and emotional to keep him motivated.
The tennis world is eagerly waiting to see how the 22-year-old performs without Ferrero’s guidance. The 2003 French Open champion had been a part of Alcaraz’s entourage since 2019, helping the youngster become the World No.1 player as well as win his 24 tour-level titles, including his six Majors.
Kiko Navarro defends Carlos Alcaraz’s father amidst speculation that he was the reason behind the split with Juan Carlos Ferrero
Even Juan Carlos Fererro admitted during his interview with Marca a few days after the breakup that Carlos Alcaraz was not the main reason behind the split. Without naming anyone, he said it was the inner circle that made the decision on the player’s behalf.
The blame has been put on Alcaraz’s father, Carlos Alcaraz Gonzalez, as he plays an important role in managerial decisions. When he was asked about Ferrero’s interview, Gonzalez bluntly said, “Everyone is free to give their opinion.” Now Kiko Navarro has defended Alcaraz’s father, saying he wouldn’t be taking any rash decisions that could harm his son’s career.
The father wouldn’t make a decision like that if he thought it would harm Carlitos even a little bit. If he did, it’s for his benefit, because he must have seen something in the day-to-day, as he is on all the trips. He is always with them, so he must have seen decisions by Juan Carlos that, perhaps, he didn’t quite like. Anyway, I believe that Carlitos, when motivated, will do well with any coach.
Kiko Navarro told Punto de Break
Alcaraz will be chasing the Career Grand Slam at Melbourne Park, but the Australian Open is one of the few tournaments where he has yet to advance to the semifinals. The six-time Major champion has twice made the quarterfinals, losing to Alexander Zverev in 2024 and to Novak Djokovic in 2025. If he wins, he will become the youngest man in the Open Era (will surpass Rafael Nadal) to accomplish the Career Grand Slam. He will also become the ninth man in the Open Era to achieve this.
The reigning French Open and US Open champion did not feature in any warm-up tournaments prior to arriving in Melbourne. He instead played an exhibition event in South Korea against his arch-rival and two-time Australian Open defending champion Jannik Sinner.
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