Carlos Alcaraz Gets Real on Not Having Juan Carlos Ferrero on His Side at Indian Wells

Carlos Alcaraz will play in his third consecutive tournament without Juan Carlos Ferrero following their split in December.

Carlos Alcaraz Gets Real on Not Having Juan Carlos Ferrero on His Side at Indian Wells

Carlos Alcaraz, Juan Carlos Ferrero (Image via X/Daily Alcaraz)

In Short
  • Carlos Alcaraz misses former coach Juan Carlos Ferrero at the Indian Wells Open.
  • Alcaraz has won 12 matches this year and is seeking his third consecutive title.
  • Ferrero unfollowed Alcaraz on social media to create distance after their split.

Carlos Alcaraz has admitted that his former coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero, is dearly missed in his team at the Indian Wells Open. The World No.1 is seeking his third consecutive title of the season at the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in the California desert and has been without Ferrero since the year began.

Just two weeks before the start of the 2028 season, Alcaraz and Ferrero announced they were parting ways after seven years working together. Their partnership brought 24 tour-level titles, including six Grand Slams, and finished the year as the World No. 1 for the second time, beating Jannik Sinner to the spot.

Ferrero’s dismissal has made Samuel Lopez, who joined Alcaraz’s team in late 2024 to help reduce the burden of Ferrero, the main coach, with Alcaraz’s brother taking a more important role in his team. For the first time without Ferrero in a Grand Slam tournament, Alcaraz did remarkably well, winning the Australian Open.

He defeated Alexander Zverev in the semi-finals of the Melbourne Grand Slam before beating 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic in four sets in the final. The 22-year-old continued with his form at the Qatar Open, where he claimed his second title of the year after beating Arthur Fils in straight sets.

The Spaniard is currently in Indian Wells, where he’s seeking to win the title for the third time in his career. During an interview with Eurosport via Tennishead, Alcaraz notes that it still feels different to be without Ferrero, who began working with him when he was just 15 years old. He added that he tries to feel more comfortable despite the situation:

I would say it is what it is. Obviously, I wouldn’t say it’s a new team. It’s mostly the same members; we just restructured a little bit. The members are the same as before; we’re just missing one. Every time I come back to a tournament I played last year, it feels a little bit different. You can feel it a bit, but we try to feel as comfortable as possible on and off the court.

Alcaraz reached his first ATP Masters semi-finals at the Indian Wells Open in 2022. The tournament holds a special place in his heart, as he won it for the first time in 2023 and then defended it in 2024. Last year, he reached the semi-finals for the fourth consecutive season but failed to get a slot in the championship match as he fell to eventual champion Jack Draper in three sets.

Juan Carlos Ferrero reveals why he unfollowed Carlos Alcaraz on social media

Since Carlos Alcaraz parted ways with Juan Carlos Ferrero has made sure not to speak about the situation that led to their split so much. But Ferrero has appeared on multiple interviews in recent weeks, sharing his own side of the story. In a recent appearance on El Cafelito de Josep Pedrerol.

Carlos Alcaraz, Juan Carlos Ferrero
Carlos Alcaraz, Juan Carlos Ferrero (Image via X/Carlos Alcaraz 4K, TENNISCentel)

The former French Open winner was asked why he had unfollowed Alcaraz on social media after the latter’s victory at the Australian Open in Melbourne. Ferrero admitted that the reason behind his decision to unfollow Alcaraz was that he needed some time and space following their split in December of last year. He added he didn’t achieve anything by unfollowing the World No.1:

I don’t follow him because I need a little time. Just to create some distance. At the same time, if I open Instagram he appears everywhere anyway. I didn’t really achieve anything by doing it. I follow tennis accounts and tournaments and it still shows up. I didn’t do it out of spite, not at all.

Alcaraz looks focused on performing on the court despite the issues with his former coach. He has yet to lose a match this year after 12 matches. He will face Grigor Dimitrov in the second round of the Indian Wells Open. Dimitrov has won two of their last meetings on the court, but Alcaraz holds a comfortable 4-2 lead in their head-to-head record on tour.

Also Read: Juan Carlos Ferrero Reveals How He Rediscovered Passion After Feeling Burned Out While with Alexander Zverev