Childhood Coach Convinced Carlos Alcaraz’s Father is Responsible for Juan Carlos Ferrero’s Breakup: “The Same Thing Happened with Me”

Carlos Alcaraz finished the 2025 season with eight titles from 11 finals, including six Majors.

Childhood Coach Convinced Carlos Alcaraz’s Father is Responsible for Juan Carlos Ferrero’s Breakup: “The Same Thing Happened with Me”

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

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Carlos Alcaraz and Juan Carlos Ferrero have split, marking an end to a seven-year partnership. In the aftermath of the breakup, various theories about the reason behind the split have emerged.

The main reason was reportedly a failed contract negotiation. As per those reports, Ferrero was given just 48 hours to accept or reject the contract. He did not accept certain parts of it, and this resulted in the split.

Alcaraz’s childhood coach, Carlos Santos, thinks it’s Alcaraz’s father, Carlos Alcaraz Gonzalez, who is responsible for the end of the Ferrero partnership. Santos recalled how disagreements with Alcaraz’s father about certain conditions saw him leave the Spanish ace’s team.

Well, look, I hadn’t thought about that, but talking to my wife, she mentioned it. ‘Look, something similar happened to him as happened to you.’ Thinking about it a bit, in the end, Carlos’s father is the one who’s really in charge. Carlitos has nothing to do with it.

Carlos Santos told Eurosport Spain

Alcaraz started to work with Ferrero as a 15-year-old in 2018, and the following year, he was hired as the 2003 French Open champion’s coach. Under the former World No.1, Alcaraz reached the top of the rankings table and won his 24 tour-level titles, including the six Majors. Alcaraz also reached the title clash of the ATP Finals, but couldn’t defeat defending champion Jannik Sinner.

I mean, Carlitos would have continued for as long as Juan Carlos wanted. I was with Carlitos for eight years, Juan Carlos for seven. The same thing happened to me: I wanted certain conditions, but his father didn’t see them that way. And Juan Carlos must have asked for other conditions that his father also didn’t want and didn’t agree to.

Carlos Santos added

Ferrero won the ATP Coach of the Year award with Alcaraz twice: in 2022 after guiding his now ex-protege to his first Major at the US Open, and also to the top of the rankings table. Alcaraz, in the same two seasons, won the ATP Player of the Year award.

Carlos Santos thinks Juan Carlos Ferrero’s split was inevitable after Carlos Alcaraz hired Samuel Lopez

Coach Samuel Lopez joined Carlos Alcaraz‘s team last December. Carlos Santos thinks Juan Carlos Ferrero’s removal from the team was inevitable after Lopez’s addition.

Carlos Alcaraz, Juan Carlos Ferrero (2)
Carlos Alcaraz, Juan Carlos Ferrero (Image via X/Daily Alcaraz)

Once Samuel came in as assistant coach, it was clear that a change was possible. Ultimately, things have always been done this way with Carlitos, very gradually, so that nothing drastic happens overnight.

Carlos Santos told Eurosport Spain

This season, Alcaraz took home eight titles from 11 finals, the most on the men’s tour. Those titles also include his second consecutive French Open title and his second US Open title. Both these trophies he lifted by defeating Jannik Sinner.

Apart from the two Majors, Alcaraz also lifted three Masters 1000s: the Monte Carlo Masters, Italian Open, and the Cincinnati Masters. The 22-year-old also won three ATP 500 titles, at the Rotterdam Open, Queen’s Club Championships, and the Japan Open.

The next big event is the Australian Open, and Alcaraz will be aiming to complete the Career Grand Slam. He has never progressed beyond the quarterfinals of the Melbourne Major, reaching the stage twice, including this year, where Novak Djokovic knocked him out in four sets.

But before the first Grand Slam event of the season, Alcaraz will be playing an exhibition event in Incheon, South Korea. The event is scheduled to be held on January 10, just a few days before the start of the main draw of the Australian Open. Alcaraz will lock horns with Sinner.

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