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

Juan Carlos Ferrero, as a strict and meticulous person, improved as a person when he became a coach. He joined Carlos Alcaraz‘s team after his short partnership with Alexander Zverev. Coaching the German was a difficult task for Ferrero, and he rediscovered his passion for tennis once he was introduced to a 15-year-old Carlos Alcaraz in 2018.

The following season, Ferrero joined Alcaraz’s team as his coach and remained there until, unexpectedly, the partnership ended in December 2025, to the utter shock of the tennis world, including Ferrero.

The Spanish coach had not foreseen this happening that year, especially after Alcaraz clinched eight titles from 11 finals, including the French Open and the US Open.

Both parties, Alcaraz’s team and Ferrero, excluding Alcaraz, were in disagreement over the new contract, and this ultimately led to the separation. During his interview with Chiringuito Inside, Ferrero reflected on his coaching philosophy and reminisced about the first few years he coached Alcaraz.

I am a very strict and meticulous person in my work; I always have been. As a player, I found it very difficult to overcome defeats, but as a coach, I always approached it in terms of learning from losses and that this is how you truly improve.

Ferrero joined Zverev’s team in July 2017, but the partnership ended about seven months later (after the 2018 Australian Open).

I had just finished working with Zverev, and I wasn’t entirely comfortable with his work habits and his approach to professional tennis. I ended up feeling a bit burned out on the tour, and at that point, Albert Molina called me to introduce me to Carlos. I was really motivated by the project of starting from the bottom. I went from traveling by private plane to driving to modest tournaments and staying in apartments. I rediscovered my passion for tennis with this new project.

Juan Carlos Ferrero added

Samuel Lopez is now acting as Alcaraz’s main coach. Alcaraz’s brother, Alvarez Alcaraz, will be guiding him in Lopez’s absence.

Carlos Alcaraz reveals why he thinks he has a good record at Indian Wells

Carlos Alcaraz will be kick-starting his campaign at the Indian Wells Masters against none other than Grigor Dimitrov. Ahead of his opening-round match, Alcaraz sat for an interview with Tennis TV, during which he discussed why he thinks he plays so well in the California desert.

Well, I would say I feel really comfortable here. Off the court, I feel much better than in other places when I’m playing a tournament. This tournament has everything I need to feel comfortable. Everything is really close on site, which is great. There are dream golf courses that I can play almost every day, which I love. I also have a really good environment here, staying in the house with my team and my family.

Alcaraz is a two-time champion of the first Masters 1000 of the season, losing just one match in the last three years. He clinched the title for the first time in 2023 by defeating Daniil Medvedev and defended it the following season by beating the Russian ace once again.

Last year, however, Alcaraz’s run ended in the semifinals with a defeat to eventual champion Jack Draper. Later, he suffered a shock opening-round exit at the Miami Open, where he emerged victorious in 2022 against Casper Ruud.

The seven-time Major champion will not just be chasing his third Indian Wells title but also his third title of the season following his successful campaigns at the Australian Open and the Qatar Open, where he defeated Novak Djokovic and Arthur Fils, respectively.

Also read: Daniil Medvedev Reveals the Chaos While Leaving Dubai After Middle East Strikes

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