Juan Carlos Ferrero Makes ‘Not Easy’ Admission About Carlos Alcaraz After Surprising Change: “Received Offers from ATP and WTA”

Carlos Alcaraz won each of the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open titles under Juan Carlos Ferrero, but never made the semifinals of the Australian Open.

Juan Carlos Ferrero Makes ‘Not Easy’ Admission About Carlos Alcaraz After Surprising Change: “Received Offers from ATP and WTA”

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

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While Carlos Alcaraz is in Melbourne competing for his first Australian Open title, his former coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero, recently announced that he will embark on a new journey in his coaching career. Alcaraz and Ferrero split last December due to the failed contract extension after disagreements from both sides.

This marked the end of a seven-year coaching partnership. While the Spanish coach said in the aftermath of the split that he wouldn’t be joining another player’s entourage in the near future, Ferrero will start coaching another youngster, not in tennis but in golf.

He’ll join 21-year-old Spanish golfer Angel Ayora‘s team. Ferrero will be working alongside Ayora’s coach, Juan Ochoa, and will be responsible for the mental aspect of the performance rather than the technical side. Ferrero announced the new partnership on his Instagram.

The 2003 Roland Garros champion, however, admitted that he still misses coaching Alcaraz, who has made the quarterfinals at Melbourne Park for the third consecutive time, scheduling the match against home favorite Alex de Minaur.

It’s tough when you see Carlos competing, and you see your whole team sitting in the chair. It’s not easy, what you feel. I’m pleased with how he’s been playing and with the fact that he hasn’t dropped a set yet. He’s at a high level.

Juan Carlos Alcaraz told TenGolf

Although Alcaraz achieved a lot in his young career, he has never progressed beyond the quarterfinals in Melbourne, losing at that stage to Alexander Zverev in 2024 and to Novak Djokovic last year. The tennis world was eager to see how the 22-year-old performs without the guidance of Ferrero. In the ongoing event, Alcaraz has won all his matches without dropping a set.

I needed a change of scenery. I received offers from the ATP and WTA circuits, but the opportunity came up to work with Angel, and it’s a world I know and like. I can help him on a mental level, which I think is something very important in this sport. The collaboration will definitely be for all of 2026. I’ll travel about 8-10 weeks a year.

Juan Carlos Ferrero added

The Melbourne title will make Alcaraz the youngest man in the Open Era to complete the Career Grand Slam. The 24 tour-level titles, including the six Majors that he won, were under Ferrero’s tutelage.

Mats Wilander on what Novak Djokovic shouldn’t say about Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner

Mats Wilander can’t foresee Novak Djokovic losing in Grand Slam events to anyone whose name is not Jannik Sinner or Carlos Alcaraz. The Swede thinks the 38-year-old is still a contender for big titles and shouldn’t say that Sinner or Alcaraz are better than him.

Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner
L-R: Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner (Image via X/Carlos Alcaraz 4K, Todo Sobre Tenis, The Tennis Letter)

Novak has a lot of confidence against all his potential opponents, except for those two. I’m surprised he keeps saying so often that they’re the best in the world and that they’re so much better than him. Whether it’s true or not, even if it’s kind of him, he shouldn’t say it.

Mats Wilander wrote in his column for L’Equipe

Djokovic, who was handed the walkover by his fourth-round opponent Jakub Mensik, will be playing the quarterfinal against Lorenzo Musetti, against whom he holds a 9-1 head-to-head record. The 24-time Grand Slam champion has yet to lose a set in the event.

Sinner, however, was on the brink of a possible upset in the third-round clash with Eliot Spizzirri as full-body cramps made it difficult for him to move, but the 10-minute break, thanks to the heat rule, gave him some relief, helping him finish the match in his favor. After breezing past compatriot Luciano Darderi, the two-time defending champion has set up his quarterfinal match against Ben Shelton.

Also read: (Video) Jelena Ostapenko Furiously Hits the Ball at her Australian Open Opponent in a Tense Moment