Ex-ATP Pro Calls Timing of Carlos Alcaraz-Juan Carlos Ferrero Breakup ‘Weird’

Carlos Alcaraz took to his social media on Wednesday (December 17) to announce the split with Juan Carlos Ferrero.

Ex-ATP Pro Calls Timing of Carlos Alcaraz-Juan Carlos Ferrero Breakup ‘Weird’

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

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Carlos Alcaraz has parted ways with coach Juan Carlos Ferrero, and this has sent shock waves across the tennis community. Perhaps no one had anticipated it to happen this year, given that Alcaraz had probably his best season in 2025.

For the first time in his career, the six-time Grand Slam champion reached 11 finals in a single season. Also, for the first time, he lifted eight titles in a single year. Those titles also include the French Open and the US Open, both of which he clinched by defeating his arch-rival Jannik Sinner.

Alcaraz also added three Masters 1000 to his name: the Monte Carlo Masters, the Italian Open, and the Cincinnati Masters, by defeating Lorenzo Musetti and Sinner, respectively. The 22-year-old is a winner of 24 titles, all of which he won under Ferrero.

The Spanish coach twice won the ATP Coach of the Year award, in 2022 and 2025. In the same two seasons, Alcaraz also won the ATP Player of the Year. So to end the partnership after such a successful season was not “logical” according to Rafael Nadal‘s uncle and former coach Toni Nadal. Like everyone, former player Steve Johnson also did not see the end of the partnership coming, calling the timing of the split “weird”.

This one kind of comes suddenly, in the middle of December. You feel like there were a lot of rumors swirling over the last, I don’t know, 18 months, watching maybe Carlos’s documentary, seeing the dynamic with Juan Carlos and Carlos, obviously just maybe clashing styles a little bit. So I just think it’s weird timing. I don’t know what’s happened recently, if they had something big blow up between them, a disagreement either financially, family-wise, or in court in general.

Steve Johnson said on the Nothing Major podcast

Ferrero, the 2003 French Open champion, called time on his career in 2012 and joined Alcaraz’s team in 2018 when the latter was just 15. Apart from the 24 tour-level titles, Alcaraz also reached the No.1 ranking under the former World No.1.

Patrick Mouratoglou gives his verdict on Carlos Alcaraz’s split with Juan Carlos Ferrero

Serena Williams‘ former coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, also joined the discussions about Carlos Alcaraz‘s split with Juan Carlos Ferrero. The Frenchman said that though the relationship with Ferrero looked perfect from the outside, it wasn’t actually the case, pointing out the disagreement Alcaraz had with Ferrero regarding the tennis schedule in the Carlos Alcaraz: My Way Netflix documentary.

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

I would make a parallel that will sound strange, but it’s exactly like a couple. You know, there are married couples you think are the ideal couple. You think, ‘Wow, I wish my couple would be as great as theirs,’ and six months later they break up, and everybody says, ‘How come?’ This breakup between Carlos and Juan Carlos shows that nobody knows what’s happening behind closed doors.

Patrick Mouratoglou said on Instagram

Alcaraz was last seen in action in the championship match of the ATP Finals, where he failed to win his second indoor hardcourt title with a straight-set defeat to Jannik Sinner. He then featured in two exhibition events, including one in Miami, where he locked horns with Brazilian sensation Joao Fonseca.

Alcaraz will feature in an exhibition event in Incheon, South Korea, before the Australian Open, the main draw of which kicks off on January 18. In the exhibition, Alcaraz will face none other than Sinner.

At the Australian Open, Alcaraz will be bidding to complete the Career Grand Slam. The Spaniard has never reached the semifinals. This year, he suffered a four-set defeat to 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals.

Also read: Former Russian Star Questions Novak Djokovic’s Desire to Play at the LA Olympics in 2028