World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz has confirmed the end of his long-standing partnership with former French Open champion Juan Carlos Ferrero, sharing the news on his official social media accounts on Wednesday. The announcement brings an unexpected close to one of the most successful player-coach relationships in modern tennis.
Alcaraz, who began working with Ferrero at the age of 15, posted an emotional message thanking his coach for shaping his career. “We started this journey when I was just a kid, and you helped turn my dreams into reality,” he wrote on Instagram. “We’ve reached the highest levels together, and if our paths had to part, it felt right to do so from the top.”
Their collaboration, which lasted until late 2025, was extraordinarily fruitful: together, Alcaraz and Ferrero won 24 ATP Tour-level singles titles, including six Grand Slam titles — two each at the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open — and eight ATP Masters 1000 trophies. Under Ferrero’s guidance, Alcaraz also became the youngest ever ATP Year-End No. 1 in history in 2022, cementing his place among tennis’ elite.
Ferrero, himself a former World No. 1 and winner of 16 ATP Tour-level singles titles, including the 2003 French Open and four Masters events, congratulated Alcaraz and fondly recalled their time together. One line of his statement stood out, hinting at the abruptness of the split: he “wished they could have continued working.”
The split comes just ahead of the Australian Open, where Alcaraz will again be among the title favourites. How the absence of Ferrero in his coaching box will impact his campaign will be one of the tournament’s key talking points.
Image credit: Carlos Alcaraz/ Instagram
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