What has happened between Carlos Alcaraz and the coach who made him champion?

BarcelonaThe Australian Open marks the start of the tennis season, a 2026 season overshadowed by the news that has shaken the sport: the split between Carlos Alcaraz and his coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero. The Murcian, winner of six Grand Slam titles at just 22 years old, decided to part ways with the former player from Ontinyent at the end of the year. Ferrero had been key to his success, and they had worked together since Alcaraz was 15. Until now, it was a seemingly solid partnership. Alcaraz shone on the court, and Ferrero watched from the stands, but behind the scenes, cracks had appeared and grown increasingly larger, culminating in the final breakdown just before Christmas.

Carlos Alcaraz bid farewell to Ferrero with a heartfelt message on social media, saying that together they had given their all and reached the top, so "if their paths had to diverge, it was at that moment," with the Murcian having become the dominant force in world tennis alongside Jannik Sinner. Last year, they split the four Grand Slam tournaments, two each, solidifying a rivalry that should continue in 2026. And to begin, they have to do so in Australia, the only Grand Slam tournament that Alcaraz hasn't won. In fact, he hasn't even reached the semifinals, unlike Sinner, champion in the last two editions.

Alcaraz's challenge is to prove he can do what Nadal or Djokovic did, players who dismissed the coaches who had been key in their early careers without losing their edge. Rafa Nadal parted ways with his uncle and coach Toni Nadal in 2017, but was able to do so more amicably than Alcaraz. Despite the player's message, Ferrero broke his silence afterward, not hiding his hurt feelings. The coach from Ontinyent explained that he would have liked to continue, while some tennis media outlets reported that his relationship with Alcaraz's father was deteriorating. "The decision is Carlos's inner circle," Ferrero reasoned. Another key aspect was financial, as it was necessary to renegotiate their contract. No agreement was reached. According to Ferrero, money wasn't the deciding factor, but they drifted apart. Another point that has been driving a wedge between the player and Ferrero is the Murcian's lifestyle. A year ago, a documentary was released... Netflix In it, Alcaraz didn't hide his love of partying and his trips to Ibiza with friends to unwind. The documentary sparked some debate among former players, divided between those who said they should believe in the Murcian's approach and others who argued that, being like Nadal or Federer, he should be more disciplined. Ferrero, famous for being a serious and stoic man, hasn't hidden his leaning towards the latter group, as when he stated that "being a professional means knowing when to work, rest, and stay focused. It's difficult with young people today because they often struggle to understand the reality around them. I think the team structure he has around him helps him stay grounded."

Following Rafa Nadal's business model

Logistical issues didn't help either. Alcaraz used to train at Ferrero's academy in Villena, Alicante, an hour's drive from Murcia. Capitalizing on the player's fame, the Alcaraz family opened the Carlos Alcaraz Tennis Academy in El Palmar, on the outskirts of Murcia, a facility inspired by Rafa Nadal's academy in Manacor. The Alcaraz family wanted the player to train there and not in Villena, leading to changes in working methods that strained the relationship. "Carlos is just starting out in this world and they want to build a strong academy, that's understandable. I don't accept some of the things that have been said, like that I insisted he come to Villena and that he had to adapt to me. That's not the case. Over the last two years, we've gradually come to understand that Carlos, with the former... we were the ones who had to move," Ferrero told Brand

Travel and commitments made it difficult for Ferrero to always stay in Alcaraz, as the Alicante native also had to look after other players and his academy. Alcaraz's father reportedly took it badly that Ferrero didn't accompany his son on some South American tours, so it was agreed that a trusted coach would always be with Alcaraz, under Ferrero's supervision. The chosen coach was Samuel López, also from Alicante, a former player who had even coached Ferrero in the past.

"When you spend so much time working together, there's always some tension. I think that traveling so much, spending so much time away from home, is exhausting. One of the reasons for choosing Samuel López was to prevent this relationship from eroding. The relationship between us has been fresh all year, a spectacular year. We haven't had any arguments. The relationship could last in the future. It's been a very good year, and after the Turin tournament (last November), we all had the idea of continuing. Then what happened, happened, and we went our separate ways, but in principle, the idea was to continue," Ferrero explained.

In recent months, the Alcaraz family placed more trust in López, who was key to the improvement of the Murcian player's serve. He will be the new coach. He already knows the player and his team, they know how they think, and he will have to adapt, aware that Alcaraz, at 22, has reached that point where he knows he has more influence than his coaches.