The separation between Carlos Alcaraz and Juan Carlos Ferrero is destined to generate debate for much more time.
The current world number 1 has decided to make a radical change to his team and is preparing to start a new phase of his career very different from the previous one. 'Juanki' was not only Carlitos' coach for over seven years, but he was also a mentor and a second father to the young Spanish champion.
For these reasons, everyone was surprised when the end of their professional relationship was announced. The results continued to reward this partnership, considering that the 22-year-old from Murcia lifted eight trophies this season and ended the year at the top of the ATP rankings for the second time in his career.
As fate would have it, Ferrero was awarded 'Coach of the Year' by the ATP along with Samuel Lopez.
What's next for Ferrero?
Recently, Juan Carlos left a long interview with 'MARCA' in which all his pain and sadness were visible.
The former world No.1 confessed that he is not feeling very well right now and hinted that he is destined to take a long break, but has opened up the possibility of accepting an offer in the future. The journalist asked him if he would coach Jannik Sinner, Carlitos Alcaraz's main rival, and Ferrero who replied that it would be necessary to reflect.
Through his official X profile, top analyst José Moron expressed his sincere opinion on this hypothesis: "My hope is that something like this will never happen. If Ferrero joined Sinner's team, it would be a bit like Pep Guardiola becoming the coach of Real Madrid."
The six-time Grand Slam champion will only have Samuel Lopez as coach at the start of the 2026 season, with his first official tournament being the Australian Open starting on Sunday 18 January at Melbourne Park. Carlitos has never progressed beyond the quarterfinals at the AO and it is the only Major title he is still missing.
