Australian Open 2026: Carlos Alcaraz says split with Juan Carlos Ferrero was ‘chapter of life that has to end’

Former world number one Ferrero guided fellow Spaniard Alcaraz to all six major wins and once described him as his “fourth child”.

“The whole situation is a bit of a strange one – I did not see it coming at all,” British player Jodie Burrage told BBC Radio 5 Live.

“We can all speculate and guess but speaking from experience of stopping with coaches, sometimes it is innocent and there’s not too much in it, it just doesn’t work.

“But that coaching relationship was working – with what he achieved, how could it not be? It’s mind-blowing, really.”

Following the split, Ferrero told Spanish sport newspaper Marca, external he had believed things would continue as they were and he would head to the Australian Open as Alcaraz’s coach.

However, the 2003 French Open winner said there were “certain issues” when it came to resolving contracts.

“Perhaps they could have been resolved if we had sat down to talk, but in the end, we didn’t, and we decided not to continue,” Ferrero said

“It’s clear that it’s been a radical change for everyone. Adapting isn’t easy. For me, obviously, it’s not a pleasant time at all.”

Former British player Naomi Broady said she could see “cracks” in the pair’s relationship when she commentated on Alcaraz’s defeat by Cameron Norrie at October’s Paris Masters.

“Alcaraz played pretty terribly. There was a lot of tension,” Broady said.

“You don’t really see it from him on the court but he was really shouting at his box and he was getting a bit back, so there were definitely cracks.”

Samuel Lopez – who joined Alcaraz in 2024 and has coached him when Ferrero missed tournaments for personal reasons – has remained in his team.

“I have the same team that I had last year. Just one member missing. But the rest of the team, everyone are the same,” Alcaraz added.