This Wednesday, weeks after capping off his best tennis season to date, Carlos Alcaraz announced that he had split with Juan Carlos Ferrero, who had been his coach since 2018, when Alcaraz was 15. Both shared statements full of praise and good words for each other, but it was clear, from Ferrero's statement, that the decision to end the partnership came from Carlitos: "I wish I could have continued", said the coach and former Roland Garros winner.
There are several reasons as to this happened. The theory more people have is the disagreements between the player and the coach, with Ferrero being stricter in regards of the holidays and trips Alcaraz took in his days off. As the Netflix documentary "My Way" showed, Alcaraz went on holiday trips with Ferrero disagreeing.
But another, perhaps more realistic reason is that they have different professional projects. Alcaraz used to train in an academy in Villena, Alicante, while recently Alcaraz founded his own academy and foundation in Murcia, closer to his home.
People made the decision for him, former coach suggests
Meanwhile, Kiko Navarro, former coach for Alcaraz before Alcaraz, suggested in an interview with RNE that while the decision to split out came from the player's side, it wasn't him, but other people. "I think the decision was perhaps more influenced by those around him than by the player himself. Carlitos is very supportive of his coaches. He was with me, and I know he was with Juan Carlos.
But there comes a time when, for reasons beyond his control and unrelated to his sporting career, he has to make this decision, and what better time than now, as world number one? The people who made the decision, who weren't Carlitos, must have their reasons, which I'm currently unaware of."
Finally, Navarro added that this will not mean his career will be less successful. "People are worried about this change and about Ferrero, but believe me, Alcaraz's career will continue to be successful with whoever he is, whether it's Samuel or someone else. Ultimately, Carlitos is a phenomenon, and he quickly becomes good friends with his new coaches, so have no doubt that the successes will continue."