Suddenly the bomb exploded. The tsunami came at the moment of greatest calm. Because these are preparation days and there are still a little more than two weeks until the start of the new tennis year. The news appeared at midday in Spain and in the morning in Argentina. And this message marked that Carlos Alcaraz And Juan Carlos Ferrero They parted ways after more than seven and a half years, 24 titles – six Grand Slam titles – and a world number 1, which the Murcian reached for the first time when he was just 19 years old (he was the youngest tennis player to reach this position in the rankings) and which today looks brilliant after a 2025 in which he won more than anyone else. After the impact, the certainty: something had to have happened for society to collapse. Something must have happened that Alcaraz and Ferrero are no longer together. And that something was actually two anything after both published the decision on their social networks.
The first to come out to announce the news to the world was Alcaraz. “Juanki and I have decided to end our time together as coach and player,” the Instagram post began, thanking Ferrero for “turning childhood dreams into reality.” The other party’s voice immediately sounded. And then the coach stated: “I would have liked to have continued. I am convinced that good memories and good people always cross paths. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.” That was the point. This “I would have liked to have continued” left open the semi-complete certainty that Alcaraz was ultimately the one who decided to break the tie.
While daze and dismay are still very present among all tennis lovers and especially… Spain Surprise and also sadness abound, several media outlets in this country provided information and revealed important aspects of the differences that ultimately separated them.
One of these aspects was the economic differences in which the two met while negotiating a new contract. According to journalist Javier de Diego of Radio Nacional España, this was the first insurmountable obstacle that was already perceived 24 hours before the cut, with a discussion in the middle.
Apparently Ferrero had financial expectations of a fixed salary that Alcaraz’s entourage (read: father) did not want to agree to, while the high percentage of the player’s income envisaged by the coach was also crucial.
To understand this point, it is important to explain it How much do coaches earn? on the circuit, except that there are different types of agreements depending on the coach and the tennis player. Typically a player pays 10 percent of their remaining net prize money (on average Prize money Due to the tax withholdings of each country, the amount is reduced by around 20 to 25 percent. However, in figures at the level of Alcaraz, which reached a level of almost 19 million gross dollars in 2025, this percentage drops significantly and we can talk about 5 percent, for example. There are also atypical agreements, but many value what the coach means the player’s private life – The relationship between Alcaraz and Ferrero always seemed like that between brothers of different generations – and is paid off accordingly.
The other thing was the relationship between Ferrero and those closest to Alcaraz – especially Carlos, his father – which had been strained for several months, as noted by Angel García of the COPE network and reconfirmed by Ignacio Encabo of Clay magazine. Because? Basically because the player and his family want to make Murcia their training base and because they wanted Ferrero and his team to travel from Villena, where their academy is based. Ferrero never wanted to know anything about this situation.
What will happen now? This has been confirmed Samuel Lopez – who has been in the Alcaraz box since 2024 and is a renowned Spanish coach who, together with Antonio Martínez Cascales, Ferrero’s mentor, even founded the Equelite Academy, later renamed after the 2003 Roland Garros champion himself – but will accompany him to Australia Carlos Alcaraz father and manager Albert Molina They are already focused on hiring a new head coach. Will it be Carlos Moya? Or will it be a cover? Whoever is chosen, the bar is very high.
And what will happen to the game of Alcaraz, who is currently training in Murcia alongside the Italian Cobolli? The doubts are enormous. There were many who expressed surprise and there were also many who risked difficult times. Tony NadalFor example, he clearly assumed that the decision was made by the player and/or those around him and was not based on tennis reasons. “The logical thing was to move on. I would have liked them to always be together,” he said, then referred to the difficulties that arise in the relationship between a tennis player and his coach. “Those who pay do so to hear what they want to hear,” he explained.
Kiko NavarroAlcaraz’s first coach, said: “The decision was more on the side of the environment than on the player’s side because Carlitos is very supportive of his coaches. He was the same with me and I know it was the same with Juan Carlos, but the time came when this decision was made for reasons beyond his control. Juan Carlos did a spectacular job and there is little to blame him for. The people who made the decision, I insist, did not Carlitos will do it.” have their reasons, which I don’t know now.
Meanwhile, two former tennis players who know Alcaraz well also spoke out. Alex Corretja He assured: “There was still a lot to be gained from this relationship; I have the feeling that this shouldn’t be over yet, even if there were differences.” AND Feliciano Lopez expressed: “Carlos will have a hard time finding someone who adapts so well to his environment and his life and brings together everything that Juan Carlos gave him. It is too early in his career for Alcaraz to give up working with someone like him. And I don’t know if he is mentally prepared to face his career without Ferrero.”
In addition to the statements made by both protagonists in their networks, both are expected to make public statements. The novel still has many chapters to complete. It would be good to know what happened. Or perhaps no one outside the red circle will ever know what really happened, as both are loyal to the rules of fierce competition.
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