Carlos Alcaraz's Ex-Coach Breaks Silence on Unexpected Split

One week ago today, Carlos Alcaraz made the "very difficult decision" to part ways with long-time coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero. Alcaraz won all six of his Grand Slam titles during Ferrero's seven-year coaching tenure.

Some details have trickled out, but we are finally hearing Ferrero's side of the story in a very forthright interview with the Spanish news outlet Marca. The biggest takeaway is that Alcaraz was not the one who made the decision to fire Ferrero.

A big Christmas interview from Juan Carlos Ferrero in MARCA.

“There were issues on which the two parties didn’t agree. It’s possible that they could have been resolved if we had sat down to talk, but in the end we didn’t sit down. That’s what happened. There are points I’m not…
— José Morgado (@josemorgado) December 24, 2025

Ferrero explained that the decision was not made by Alcaraz. Instead, it was Alcaraz's team and Ferrero who disagreed on certain things. It's not true that the problem was financial. Ferrero declined to go into the details but said, "I'm very hurt."

"There were issues on which the two parties didn't agree. It's possible that they could have been resolved if we had sat down to talk, but in the end, we didn't sit down. That's what happened. There are points I'm not going to go into in detail, but on which we didn't see eye to eye, and in the end, we went our separate ways," said Ferrero in the interview.

Ferrero added that he is going through the process of mourning the end of the relationship and was not in an immediate rush to return to coaching. "I need two or three months to be calm and for the pain to pass. After that, if other possibilities arise, we'll consider them."

🇪🇸👇 Juan Carlos Ferrero on his split from Carlos Alcaraz:

“From Carlos' environment, they think of the best for him and I in the best for me.

“There have been certain issues on which both parties have not agreed.

“It may be that it could have been saved if we had sat down… pic.twitter.com/uXtBVPbQxQ
— Olly Tennis 🎾 🇬🇧 (@Olly_Tennis_) December 24, 2025

Ferrero confirmed they ended the season in Turin on a good note, and they all planned to continue working together in 2026. While Ferrero did not hide his hurt feelings, he expressed a high level of confidence in Alcaraz and his newly-appointed coach, Samuel López.

Alcaraz finished 2025 at the World No. 1 with a record of 71-9 with eight singles titles. The six-time Grand Slam champion has his work cut out for him entering 2026. After an exhibition match against Jannik Sinner in Seoul, Alcaraz will try to overcome his past Australian Open struggles.

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