The former coach of the world No. 1: “If we had sat down to talk, maybe we could have moved forward, but in the end we didn’t”

Regret over how things ended with Carlos Alcaraz and a nod to his great rival Sinner. “Coach Jannik? You never know, but I’d have to think about it.” Carlos Ferrero breaks his silence just days after parting ways with his protégé, the world No. 1, and his words clearly reveal that he never intended for his relationship with the Murcian to end this way. A bolt from the blue, striking out of nowhere. Ferrero spoke in an interview with Marca, in which he explained the reasons behind the split: “Everything seemed to be going well. It’s true that when a year ends, certain things need to be reviewed regarding contracts, as we’ve always done. Carlos’s team thinks about what’s best for him, and mine thinks about what’s best for me,” said Ferrero. “There were some issues on which both sides disagreed. 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.”

No signs, then, no discord before the parting. Words that sound like a quarrel, like something that broke and neither of them was ready to fix. In a perhaps playful tone, and given that 2026 might be Sinner’s last year with Darren Cahill, Ferrero was asked about the possibility of one day coaching the Italian star: “It’s something I’d have to think about. They’re extraordinary players, but as I said before, this isn’t the time to think about something like that and say yes or no. Now is the time to get through this difficult period, because I still think about Carlos every day and it’s not the time to think about others. It wouldn’t be easy. I adapted my style to suit Alcaraz. At the moment I’m not considering other options: I’ve received offers, but I’ve turned them down. Now I need two or three months to find some peace of mind.” A Ferrero who seems genuinely saddened by how things ended with Alcaraz, but without much resentment toward his replacement, Samu Lopez, with whom he had shared the ATP Coach of the Year title just a few days earlier. “It would have been a bit selfish to ask him to stay at the academy and give it up. I thought about his family and the career he might have ahead of him. He has already worked with this type of player, and 2025 has prepared him for what he’ll need to do this year. Alcaraz doesn’t necessarily need a big name or a Grand Slam champion—especially since he’s already experienced certain situations—but he needs to be with someone he gets along with, who instills confidence, values, and a work ethic in him, and Samu can be that person.”