Former world No.1 explains the reason behind Alcaraz parting ways with coach Ferrero

Carlitos' split with his long-time coach has left experts quite surprised.

Former world No.1 player Yevgeny Kafelnikov recently shared his opinion on the shocking decision of Carlos Alcaraz to end his partnership with coach Juan Carlos Ferrero, suggesting that their collaboration may have become very challenging lately due to external influences and temptations accompanying the young Spaniard’s early success.

Just weeks after the conclusion of the 2025 tennis season, Alcaraz unexpectedly announced the end of his seven-year relationship with Ferrero, who had been by his side since the start of his career. Under the guidance of the former world No.1, Alcaraz won 6 Grand Slam titles, 24 ATP singles trophies, and finished the year ranked No.1 twice, in 2022 and 2025.

This decision caught most experts and fans off guard, as the Alcaraz-Ferrero duo was considered one of the most successful and stable coach-player partnerships in modern tennis.

In an interview with CLAY, Kafelnikov suggested that the core issue might lie in differing professional standards between Ferrero and Alcaraz at this stage of their careers. "Juan Carlos is extremely professional, which was evident even during his playing days. He always demands very high standards from his players.", Kafelnikov commented.

According to the former Russian world No.1, Carlitos’ youth and early global fame make it difficult for him to avoid outside distractions.

"Carlos is only 22 years old, famous, successful, and surrounded by many temptations that come with that. Not everyone at that age can resist them.", Kafelnikov analyzed. He believes this could have made working with Alcaraz more complicated recently.

The ex-Australian Open and Roland Garros champion also opined that Ferrero likely tried to keep Alcaraz fully focused on tennis, shielding him from off-court distractions, which might have sparked conflicts between them.

After Ferrero’s departure, Samuel Lopez, who joined the coaching team full-time before the 2025 season, was assigned to lead Alcaraz. However, Kafelnikov expressed doubts about this choice.

"Why end a relationship that was working so well? There was never any clear sign that things were going wrong.", he questioned, also suggesting that Alcaraz’s family, especially his father, might have played a crucial role in this split.