Australian Open 2026: Carlos Alcaraz says breakup with Juan Carlos Ferrero is ‘a life chapter that has to end’
Former world number one Ferrero has guided fellow Spaniard Alcaraz to all six Grand Slam victories and once described him as his “fourth child”.
“The whole situation is a bit strange – I didn’t see it happening at all,” England player Judy Burrage told BBC Radio 5 Live.
“We can all speculate and guess, but from experience with suspensions with coaches, sometimes it’s innocent and there’s not a lot to it and it just doesn’t work.
“But this coaching relationship is working – with what he’s accomplished, how could it not be? It’s really exciting.”
After the split, Ferrero told Spanish sports newspaper Marca, external He had believed things would continue and that he would head to the Australian Open as Alcaraz’s coach.
However, the 2003 French Open champion said there were “certain issues” in resolving the contract.
“If we sat down and talked, maybe the problem could be solved, but ultimately we didn’t sit down and we decided not to continue,” Ferrero said.
“Obviously, this is a fundamental change for everyone. It’s not easy to adjust to. Obviously, for me, it’s not a fun time at all.”
Former Great Britain player Naomi Brodie said she could see “cracks” in their relationship when she commented on Alcaraz’s loss to Cameron Nouri at the Paris Masters in October.
“Alcaraz played badly. It was tense,” Brodie said.
“You don’t see him on the pitch but he does yell into his box and he’s counterattacking so there are definitely cracks there.”
Samuel Lopez, who joined Alcaraz in 2024 and served as Ferrero’s coach when he missed games due to personal reasons, remains with his team.
“My team is the same as last year. Only one member is missing. But the rest of the team, everyone is the same,” Alcaraz added.
