1997 US Open runner-up Greg Rusedski suspects that there may have been some "scheduling disagreements" between Carlos Alcaraz and Juan Carlos Ferrero that led to a shocking split.
On Wednesday, the tennis world was rocked by the news of Alcaraz and Ferrero parting ways after seven years together and six Grand Slams won. The 22-year-old Spaniard started working with the 2003 French Open champion even before turning pro - became one of the most dominant players under his guidance - and they looked like a perfect player/coach duo.
However, anyone familiar with Ferrero knows that the Spanish tennis legend is very high on professionalism. And with that being said, some speculate that Alcaraz playing exhibition tournaments instead of fully prioritizing the 2026 Australian Open may have caused some disagreements between the two.
Rusedski thinks 'scheduling disagreements' may have led to the Alcaraz and Ferrero split
Im not surprised. I would not be surprised if there were some disagreements over scheduling over the last few weeks because Carlos got injured in the ATP Tour event in Tokyo, he then got injured again at the ATP Finals, but he has still be playing on the exhibition circuit. You look at the recent documentary on Netflix and you can see that Carloss team want him to be ultra professional to try and reach the levels of the greats of the game like Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic," Rusedski said on his podcast "Off Court with Greg."
Alcaraz played against Frances Tiafoe in New York on December 8th before meeting Joao Fonseca in Miami the following day.
The offseason is a crucial time of the year to prepare for the new season, but Carlos is at an age where he thinks he can keep going and nothing will happen to him. That might not be the case," Rusedski added.
Alcaraz paid tribute to Ferrero in a lengthy Instagram post. The 2003 French Open champion did the same, but also indicated in his message that he "wanted to continue" with the world No. 1, and that the split wasn't his choice.
