Carlos Alcaraz's 2026 season will begin directly at the Australian Open, where the current world number one will be under even more pressure than usual.
Not only will he have to try to win the only Grand Slam title he still lacks (he has never made it past the quarterfinals at Melbourne Park), but there will also be enormous curiosity to see how he reacts to his separation from Juan Carlos Ferrero.
This collaboration, which began over seven years ago, has enabled the 22-year-old Spaniard to win 24 titles and reach the top spot in the ATP rankings, becoming the leader in men's tennis alongside his huge rival Jannik Sinner.
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The six-time Grand Slam champion, who is coming off a sparkling season in which he won eight titles, will be accompanied only by Samuel Lopez as his coach in Melbourne, but the latest rumors suggest that he is already looking for an experienced person to replace Ferrero.
The news has rocked the tennis world
The star from Murcia has just celebrated 50 weeks as world number 1 and his next goal is to surpass American legend Jim Courier, who spent 58 weeks at the top. To achieve this milestone, he will have to remain number 1 until after the Australian Open. It shouldn't be a particularly difficult goal, considering that Carlitos will defend only 900 points in Melbourne compared to Sinner's 2000.
During the latest episode of The Tennis podcast, former Top 20 player Daria Saville shared some interesting thoughts on the shocking split between Alcaraz and Ferrero: I was actually really sad, its an iconic duo, and every split with a coach feels like a breakup. Thats the other thing, we dont know how well Carlitos is going to play at this years AO, because theres a bit of a grief moment.
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She also added: I dont actually think hes going to be hiring anyone, anytime soon, because hes got an established team. Hes had Samuel Lopez in his corner.
Only time will tell how Carlitos' controversial decision will turn out.
