Several experts and insiders have compared the separation between Carlos Alcaraz and Juan Carlos Ferrero to that between Jannik Sinner and Riccardo Piatti.
The latter had been the coach of the Italian ace during the early years of his career and had contributed to his rise to the highest level, following his growth both on and off the court. However, the star from Sesto Pusteria decided to change course after the clear defeat against Stefanos Tsitsipas at the 2022 Australian Open.
After that match, the current world number 2 understood that it was the right time to change something if he wanted to reach the top of the men's tour and decided to make a risky choice by signing Simone Vagnozzi (who was later joined by the legendary Australian coach Darren Cahill).
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Two different cases
A few days ago, Alcaraz announced his separation from Ferrero with whom he had been collaborating for over seven years. Everyone was speechless when they heard this news, not having fully understood the reasons that had led the world number 1 to change everything after the best season of his career.
In the following days, it came to light that economic and contractual issues would lead to divorce between the parties. Specifically, 'Juanki' no longer got along with Carlitos' father and agent, who were unwilling to change anything in the contract to convince Ferrero to stay in the team.
In the opinion of top journalist Benoit Maylin, this choice cannot be equated with the one made by Sinner a few years ago.
"We all thought that Alcaraz and Ferrero were inseparable, instead money divided them" - explained Maylin. "It's true that Sinner also parted ways with his first coach and had an impressive rise, but it was his decision in that case. It was not Carlos who decided in this case, but there was the intervention of his father and his agent. It will be interesting to see how he reacts to the absence of the one who has shaped his entire career" he concluded.
