Juan Carlos Ferrero has finally addressed the end of his long and successful partnership with Carlos Alcaraz.
The coach offered clarity on their split that stunned the tennis world.
Rather than pointing to sporting reasons or a breakdown in trust, the former world no. 1 outlined a far more familiar reality in elite tennis. It's about diverging interests when the time comes to renegotiate the future.
They enjoyed a brilliant season, earning the second year-end no. 1 honor. With Carlos standing as the second-youngest six-time Major winner, everyone expected another strong run in 2026 from the dynamic duo.
While their collaboration seemed as productiveas ever, it all changed when the time came for discussions toward contractual and structural matters. That area proved harder to maintain and navigate.
Ferrero made it clear that both sides were acting according to their own priorities, which is natural. Alcaraz's camp focused on what they believed would best serve the player moving forward.
On the other side, Ferrero weighed his own professional conditions and expectations. Somewhere between their talks and discussions, agreement became elusive and harder to reach.
What stands out most is the acknowledgment that the situation might have unfolded differently with more dialogue. From what we know, Carlos' team was not ready for that for some reason.
Unresolved points remained on the table and both sides chose to walk away instead of seeking a compromise. Thus, one of the most successful player-coach link in modern tennis was broken.
They did that with no harsh words, bitterness or public conflict. After all, that was the only way after achieving 24 ATP titles, six Majors, eight Masters 1000 crowns and the title of the youngest ATP world no. 1.
Whatever comes next, that legacy remains intact. After Juan Carlos' words, the separation appears less like a rupture and more like a quiet conclusion to a thrilling chapter.
Nothing was broken, it's just that both sides decided to move forward - separately. While Ferrero will get many offers, Alcaraz is preparing for the upcoming Australian Open, his least successful Major.
Samuel Lopez should be by his side as the leading coach, and they will try to attack the Career Grand Slam, with the 22-year-old trying to become the youngest owner of the most ultimate tennis honor.
"Well, everything seemed to be going well. It's true that when a year ends, certain contract-related matters need to be reviewed. And as with any new contract, looking ahead to the following year, there were certain things we did not agree on.
As with all contracts, one party pulls in one direction and the other in another. Carlos' camp is thinking about what's best for him, and mine is thinking about what's best for me. There were certain issues on which we did not agree.
Perhaps they could have been resolved if we had sat down and talked, but in the end, we did not, and we decided not to continue. That's really what happened.
There are points I will not go into detail about, but we disagreed on them, and ultimately, we went our separate ways," Juan Carlos Ferrero said.
