Carlos Alcaraz and his tennis coach Juan Carlos Ferrero have decided to go their separate ways. In a fairly quiet off season with little in the way of news or stories to report, this bombshell dropped today; Alcaraz and Ferrero are to split up.
We can speculate as to the reasons for the split but only the pair will know why. On the surface, this partnership seemed pretty bomb proof. Two grand slam winners, fellow Spaniards and multiple grand slam winners, the friendship and relationship seemed solid. 6 grand slams later, the Alcaraz and Ferrero partnership was growing in success. The rivalry with Jannik Sinner also helped to drive the popularity of Alcaraz and in turn his star coach Juan Carlos Ferrero.
Ideal time to split?
Is this an ideal time to split up? A new season can allow for a fresh start and Alcaraz may want to have another voice in his corner. The Australian Open is a little over 4 weeks away and Alcaraz will surely want to finalise his travel plans soon especially to give himself the best preparation.
Tactical Change?
Will a new coach want to evolve Alcaraz tactics? Sinner seems to take Alcaraz losses more personally than others. He goes back to the drawing board and he evaluates his game and his shortcomings and comes back with even more variety. Alcaraz is so far ahead of the chasing pack that his game is so rounded and broad. Put simply, Alcaraz can win a tennis match in so many different ways. The one area where he isn’t as strong as the others is the serve. Federer, Nadal and Djokovic all developed their serves in their careers to get cheaper points. Looking longer term perhaps this is an area that Alcaraz will be keen to develop