Carlos Alcaraz’s massively successful seven-year partnership with Juan Carlos Ferrero is over, but how did the Spaniard fare when his former coach missed tournaments?
The world No 1 was coached by Ferrero from the age of 16, having started attending his compatriot’s academy in 2018.
The 22-year-old won all 24 of his singles titles, including six Grand Slams and eight Masters 1000 crowns, while Ferrero was his head coach. Alcaraz became the youngest world No 1 in ATP history after winning his maiden major title at the 2022 US Open at the age of 19 years and four months.
Ferrero, who is a former world No 1 and French Open winner, received the ATP Coach of the Year Award in both 2022 and 2025.
Alcaraz will continue to work with Samuel Lopez, who coaches at Ferrero’s academy.
Lopez joined Alcaraz’s team as his second coach in December 2024 having already coached the Spanish star at events Ferrero did not attend.
Here, we look at how Alcaraz performed in tournaments at which he did not have Ferrero in his coaching box.
2022 Miami Open
Alcaraz was coached by Lopez at the 2022 Miami Open, where he claimed his maiden Masters 1000 title
Ferrero missed the majority of the tournament due to the death of his father, but he surprised Alcaraz by flying in on the day of the final, in which the Spaniard defeated Casper Ruud in straight sets.
Alcaraz and Ferrero celebrated the triumph with an emotional embrace.
2023 Queen’s Club Championships
At the 2023 edition of the Queen’s Club Championships, Alcaraz secured his first career grass-court title, with Lopez his coach in the absence of Ferrero. He overcame Alex de Minaur in straight sets in the final.
2024 Australian Open
Ferrero was unable to attend the 2024 Australian Open with Alcaraz as he was recovering from knee surgery.
Coached by Lopez, Alcaraz reached the quarter-finals before losing to Alexander Zverev in four sets.
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2025 Qatar Open
Alcaraz’s first tournament with Lopez as his only coach since officially adding the Spaniard to his team was the 2025 Qatar Open.
He fell in three sets to Jiri Lehecka in the last eight of the ATP 500 event in Doha.
2025 Monte Carlo Masters
In the absence of Ferrero, Alcaraz collected his maiden Monte Carlo crown at the 2025 edition of the historic clay-court Masters tournament.
With Lopez in his box, Alcaraz overcame Lorenzo Musetti in the championship match.
2025 Cincinnati Masters
Alcaraz was accompanied by Lopez at this year’s Cincinnati Masters, with Ferrero remaining in Europe until the US Open.
The Spaniard clinched his first title at the hard-court Masters event when Jannik Sinner was forced to retire trailing 0-5 in the final.
2025 Japan Open
After Alcaraz’s US Open triumph, Ferrero did not travel with the world No 1 and Lopez to the 2025 Japan Open.
Alcaraz won the title on his debut at the ATP 500 in Tokyo, beating Taylor Fritz in straight sets in the final.
Carlos Alcaraz’s record with Samuel Lopez in the absence of Juan Carlos Ferrero
At the seven tournaments at which Alcaraz was coached by Lopez in the absence of Ferrero (since the start of 2022), the Spanish star claimed five titles and also exited at the quarter-final stage twice.
Alcaraz’s win-loss record across these events is a sensational 33-2 (94.3%), well above his overall career win rate of 81.2% — albeit from a small sample size.
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