MADRID – When Carlos Alcaraz and Juan Carlos Ferrero announced their separation in mid-December, all kinds of names immediately appeared as to who would be the man to sit on the number one’s bench. Carlos Moyà, David Ferrer, Andy Murray… even Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal. Few, very few, thought that Samuel López would be the final choice.
‘They wanted to put many (former) professional tennis players as my coach. I don’t think that’s entirely fair. Samuel, not having been number one, not having been a top professional tennis player, is perhaps not recognised as he really deserves,’ Alcaraz himself defended him after his successful debut at the Australian Open.
‘Samu is one of the best, if not the best coach in the world right now, and I think he deserves recognition because he brings things that no other coach today can bring,’ he added.
For those who do not regularly follow tennis, Samuel López may be unknown. For those who do regularly follow tennis, Samuel López may be one of the most reliable coaches on the circuit. There is his track record: he can boast of having taken two players to the world top ten at a time in history when competition for the top spots was fiercer than ever.
Nicolás Almagro, from Murcia like Alcaraz, reached number 9 in the ATP rankings in May 2011, when he was only surpassed by Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Robin Soderling, David Ferrer, Tomas Berdych and Jürgen Melzer. Years later, in September 2017, Pablo Carreño reached number ten in a ranking where he was only surpassed by Nadal, Federer, Murray, Alexander Zverev, Marin Cilic, Djokovic, Dominic Thiem, Stan Wawrinka and Grigor Dimitrov. And there are no coincidences in a sport as demanding and brutal as tennis.
‘There are few coaches who know the circuit as well as Samu. Perhaps Ferrero is better known for having been number one, but Samu has much more experience on the circuit,’ a person who shares his daily life with Alcaraz told CLAY. He is right: in fact, Samuel López was a member of Ferrero’s coaching staff, led by Antonio Martínez-Cascales, during his early days on the sidelines.
He has been travelling to the best tournaments in the world for more than two decades. Born in Alicante in 1970, Samuel López has always been involved in tennis.
When he was just 20 years old, he helped Martínez-Cascales set up the Equelite academy in Villena, now the Juan Carlos Ferrero Academy, the cradle of great tennis players such as Ferrero, Carreño, Almagro, Alcaraz, Ferrer and Guillermo García-López. As a member of the coaching staff, he helped all these players on an ad hoc basis and also made a solo career with Almagro and Carreño.
While still coaching Carreño, in 2023 Samuel López began travelling with Alcaraz on an occasional basis. Carreño had a very complicated elbow injury at the time and Ferrero needed someone he could trust completely. His debut was at Queen’s 2023 and Alcaraz won the title. It was a good omen. In 2024, Samuel López even became Alcaraz’s head coach at the Australian Open, a tournament that Ferrero was unable to travel to due to knee surgery.
Slim as a stick and a lover of painting – he has even exhibited some of his works – Samuel López has always cultivated a low profile. Never a word too many, never a controversy, always a smile, always with his feet on the ground. Until now, however, he had never been under the microscope and constant scrutiny. And as Alcaraz’s coach, as the coach of the best tennis player on the planet, he will attract more and more attention. He, say his people, takes it in his stride.
‘Samu is a very hard-working, very humble person. And the important thing is that Carlos is super motivated with him, which in the end is what matters,’ a person close to Alcaraz told CLAY. “Samu is not as demanding as Ferrero, but he’s not going to let him relax either. Things are going to go well for him because Samu is a very serious guy when it comes to work, very meticulous, tactically very good and knows how to read the player. He’s also approachable and humble. And all of that is very good for Carlitos.”
