MADRID – Almost three months after the break-up between Carlos Alcaraz and Juan Carlos Ferrero, the situation of the two protagonists is diametrically opposed.
While the tennis player is enjoying one of the best runs of his career, undefeated since January and champion of the Australian Open and Doha, the coach is still coming to terms with the pain of the separation. Ferrero wants to see Alcaraz, hug him, sit down with him and smooth things over. And, why not, think about a second chance.
‘They say that second chances are never good, but there are some films where they are… Deep down in my heart, I couldn’t say no to Alcaraz,’ said the former coach in an interview broadcast on Thursday by La Sexta, one of Spain’s leading television channels.
‘Emotionally, I’m (better). Three months have passed and we have to move forward. But breakups are painful, and this has been a significant breakup. After seven years and all the time invested, it’s hard and sad. When I see him play, on the one hand you want him to do very well, and on the other, it makes you sad not to be there.’
Alcaraz and Ferrero parted ways in December 2025 after a seven-year relationship. They started when Alcaraz was a 15-year-old boy and ended with the tennis player already a legend of the sport, winner of six Grand Slams and number one in the world rankings. The split was a bombshell in the tennis world and, months later, it is still a topic of conversation.
During the interview with La Sexta, Ferrero did not elaborate on the reasons for the break-up. ‘Because we didn’t see eye to eye on how to move forward. I asked for certain conditions and he had others. These are internal matters,’ he replied when the interviewer asked him for further details. ‘Family and the environment may have influenced it, yes,’ he added, fuelling the theory that his relationship with Carlos Alcaraz’s father was not at its best.
Although he did not give any new details about the break-up, Ferrero did reveal that he has not seen Alcaraz since the ATP Finals in Turin in November 2025. They then took holidays and have never met again. However, they have exchanged messages.
“I wrote to him again after Australia and also afterwards, in Doha. And also to the whole team. I have no problem with that, in fact I’m looking forward to seeing him so I can give him a hug, normalise everything that has happened and maybe play golf if it works out. I think we still have a chat pending, I’d like to, just to remember everything we’ve been through. And have a quiet coffee and a hug, I’d love that. We have it pending and it’s going to happen,” explained Ferrero in one of the most emotional moments of the conversation with Josep Pedrerol, one of the star presenters of Spanish sports journalism.
Ferrero also referred to the fact that he stopped following Alcaraz on Instagram, although, as he admits, it hasn’t served his purpose very well. ‘I don’t follow Carlos on Instagram because I need a little time to separate myself. But in the end, if I look at Instagram, he’s everywhere, because I follow tennis and tournament accounts and you see the same thing. But I didn’t do it out of spite, not at all.’
Involved for a few weeks now in a new adventure as coach to golfer Ángel Ayora, the former world number one believes that sooner or later he will return to the tennis circuit. “Yes, I think I have a lot to teach. I’m not yet ready in terms of enthusiasm and motivation to be on the circuit. I need a little time, and when someone comes along and I really see that I’m excited and that I can give 100%, I’ll be back,” said Ferrero.
The former world number one also spoke of his reservations about Alcaraz’s festive spirit, his need to live ‘his own way’ and to take breaks from the circuit to truly disconnect.
‘There are many players who cannot live in two worlds: that of work, talent, sacrifice and discipline, while at the same time mixing it with going on holiday four or five times here and there, spending five or six days without training and then coming back and finding that everything is the same. Many people cannot do it.’
“So, from my understanding, at first I thought he wasn’t going to make it. But he’s proving that he’s the kind of person who can do it. The future, who knows. No one can guess. Will it work for him? I hope so. I hope I’m wrong. But I’m saying that it’s difficult for many people to mix certain things, because those distractions are often very tempting. They call you, and you want to do them more and more, because they’re plans that can hook you.‘
’But if you know how to differentiate between when it’s time to have fun and when it’s time to work, as he’s showing he’s doing, it can be good for you. You can reset, refresh your mind, renew yourself and come back motivated. And he’s showing that he’s doing it.”
