A month after the breakup between Carlos Alcaraz and Juan Carlos Ferrero, several questions continue to linger in the air. What really happened for everything to come to an end? Was it money? A matter of academies? Different life philosophies? Was it the player’s decision, or that of his inner circle?
“At the end of the day, unless they clarify it themselves, we’ll never really know why they’re no longer together. But I don’t think Carlos’s father made the decision for his son to stop working with Juan Carlos — that’s my humble opinion from the outside, without knowing the details,” said Marc López in an interview with CLAY also published by RG Media. The Olympic doubles gold medallist in Rio 2016 alongside Rafael Nadal also coached the Spaniard from 2021 until his retirement.
Born in Barcelona in 1982, López has dedicated his entire life to tennis — he retired in 2022, being already part of Nadal’s coaching team — and knows well the ins and outs of player-coach relationships, the influence of parents, and how changes in the box can affect a player’s rhythm. “I hope it doesn’t affect him,” López said. “Now there’s a kind of curiosity about seeing his first tournament without Juan Carlos, and if he loses, people will start saying, ‘Why isn’t he with Juan Carlos anymore?’”
In addition to discussing the world No. 1’s split, López looked back on his time coaching Jasmine Paolini — “Everything went wrong in three days” — analyzed the Alcaraz–Sinner rivalry — “They’ll keep dominating, but I’d like to see another player emerge” — and spoke about the future of his friend Rafael Nadal, whom he doesn’t see following his own path as a full-time coach. “I’d love to see him as Davis Cup captain — that’s where I can picture him,” said López, who is part of the expert commentary team for the Australian Open 2026, broadcast live and exclusively in Spain on HBO Max and Eurosport.
Interview with Marc López
– The season is starting in Australia and all eyes are on Carlos Alcaraz. How do you think the breakup with Ferrero might affect him?
– Well, that depends a lot on each person’s personality. It’s true that Carlos has shown incredible maturity on court for his age — he’s always proven that in key moments and in the tournaments he’s won. It’s true that Australia is a very important tournament, and this will be the first time he doesn’t have the coach he’s worked with since he was 14 years old. It’s something new for him — it’s a process. But the transition won’t be that drastic because he’s already spent a year working with Samuel and has been with him alone at big events. Mentally, I think Carlos is very strong, and if they made this decision — or if he made it — it’s clearly been a thoughtful one. I hope it goes really well for him. That’s what we all want, and I have no doubt he’ll adapt to this new situation because it’s one he’s chosen himself. Hopefully things go just as great for him as they have so far.
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– Do you think it might affect him more because of media pressure than from a tennis standpoint?
– Now there’s a lot of curiosity about his first tournament without Juan Carlos — if he loses, people will start saying, “Why isn’t he with Juan Carlos?” And if he wins, well, that’s another story. He needs to stay above all of that. I don’t know the details; from the outside, it’s a breakup that obviously makes everyone a bit sad because they seemed like such a perfect, exemplary partnership. But nothing lasts forever. It’s true that it was unexpected, and I think — and hope — that it won’t affect him. Could it affect him? Yes. But if there’s anyone who can overcome this kind of situation or adapt quickly, it’s Carlos. At 22, he’s already won so many tournaments and shows amazing maturity for his age. Of course, he won’t have that same close and important figure next to him right now. But maybe he feels that he’s matured and is ready to continue his path without Juan Carlos’s guidance.
– In the days after the split, there was a lot of noise — some said it was more the father’s decision than Carlos’s. You know the circuit and how these coach-parent relationships work. Do you think a split like this can happen without the player’s agreement?
– It’s a delicate issue because, as I said, I’m not on the inside. When players are very young, the father figure can sometimes be helpful, and other times not so much — especially when the parents are more eager for the child to play tennis than the child himself. But in Carlos’s case, we’re talking about a mature player now — 22 years old, with incredible composure for his age. Could the father influence him? I don’t know. From what I’ve heard, his father is a tennis man — someone very proper and respectful. These are details that you can’t really know unless you’re inside the situation. I don’t know if the father got involved or not. In the end, I don’t know whether the decision came from Carlos or his father. People can speculate all they want, try to guess who caused the breakup, but I prefer to focus on the positive. We’ve enjoyed this duo for many years, and now it’s over. I don’t think Carlos’s father was the culprit — I believe there were several factors that led to them not continuing together. In the end, unless they explain it themselves, we’ll never really know why they’re no longer together. But I don’t think Carlos’s father made that decision. That’s just my humble opinion, from the outside, since I don’t know the details. I focus on the good — we’ve enjoyed this incredible partnership that gave us so much joy, and life goes on for both Carlos and Juan Carlos. They’ll both keep succeeding, even separately.
– Looking at the bigger picture in tennis this year — do you think the Alcaraz–Sinner duopoly will continue, or will someone else step up to challenge them for the big titles?
– I think we still have a few more years of this Sinner–Alcaraz dominance ahead of us, because they’re just that good. It’s not that the players behind them aren’t talented — it’s that Sinner and Alcaraz are very, very good, like when Federer and Nadal were at the top. I’d love to see someone else get involved, to push them a bit more and fight for the Grand Slams. Anything can happen in tennis — there are so many factors that can come into play, and there’s a new generation coming up strong. Fortunately, we have two Spanish players, Rafa Jódar and Martín Landaluce, who have great potential. And of course, I can’t forget Davidovich.
– And when do you think their dominance might end?
– In general, I still see a big gap between the rest of the field and Alcaraz and Sinner. From Alcaraz’s point of view, it’s good news because he has less competition for now. I don’t think a real alternative will appear this year — it’ll take some time. But it’s also good for tennis to have Alcaraz and Sinner at the top, because we’re lucky to watch finals and battles like those we used to see with Roger and Rafa. Still, when someone new comes along, it makes everyone better. The more competition, the stronger they all become. So, if things stay as they are — great. But if someone new arrives to challenge them, that would be great too. There are top-ten players who are really good — Musetti is now No. 5. Then there’s Djokovic, who, if the others slip up, will always be there, as he showed last year by reaching semifinals at all the Grand Slams. Zverev, I think, deserves to finally win one.
All those players behind Alcaraz and Sinner need to be ready. Even though it might seem like they’re machines, they’re not — both Sinner and Alcaraz can have a bad day, get sick, or just lose. Tennis isn’t math; it’s sport. And those right behind them are prepared to take their chances if either of them slips. I don’t think that’ll happen soon, but tennis is unpredictable — the sport demands a lot.
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– In that sense, do you think Djokovic made Nadal better?
I think they all made each other better. Rafa made Djokovic better, Rafa made Federer better, and Federer made both of them better. They had a rivalry that was so good, so intense. Everyone wants to be the best in history, and I think that competition among them is what pushed them to win so many Grand Slams. When you know that if you don’t win, the other will — or when you’re playing each other directly and you know the stakes — that drives you to become stronger. Those three made each other great.
– You’re very close friends with Nadal. How do you see him in his first year away from the tour?
– We still talk a lot. Beyond being former teammates, we’re very good friends. We don’t see each other often because he’s traveling for his business projects and spending a lot of time in Mallorca. We don’t see each other as much as before, but we stay in touch. He’s really happy in this new stage of his life.
– Training on tour, Davis Cup captaincy, or in a more organizational role — where do you see him in the future?
– I don’t really see him as a full-time tennis coach, to be honest, mainly because of all the travel. But as a Davis Cup captain, absolutely — I can definitely picture him there. It would be incredible for the players to have him as captain — to have him courtside, sharing practices, would be an amazing experience for any of them. But traveling, even if it’s just 15 weeks a year, I don’t see it. He’s a very family-oriented person, and after so many years on the road, he has two kids now. I’d love to see him in the captain’s chair or in the box coaching someone, but honestly, it’s hard for me to picture it.
– And what about teaming up again on TV, commentating together — a doubles reunion of sorts?
– He’d be amazing at it. I’m not just saying that — everything he does, he does well. As a commentator, he’d be great. I think everyone would love to keep seeing Rafa and enjoy him in a new way. We may have lost him on court, but whatever comes next — whether it’s Davis Cup captain, tournament director, or commentator — will be welcome. It would be another way for us to keep learning from him and seeing things through his eyes. As I always say — and I’ll never get tired of saying it — Rafa is someone worth knowing and listening to. For me, he has everything I’d want my son to have: his humility, his work ethic, his character. He’s the definition of how people should be. He’s someone to look up to — though it’s not easy to be like him.
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