How Carlos Alcaraz and Juan Carlos Ferrero responded to Netflix documentary speculation
It is the split that has got the tennis world talking, and the sudden news that Carlos Alcaraz and Juan Carlos Ferrero will no longer be working together has taken many by surprise.
Reaction to the world No 1’s announcement that he had parted ways with Ferrero, his coach of seven years, has been extraordinary, making this one of the biggest tennis stories of 2025.
Since the announcement was made on Wednesday, rumours have circulated as to what caused the split and how this took place, speculation that looks set to continue — with neither Alcaraz nor Ferrero commenting since their initial statements.
However, some are now looking back at the six-time Grand Slam champion’s Netflix documentary, Carlos Alcaraz: My Way, as showing potential signs of tension and a disconnect between the two.
Here, we look at what was on display in the documentary and how both Alcaraz and Ferrero responded at the time.
What was shown in the documentary?
Carlos Alcaraz: My Way was largely a ‘paint by numbers’ look at Alcaraz’s life, and his rise from tennis prodigy to one of the greatest players of the modern era.
Little of what was shown came as new information, with Alcaraz’s closeness to his family and ambition of all-time greatness — key factors in the documentary — all well known before it was released back in April.
However, one key element that did emerge — and took some by surprise — was a conversation between Alcaraz and Ferrero about the time the star spent away from the court.
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The 22-year-old’s holidays and apparent ‘partying’ in Ibiza have regularly attracted attention, and in the documentary, both Ferrero and his agent, Albert Molina, expressed apparent concerns that too much time away from the court could prove a distraction.
And, a direct conversation between Alcaraz and Ferrero, himself a former world No 1, discussing the direction of the former’s career was shown in the documentary — showcasing the difficult balance the six-time Grand Slam champion tries to maintain between pursuing the demands of an elite career, while also wanting to enjoy life as a young adult.
How did Alcaraz respond?
Reaction to the documentary largely centred around discussions of Alcaraz’s work-life balance, his and Ferrero’s conversation, and how much time players should take away from the game to rest and recharge.
Alcaraz did not comment publicly on the reaction to his and Ferrero’s now-public conversation for a handful of weeks, with the Spaniard forced out of the Madrid Open due to injury in 2025.
But, when he returned at the Italian Open two weeks later, the 22-year-old was keen to dismiss any suggestions of tension between himself and Ferrero.
“I’m not going to say ‘the fight,’ but the conversation we have, coach and player, we all have it,” said Alcaraz, in quotes reported by Tennis.com.
“We all have that conversations about everything: about the tournaments, the practices, the things that I want to do that I probably don’t have to.
“Whoever says they don’t have it, they lie. I think that’s the beauty, you know, having mixed feelings, mixed point of view. At the end we go in the same path. We go all together.
“So, I think that’s beautiful, as well. I think that’s what I saw in the commentary, as well.”
How did Ferrero respond?
Ferrero often conducted interviews during his time as the world No 1’s coach, and also addressed the themes of the documentary head-on.
The former French Open champion was asked in an interview with El Larguero about the reaction to the documentary and how discussions about Alcaraz’s training had been received.
In quotes reported by Punto de Break, Ferrero was eager to defend his then-player, clarifying any suggestions that he had significant issues with Alcaraz’s commitment.
He said: “Now everything is being talked about. Once the documentary came out, we knew there would be negative comments, especially if he loses. If he had lost in Paris [the French Open], surely people would have said he should go to Ibiza.
“Although the documentary talks about his way, Carlos’ way is really about training. We don’t do a lot of training volume, I prefer two hours of absolute quality over four hours with a bad attitude.
“I used to train a lot more before, but the circuit’s demands make us seek quality and effective training. Whenever we’ve asked Carlos to work, he has done it.”
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