Carlos Alcaraz’s contract ‘ultimatum’ to Juan Carlos Ferrero was ‘outrageous’, says Olympic medallist
The manner of Carlos Alcaraz’s split with long-time coach Juan Carlos Ferrero has been criticised and labelled “outrageous” by a former basketball star and Olympic medallist.
Alcaraz announced on Wednesday last week that his incredibly successful collaboration with Ferrero had ended, with the news shocking the tennis world.
The Spanish superstar started working with Ferrero as a 16-year-old in 2018 and won all 24 of his titles, including his six majors, with the former world No 1 in his team.
The 22-year-old finished the 2025 campaign as the world No 1 after securing eight titles and reaching 11 finals.
Neither Alcaraz nor Ferrero have directly revealed the reasons for the end of their partnership, but reports have shed some light on the situation, with a source close to Ferrero sharing details to CLAY and RG Media.
“What happened is very simple,” the source stated.
“The contract was annual. The 2025 contract ended at the end of November, and they waited until Saturday the 13th of this month to present a new one and until Monday the 15th at the first hour to sign it. Juan Carlos did not accept it, and they did not want to make any changes.”
According to CLAY, when that contract arrived, Ferrero had two days to read and sign it. He made a counter-offer that was not accepted.
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Another source told CLAY and RG Media that: “There were significant disagreements between Ferrero and Alcaraz’s father about how to manage the player’s career.”
Frederic Weis, a former French basketball player who was a silver medallist at the 2000 Olympics, slammed the way in which the contract negotiations with Ferrero were reportedly handled by Alcaraz’s camp.
“What worries me is the ultimatum, the demand to respond within 48 hours,” Weis said on RMC Sport’s Les Grandes Gueules du Sport radio show
“It’s a very peculiar way of treating someone you’ve worked with for seven years. It’s outrageous.”
What has Juan Carlos Ferrero said about his departure from Carlos Alcaraz’s team?
Ferrero reacted to his split with Alcaraz in a heartfelt statement posted on Instagram, and the six most telling words came in the penultimate paragraph.
“I wish I could have continued,” the former world No 1 wrote.
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