Carlos Alcaraz warned judgement day is coming as he is praised for making ‘massive adjustment’

Kevin Palmer 20 Jan 2026 7:00 PM

Carlos Alcaraz and Greg Rusedski

The verdict on the impact of Carlos Alcaraz’s decision to split with his coach Juan Carlos Ferrero can only be made when he reaches the back end of Grand Slam events, according to former British No 1 Greg Rusedski.

The tennis world was stunned last month as Alcaraz confirmed he was ending his long-standing partnership with Ferrero, as the duo that won six Grand Slam titles together since 2022 went their separate ways.

Ferrero has made it clear that it was not his decision to split with Alcaraz and the world No 1 spoke about the decision for the first time prior to his opening match at the Australian Open.

“We decided to do it. I’m just having plenty of confidence of the team that I have right now,” said Alcaraz as he was asked about the exit of Ferrero.

“I think every chapter of life, there is a time that has to be end. We decided like this.

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“I have to say that I’m really grateful for these seven years with Juan Carlos. I learned a lot. Probably thanks to him I’m the player that I am right now.

“But internally, we decided like this. We closed this chapter mutually. We, as I said, both are still friends, good relationship. But we just decided like this.”

It was clear that there was a dispute over a contract renewal with Ferrero and while Rusedski has previously suggested he could see a scenario where Ferrero returns to the Alcaraz team, he suggests the moment of truth may soon be approaching over the decision to shake up his team.

“For me, it’s going to be how he performs at the Slams without Juan Carlos Ferrero,” Rusedski said, on the latest edition of his Off Court with Greg podcast.

“I think he wanted to draw a line under it [in his press conference] because he doesn’t want to have that question repeatedly asked to him throughout the tournament.

“Time will tell. I’m sticking with my prediction that they might get back together by the end of the year, but from his statements, who knows what’s going to happen.”

Alcaraz has also revealed a major change in his service set-up at the Australian Open, with the change coming after he split with the coach who has shaped his game.

The set-up on the Alcaraz serve now looks very similar to that of Novak Djokovic, with the 24-time Grand Slam champion confirming he has messaged his young rival and jokingly asked for a percentage of his prize money after following his lead.

Rusedski was one of the great servers in tennis in a career that saw him reach the 1997 US Open final and he is surprised to see the Spaniard make such a big change on his serve heading into 2026 with new lead coach Sami Lopez.

“I actually think it’s a big change,” he added. “The wrist position is starting up higher and it gets him in the throwing position in a better way and also, he is more balanced.

“There is less things that can go wrong so I think it’s a really good change. He’s always getting better.

“It’s a massive thing to make that adjustment, especially after he served so well last year and won eight titles, but I think it is the right way forward.

“That’s what so interesting in his partnership with Sami Lopez. We know that Djokovic was looking for a super technical coach when he teamed up with Andy Murray and maybe Alcaraz is thinking the same way.

“I like the change. He is better balanced, more productive and it’s also better on the body.”