What Jannik Sinner said about ‘slave to tennis’ comment by Carlos Alcaraz’s coach

Ewan West 07 Nov 2025 11:21 AM

Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Juan Carlos Ferrero

Jannik Sinner with Carlos Alcaraz and Juan Carlos Ferrero inset

Jannik Sinner has given his opinion on the tennis philosophy of Juan Carlos Ferrero, the former world No 1 who coaches his chief rival Carlos Alcaraz.

Sinner and Alcaraz are the top two players on the ATP Tour by a massive margin, and they currently share the biggest rivalry in the sport.

The pair have faced off five times in 2025, with all of these meetings coming in finals in the last six months, including the last three Grand Slam finals. Alcaraz leads the overall head-to-head 10-5 (including a retirement from Sinner in the Cincinnati final).

Jannik Sinner weighs in on Juan Carlos Ferrero’s tennis philosophy

Jannik Sinner has given his verdict on the “slave to tennis” philosophy shared Carlos Alcaraz’s coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero
The Italian revealed he prefers to use the word “passion” to describe his dedication to the sport
Sinner explained that tennis taught him he can find himself after playing a lot of sports in his childhood

Alcaraz has been coached by Ferrero since joining the 2003 French Open champion’s academy in Alicante as a 16-year-old in 2018.

The Spaniard has won all 24 of his ATP Tour titles to date, including his six Grand Slams, with Ferrero in his team.

What did Juan Carlos Ferrero say about being “a slave” to tennis?

In April, the Netflix documentary series, Carlos Alcaraz: My Way, was released, and the Spanish star’s approach to his career was the central theme.

Alcaraz explained that he wants to achieve his lofty ambitions without compromising his happiness.

“Right now my biggest fear of all is ending up seeing tennis as an obligation,” Alcaraz said.

“Sometimes I feel like I am enslaved to tennis and that causes anxiety, frustration, doubts.”

Ferrero also featured in the series, and he made some revealing comments about Alcaraz’s philosophy being at odds with the way the 22-year-old’s team views the sport.

“I guess if you want to be the greatest player in history, you have to be a slave to the game,” Ferrero asserted.

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The former world No 1 added: “His understanding of work and sacrifice is so different from ours.

“It’s so different that it makes me doubt whether ‘his way’ of doing things will help him become the best in the world.”

What did Jannik Sinner say about Juan Carlos Ferrero’s comments?

In an interview with Sky Sport Italy, Sinner was asked if he agreed with Ferrero’s “slave to tennis” view of the game.

“I would use another term, I would say passion. I have a lot of passion in what I do,” said the four-time Grand Slam champion.

“I was lucky enough to practise a lot of sports as a kid, I played football, I did ski, I did cycling, running… but tennis taught me I can find myself.

“Anything can happen outside the court, but on court I feel safe. And especially when things are good, you need to work more because when you feel good the mind learns every tiny detail.

“When you lose, you’re more negative and it doesn’t make sense to go on court at times.

“In tennis, you have to make a lot of sacrifices, but for me it will always be the most important thing, until I decide it’s like this.

“The moment I realise it’s over, that my body doesn’t respond to me anymore, I will stop.”