Juan Carlos Ferrero tells Carlos Alcaraz what he ‘needs to do’ to become the GOAT
Carlos Alcaraz’s former coach Juan Carlos Ferrero has revealed what he believes the world No 1 “needs to do” to become the greatest player of all time.
In December, Alcaraz and Ferrero parted ways, bringing an end to a seven-year partnership that featured 24 titles, including six Grand Slams.
Alcaraz started attending Ferrero’s academy in Villena in 2018 when he was 15, and he became the youngest ATP world No 1 in history after winning his maiden major at the 2022 US Open aged 19.
Samuel Lopez, who coaches at Ferrero’s academy, is now Alcaraz’s head coach, having previously worked in tandem with Ferrero.
In his first tournament since splitting with Ferrero, Alcaraz secured his maiden Australian Open title to become the youngest man to complete the career Grand Slam.
The 22-year-old then won the Qatar Open in February before falling in the semi-finals in Indian Wells and the third round in Miami last month. He is in action this week at the Monte Carlo Masters, where he is the reigning champion.
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In an interview with Marca, Ferrero was asked if he believes Alcaraz can become the best player in history.
“Yes, of course. What he needs to do is keep his motivation intact,” said the former world No 1.
“He needs to stay motivated when he’s achieving all the goals he’s set for himself, and then, when his motivation isn’t at 100%, professional discipline has to kick in.
“I think Carlos will stay motivated because he knows he has some very important players ahead of him, players who have achieved great success, and he wants to be one of them.
“I don’t see any reason to think his motivation will drop in the short term, and I hope he stays at this level for a long time because he’ll have opportunities to win major titles.”
The 2003 French Open champion was also asked if he congratulated his former team after Alcaraz won the 2026 Australian Open.
“Yes, yes, obviously. I already congratulated them when they reached the final, and I congratulated them again after they made history, as Carlos and his entire team have done,” Ferrero said.
“It’s a very commendable achievement, and they deserved that congratulation. And I’m happy that it worked out for them.
“It was a very clear goal that Carlos had for the last few years, and to be the youngest in history to achieve it, I’m very proud of them all.”
