Carlos Alcaraz split with Juan Carlos Ferrero sparks ‘married couple’ comparison
Leading coach Patrick Mouratoglou has given his verdict on the “huge shock” of Carlos Alcaraz’s split with Juan Carlos Ferrero and made an interesting “married couple” comparison.
Alcaraz announced on Wednesday that he had parted ways with Ferrero, bringing an end to an incredibly successful collaboration.
The 22-year-old won all 24 of his ATP Tour singles titles while working with Ferrero, having joined the former world No 1’s academy in 2018 when he was just 16.
The world No 1 expressed his appreciation for Ferrero’s role in his career in a message posted on Instagram.
“Thank you for turning my childhood dreams into reality,” Alcaraz wrote.
“We started this journey when I was just a kid, and throughout this time you’ve accompanied me on an incredible adventure, both on and off the court. And I’ve thoroughly enjoyed every step of it with you.
“We reached the top, and I feel that if our sporting paths had to diverge, it should be from up there. From the place we always worked towards and always aspired to reach.”
Ferrero reacted to the split in a heartfelt statement and admitted he wished he could have continued coaching Alcaraz.
Neither Alcaraz nor Ferrero have confirmed the reason for the end of their partnership, but it has been reported that the coach’s relationship with Alcaraz’s father “had been deteriorating for some time.”
On his Instagram account, Mouratoglou suggested that the only “doubts” over Alcaraz and Ferrero’s relationship emerged in the Spaniard’s Netflix documentary series.
“It was a huge shock, huge for everybody. Nobody expected Carlos and Juan Carlos to break up. We had really the feeling that this collaboration was for life,” said the Frenchman, who is a former coach of Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka.
“At that age, when you have a very long-term collaboration, the relationship takes another turn and it becomes really almost family.
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“It was working incredibly well, that’s also a point. Carlos was crazy successful. So when you put all this together, nobody imagined that this would break at some point.
“The only reason why there was a doubt was the documentary on Netflix. To be able to coach well, the player needs to feel understood. And the coach has to feel, ‘I can have an impact on what’s important.’
“I would make a parallel that maybe will sound strange, but it’s exactly like a couple. You know, there are a married couple — you think that they are the ideal couple. You think, wow, I wish my couple would be as great as theirs. And six months later, they break up and everybody says, ‘how come?’
“This breakup between Carlos and Juan Carlos shows that nobody knows what’s happening behind closed doors. It’s a difficult moment for Carlos, for sure, especially being so close to a Grand Slam. Nobody can say what’s going to happen, nobody.”
Patrick Mouratoglou previously questioned Juan Carlos Ferrero’s comments about Carlos Alcaraz
In Carlos Alcaraz’s Netflix documentary series, Carlos Alcaraz: My Way (released in April 2025), Ferrero made a revealing admission about Alcaraz’s approach to the sport being at odds with his team’s philosophy.
“His understanding of work and sacrifice is so different from ours,” said Ferrero. “It’s so different that it makes me doubt whether ‘his way’ of doing things will help him become the best in the world.”
Mouratoglou revealed in May that he was surprised by Ferrero’s public criticism of Alcaraz.
“I was very surprised to read that his coach said publicly that he was not committing 100%. It will bring a lot of criticism. It’s really difficult to manage that,” Mouratoglou said.
“Apparently, the way he deals with pressure is to not commit 100%, which is actually a behaviour that is quite usual for professional athletes. That’s a way to take pressure away.
“Is it the right way? For sure not. I would try to solve the problem between him and me. He (Ferrero) probably did try and probably doesn’t work, so probably, he goes to the next level. Ferrero is trying to motivate his player.
“Is it the right way? I don’t know. If it works, then bravo. If it hurts the player and hurts the relationship between the two, then I would say it’s not a good job.
“So, we will see what are the consequences — the positive one or the negative one, or maybe a bit of both. Let’s see how Carlos received it. Maybe he will have a reaction to that, a positive one. But it’s risky.”
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