Carlos Alcaraz says older brother will be his main coach for some of season

Carlos Alcaraz's faith in his brother Alvaro has been made evident by what he said in a recent interview.

Last year, Alcaraz was coached by long-time mentor Juan Carlos Ferrero and Samuel Lopez. That unexpectedly ended when Ferrero split from the Spaniard in December amid rumors of a fallout with his family.

For the first few weeks, Alcaraz said nothing about adding a replacement coach. That made it seem like Lopez would take up the role in a sole capacity, which would not have been a shock after he and the 22-year-old trained without Ferrero at a few tournaments in 2025.

Instead, Alcaraz decided to add Alvaro as his second coach. While players having family members on their team is not unprecedented, Alvaro's lack of previous coaching experience made the move unconventional.

When Alcaraz announced that during his run to the 2026 Australian Open title, it was unclear whether Alvaro would have a status similar to Lopez's or work in a more advisory capacity.

In an interview with Marca, Alcaraz said Alvaro would be his sole coach for some tournaments, but that Lopez is committed to attending most events, including the most significant ones, such as Grand Slams.

It seems like Lopez will be the No. 1 coach with the most authority, but Alvaro is not far behind him in terms of authority. Whether that setup works and helps Alcaraz will become clear over the course of 2026.

Winning Grand Slams is the most physically demanding challenge in tennis, especially for ATP players, since they play best-of-five-set matches. That means resting and recovering after triumphing at Majors is crucial.

Therefore, Carlos Alcaraz's decision to withdraw from the 2026 Rotterdam Open was entirely understandable. He would have defended his title in the Netherlands barely a week after securing his maiden Australian Open title.

Alcaraz has previously complained about the schedule being too crowded, although his critics have called him a hypocrite for saying that and then playing exhibitions in December, the 2025 Laver Cup, and the 2025 Six Kings Slam.

The world No. 1 not playing at the Rotterdam Open is a sign that he is taking his criticism of the calendar and the importance of taking care of his body seriously, which can help him stay the course in a lengthy season.

Last year, Alcaraz did not perform well at March's Indian Wells Open or the Miami Open, failing to reach the final of either event. His defeat against David Goffin in Miami was among the most surprising of 2025.

That loss was followed by an outstanding streak of ten consecutive finals at ATP tournaments. It will be interesting to observe whether Alcaraz can achieve such consistency this season.