Carlos Alcaraz's New Coach Addresses Claims Of Ferrero 'Distancing' Himself

Monday, 23 December 2024 at 16:42

Updated at Monday, 23 December 2024 at 16:46

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byErik Virostko

Carlos Alcaraz will work with two coaches in 2025, but that doesn't mean that his current coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero, is distancing himself.

The 44-year-old Spaniard, who reached the ATP World No. 1 rank in his tennis career, has worked with Alcaraz since 2018. In recent years, the two have enjoyed plenty of success, but that didn't stop them from adding another member to their team.

Samuel Lopez joined Alcaraz's team for the 2025 season. He joined the four-time major winner's team after leaving that of Pablo Carreno Busta, who he worked with for almost a decade.

It was a big career shift for Lopez, who is an experienced 54-year-old coach. Working with Alcaraz will present a new challenge for him, as will working alongside another coach.

Lopez's arrival in the team raised some questions. One of those was whether Ferrero might start distancing himself and give the role of the main coach to someone else.

That, however, is not true at all, according to Lopez. He spoke to Punto de Break, explaining that Ferrero would certainly not start distancing himself.

On top of that, Lopez also explained that while "on paper," he and Ferrero will be on the same level, Ferrero will remain Alcaraz's head coach and technically also the 54-year-old's "boss."

"No, no... Juan Carlos is very involved, he is very happy and motivated with the project and the team. The idea is that he continues to be the head coach, the boss."

"As much as he says that we are both on the same level, the reality is different (laughs). I am very close to him, almost on par, but the one who is in charge is Juan Carlos."

Another question that Lopez received was related to traveling. Not only tennis players but also coaches have to travel a lot to attend various tournaments around the world.

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In the past, Ferrero already missed some of the events, and Lopez's appointment might have been related to the former ATP World No. 1's busy schedule.

Lopez, however, insisted that when it comes to traveling, this new appointment won't be a significant change for him either, as he was used to traveling with Carreno Busta, and he will need to do the same with Alcaraz.

"That's what people think, but Pablo and I spent many weeks in Barcelona. It's true that I haven't travelled to many tournaments in recent years, but for me going to Barcelona for a week is like travelling."

"We haven't talked about this, but in this sense, I think I also win. Last week we went to Murcia every day, by car, but at 5:00 pm I was back home. Now I won't just be here more, at the Academy, but I'll also be at home more with my family. After all, I'm 54 years old..."