Tony Nadal: The "reason for the split" between Alcaraz and Ferrero is unrelated to tennis

This Wednesday brought shocking news to the tennis world: current world No. 1 Alcaraz has parted ways with his coach Juan Carlos Ferrero after seven years of highly successful collaboration. During their partnership, Alcaraz won 24 titles, including 6 Grand Slams. This year has been the most triumphant season of Alcaraz's career, with two Grand Slam victories and a return to the top of the ATP rankings. With less than a month until the 2026 Australian Open, this announcement came as quite a surprise.

Tony Nadal

According to Tony Nadal, uncle and former coach of Rafael Nadal, the cause behind this event "goes beyond tennis itself." In an interview with a Spanish radio station, Tony Nadal said, "This news surprised me, especially after the great results Alcaraz and Ferrero achieved this year. Carlos (Alcaraz) ended up as world No. 1 and won two Grand Slam titles, so I think this announcement shocked everyone."

Tony Nadal coached his nephew for most of his career, leaving Nadal’s team in 2017. Afterwards, he coached other players, including Canadian star Felix Auger-Aliassime.

In the interview, Tony Nadal stated: "In all sports, the relationship between player and coach is delicate, and tennis is no exception. The player is the one paying, and usually pays to hear what he wants." He compared Ferrero and Alcaraz’s partnership to his own with Nadal, noting that he started coaching Nadal when he was 3 years old, while Ferrero began working with Alcaraz at age 14.

Tony Nadal explained that initially their relationship was straightforward: the player was still a child, so the coach naturally made all the decisions. However, as the player matures, the desire for * grows, and the balance of power inevitably shifts, sometimes leading to conflicts. Tony continued: "In my view, the decision was made by Alcaraz, since Ferrero stated he wanted to continue coaching. So I believe the reason is not related to tennis. I’m not sure if it’s financial; I don’t think so. It must be something outside of tennis. Because regarding tennis, Alcaraz must be satisfied with Ferrero’s work all along."

Tony Nadal said: "I really hope Ferrero can remain his coach until the end of his career. He has given a lot to Alcaraz and done an excellent job... but when a player makes such a decision, there must be a reason. Still, I don’t think it will affect him much because Alcaraz is an outstanding player."

According to Spanish media, Alcaraz has appointed assistant coach Samuel López as interim head coach. López coached Busta from 2015 to 2024, during which they won seven ATP Tour titles and earned a bronze medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. López joined Alcaraz’s team before the 2025 season.

(Translation/Wang Fei, Photo/Li Jianyi)