Former coach directly states reason for unfollowing Alcaraz

The decision to part ways with the mentor who helped shape his career, made by Carlos Alcaraz, left many people surprised.

The relationship between Carlos Alcaraz and his long-time coach Juan Carlos Ferrero is drawing significant attention in the tennis world after the former Spanish world No. 1 spoke about his time working with his former pupil and his desire for reconciliation in the future.

Ferrero played a pivotal role in Alcaraz's development. Under the guidance of the former Roland Garros champion, the young Spanish player rose powerfully, winning 6 Grand Slam titles and ascending to the world No. 1 ranking. However, after 7 years together, their coaching relationship unexpectedly ended, leaving many fans feeling regretful.

Currently, Carlitos is working with coach Samuel Lopez, who joined his team at the end of 2024. Under Lopez's guidance, the 22-year-old player has had an impressive start to the 2026 season with a streak of 12 consecutive wins, including 2 titles at the Australian Open and Qatar Open.

In an interview with Spanish journalist Josep Pedrerol on the program El Cafelito, Ferrero candidly shared about his decision to unfollow Alcaraz on Instagram. According to Ferrero, it was not an act of malice but simply a way for him to take some time to distance himself from the surrounding noise.

"I don't follow him because I needed some time to separate.", Ferrero said. "If I open Instagram, everything spreads everywhere again. In the end, that doesn't help at all."

Nevertheless, the 45-year-old former player affirmed that he still wishes to meet his former student to talk frankly and clear up any misunderstandings.

"I want to meet and hug him. Normalize everything that has happened. I think we need a conversation and I truly want to do that.", the former world No. 1 shared.

Since parting ways with Alcaraz, Ferrero has not yet agreed to coach any other player on the ATP Tour or WTA Tour, despite receiving offers from several coaching teams.

Meanwhile, Alcaraz is aiming to maintain his dominant momentum on Tour with Indian Wells as his immediate goal. The Spanish player has won this tournament two years in a row in 2023 and 2024, and is considered a top contender for the title this year.

Indian Wells is regarded as a tournament very well-suited to Alcaraz's playing style. It features one of the slowest hard court surfaces on the ATP Tour, allowing him to maximize his strengths.

As the top seed, Carlitos has a first-round bye and will begin his campaign in the second round, where he will face the winner of the match between Terence Atmane and Grigor Dimitrov.