 "Carlos Alcaraz with former coach Juan Carlos Ferrero during a match. Image: Reuters")
Former World No. 1 Yevgeny Kafelnikov has offered his view on why Carlos Alcaraz and Juan Carlos Ferrero decided to end their long and successful partnership , suggesting that “fame,” outside distractions, and even “girls” may have played a role in the split.
Alcaraz and Ferrero officially parted ways in December, bringing an end to a seven-year player-coach relationship that helped shape one of the most successful careers in modern tennis. Under Ferrero’s guidance, Alcaraz won six Grand Slam titles and rose to world number one at just 22 years of age.
Speaking in an interview, Kafelnikov said Ferrero is known to be extremely professional and demanding, both as a former player and as a coach. According to the Russian great, Ferrero’s high standards may have clashed with Alcaraz’s growing fame and the shenanigans that come with it.
Kafelnikov explained that at Alcaraz’s age, it is natural to be drawn towards external temptations. “Knowing that Juan Carlos is very professional – he was as a player as well – I am sure that he wants absolute commitment from his players and that his demands in terms of professionalism are very high. Probably, given that Carlos is Spanish, very young, and attracted to all external temptations… he has been difficult to work with lately,” he said.
“It’s understandable – he’s 22 years old, all the girls are after him, there’s fame and everything that goes with it. No one could resist at such a young age. Juan Carlos probably saw that and was trying to separate training and tennis from all the noise. This, from my perspective, is probably where the conflict occurred,” Kafelnikov told Sport Club in an interview.
‘Carlos’ father may have played a role’
The former Olympic gold medallist also hinted that Alcaraz’s father might have played a role in the decision. Kafelnikov said it was surprising to see such a successful partnership end, especially when there were no visible signs of problems on the court.
“Honestly, I have no idea how he will react. But why would you end such a successful collaboration anyway? At least they seemed to be happy… There was never any sign that they were going to break up – they were winning slams, they were number one in the world… I’m sure Carlos’ father has a lot to do with this split, not Carlos himself. We’ll see what happens now,” he said.
Ferrero, meanwhile, has stated that disagreements over a new contract between the coaching team and Alcaraz’s management led to the separation. Despite the split, there has been no public bitterness from either side. Alcaraz himself shared an emotional message on social media, thanking Ferrero for guiding him from a young teenager to the top of the tennis world.
In 2025, Alcaraz enjoyed another outstanding season, winning the French Open and US Open, while reaching the last eight of the other two Grand Slams. He also clinched the year-end world number one ranking for the second time in his career.