The news of Carlos Alcaraz parting ways with coach Juan Carlos Ferrero sent shockwaves through the tennis world. Recently, Andy Roddick shared his thoughts on this split and expressed his concerns regarding the same.
Alcaraz and Ferrero began their coaching relationship in 2019, after Alcaraz’s agent, Albert Molina, convinced Ferrero to take on the young Spaniard. After seven years together, the six-time Grand Slam champion announced the end of their professional partnership on December 17, 2025.
Andy Roddick Makes His Feelings Known on Carlos Alcaraz Split With Coach Juan Carlos Ferrero
During the latest episode of the “Served with Andy Roddick” podcast, Roddick described the news of the split as a “tough” one to accept. He expressed concerns about who would now be able to tell the World No. 1 “no” when it comes to making decisions regarding his career.
“It’s a tough one because the Carlos relationship was formed when it was like, I’m (Ferrero) a father, and now it’s like Carlos is an adult. So who’s going to tell him no? Who’s going to tell him not to go play in Madison Square Garden? Who’s going to tell him not to take advantage of all the things that he’s earned? I mean, he’s borderline the most famous athlete on earth,” Roddick said.
Roddick’s co-host, tennis insider Jon Wertheim, added that Ferrero was comfortable playing the role of the “bad guy,” helping Alcaraz avoid making poor decisions.
“Let’s be clear that was kind of Ferrero’s role. Ferrero spoke about that at times. He was okay being the hard a** and the bad guy. Carlos Ferrero was not in this to do Instagram posts at exhibitions. So that role will now either go unfilled or have to be filled by someone else,” Wertheim mentioned.
Roddick also pointed out another challenge for Alcaraz’s team: finding someone who can hit with the six-time Grand Slam champion and manage him the way Ferrero did.
“The other thing is that Juan Carlos can hit really well. Like plays great. So, you’re talking about warming up your player. There’s a world where they go out, and they have a stock 28-minute drill session that he actually can get in and do. It’s not as if a lot of people are walking around who can handle Carlos’s ball in practice and know what he wants,” Roddick continued.
The former US Open champion stated that Alcaraz’s team will need to replicate everything Ferrero contributed and train a new person to understand his methods.
“So, you’re having to recreate all of these things that Carlos has known since he was 13 or 14. He’s an otherworldly talent. I’m not saying he’s not going to adjust. He will. He’s going to win Majors. Nothing changes in the long term if they hire correctly. But who steps in? They’re going to have to teach someone a lot of the stuff that he prefers. The Aussie Open starts in four weeks. That little stuff takes time. It’s going to be interesting. The timing isn’t great,” he added.
During their time together, Ferrero helped Alcaraz achieve significant success, including winning the 2021 Next Gen ATP Finals, 24 ATP Tour singles titles, including eight ATP Masters 1000 titles, and six Grand Slam titles.
