Carlos Alcaraz’s decision to end his professional relationship with his coach of seven years, Juan Carlos Ferrero, has left many in the tennis community puzzled. Recently, former French professional tennis player Marion Bartoli expressed her concerns about the potential consequences Alcaraz might face following the split.
Alcaraz and Ferrero began their coaching collaboration in 2018, and they announced their separation via social media on December 17, 2025. Over the course of their seven-year partnership, the young Spaniard won the 2021 Next Gen ATP Finals and 24 ATP Tour singles titles — including eight ATP Masters 1000 titles and six Grand Slam titles.
Marion Bartoli Makes Feelings Known on the Effects Carlos Alcaraz Will Face Since Juan Carlos Ferrero Split
In the 2025 tennis season alone, Alcaraz captured eight titles under Ferrero’s guidance, including two Grand Slam titles: the 2025 French Open and the US Open. He also claimed titles at the Monte-Carlo Masters, Italian Open, Cincinnati Open, ABN AMRO Open, Queen’s Club Championships, and Japan Open.
Recently, while speaking on RMC Sport, Bartoli expressed her worries about Alcaraz’s future, stating that despite his “enormous talent,” she is concerned about how he will adapt after ending his professional relationship with Ferrero.
The former Wimbledon champion stated that Alcaraz will need a “solid structure” to continue his playing career; otherwise, she fears he might “retire” from professional tennis very soon, like Björn Borg, who retired from the sport at a very young age.
“I am concerned about how this breakup might affect Carlos, although I trust that he can handle it with his enormous talent. However, he needs a solid structure, like all geniuses. If he doesn’t have it, I fear he might retire from professional tennis very soon, like Borg did at 25, and no one wants that because we are facing a true genius. The coming months will involve trial and error with other coaches, and it won’t be easy to manage,” Bartoli said.
Bartoli also mentioned that the first few months of the 2026 season will likely involve Alcaraz experimenting with different coaches, a process she believes will not be easy for him to navigate.
In addition to Bartoli, other prominent figures from the tennis world, such as Andy Roddick, Garbiñe Muguruza, Feliciano López, Toni Nadal, Greg Rusedski, former tennis professional Guy Forget, and Gilles Cervara, the former coach of Daniil Medvedev, have also shared their thoughts on the split between Alcaraz and Ferrero.
