In Spain there are still questions about the reasons that led to the breakup. And a sensational hypothesis emerges. Coach Toni Nadal: “I imagine that in this case tennis has little to do with it”
The last time in Spain they had investigated so many leads they were following the Money Heist script. But at least we were talking about a TV series. The Alcaraz-Ferrero divorce, however, is all true. Radios and newspapers travel at three hundred miles per hour in search of motivations, causes, background and signs of what then happened: the breakup between the number 1 in the world and coach Juan Carlos, the story of two characters born to achieve victory yet destined to pursue it through different paths. Perhaps irreconcilable, according to what emerges from the latest reconstructions.
ENTOURAGE
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In the complicated search for causes and those responsible, one thing clearly emerges: Juanki didn’t want to end it here. The coach (also number 1 in the world, as a tennis player) specified it immediately, responding to the long farewell post written by Alcaraz: “I would have liked to continue, I am closing a very important chapter of my life with nostalgia but also with pride and enthusiasm” he wrote, implying that the choice was not his. Yet, according to rumors, it wasn’t even Carlitos’s: but his entourage’s. Kiko Navarro, one of Alcaraz’s first coaches, claims this to Rne: “More than Carlos, I think the decision was made by the entourage. He is very protective towards his coaches. He was protective of me and I know he was also protective of Ferrero. But there comes a moment in which, for reasons unrelated to your career, you have to make this decision: I am convinced that whoever made it, therefore not Carlitos, must have their own reasons”.
HYPOTHESIS
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For Marca there is something more. According to the Iberian sports newspaper, Ferrero received the new contract last Saturday with the obligation to sign it within 48 hours. However, the document contained several clauses that the coach considered unacceptable. Some of these concerned compensation: there was a significant reduction in salary, but for Marca the fuse was not lit here. But on other aspects that led to the communication on Monday morning, 48 hours after the contract: not a renewal, but a divorce. What broke the spell? In Spain they have hypothesized everything: from a secret love of Carlos for which the tennis player would have expressed the desire for greater freedom to the desire to escape to Ibiza more often. A second pair of hypotheses is more concrete. The first: greater desire on the part of the tennis player to have decision-making power over training locations (in particular his hometown Murcia, not just the Ferrero academy). The second: the no longer so flourishing relationships between the world number 1’s family and his lifelong coach.
IBIZA AND THE PERFORMANCES
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Two different characters catch fire easily, Celentano remembered. It also happened more than once to Carlos and Juanki: it was also seen in the Netflix documentary dedicated to the Murcian, in moments when the coach reminded him that “I won’t agree with you in more than one situation, you know”. For example, in addition to the infamous holidays in Ibiza, on performances: Carlos has played quite a few in the last twelve months. In December 2024 he had fun in America with Tiafoe and Shelton, before the Slam in Australia, and he responded this year by dedicating himself to friendlies again with Tiafoe and then with Fonseca. Choices that the coach didn’t like very much.
THE WORDS OF TONI NADAL
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One of the most incisive opinions on the divorce came from another important coach like Toni Nadal, interviewed by both Cadena Ser and Radioestadio Noche in the last few hours. The Majorcan had his say: “I imagine that in this case tennis has little to do with it. Also because in terms of play Carlos must be very satisfied with what Ferrero has done in all this time.” The numbers confirm this: in seven years there have been 280 victories out of the 345 played, a victory percentage of over 81%. And 24 titles, including 6 Slams. Nadal continued: “Relationships in tennis are difficult because the person who pays, the player, usually pays to hear what he wants to hear.” A non-trivial statement, the one released by Rafa’s former coach: “I was my nephew’s coach, it was easy for me to tell him things he didn’t like to hear. He was a family member, the relationship was different.”
PROGRAMS
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From Spain, in addition to looking backwards in search of causes, they also throw one at the agenda of the two protagonists of the affair. Juan Carlos Ferrero will take a break and then evaluate new proposals. His CV, moreover, is impressive: he coached two players like Zverev and Alcaraz, he won something with the first and almost everything with the second. Carlitos, on the other hand, continues his preparation in the hot south of Spain, before the performance in South Korea on January 10th, against Sinner. Then it will be time for the Australian Open. Speaking of rumours, a photo of the outfit chosen by Nike for the Spaniard in Melbourne is also circulating at the moment: the sleeveless outfit has been confirmed but with new colours. He will play with a uniform characterized by white, green and black. Another breath of fresh air.
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