Carlos Alcaraz-Juan Carlos Ferrero split: 3 shocking speculations from tennis insiders

Carlos Alcaraz and Juan Carlos Ferrero's split has sparked a myriad of rumors and speculation within the world of tennis, with players, coaches, journalists and fans wondering what the exact reason was for the reigning World No. 1 to end the incredibly successful and trophy-laden collaboration. Here, we'll take a closer look at three speculations that came from prominent tennis insiders in the immediate aftermath of the controversial development.

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1. Carlos Alcaraz's father reportedly played a pivotal role in son and Juan Carlos Ferrero going separate ways

Carlos Alcaraz (right) celebrates his 2025 US Open title triumph with father Carlos Alcaraz Gonzalez (left) (Source: Getty)

Carlos Alcaraz's father is known to exert considerable influence and authority when it comes to the management of his 22-year-old son's career. Following Juan Carlos Ferrero's departure from the six-time Major champion's camp, renowned online tennis magazine CLAY reported that according to a source close to Alcaraz, the World No. 1's father wasn't at all pleased with how Ferrero planned on managing his son's career going forward.

"There were major disagreements between Ferrero and Alcaraz’s father about how to manage the player’s career," the unnamed source told CLAY.

Only time will tell, provided either Alcaraz or Ferrero or both are willing to discuss the subject honestly, if this particular piece of speculation has any truth to it. Ferrero further fueled speculation and controversy about his departure by issuing a statement in the aftermath, which he concluded by suggesting that he would have liked to remain the 24-time career singles titlist's head coach.

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2. Failed contract negotiation claim aired by Spanish tennis expert

According Radio Nacional de Espana (RNE) tennis specialist Javier de Diego, the conflict that eventually led to Ferrero's dismissal stemmed from disagreements between him and the rest of Alcaraz's entourage over the terms of a new contract for the coach.

"The rupture was produced two days ago; it is motivated by a lack of contractual agreement, and not by disagreements regarding the methodology or scheduling of the usual training work, neither physical nor technical. We could say that the relationship is broken due to failing to reach an agreement in the negotiation of the new contract for Juan Carlos Ferrero as Carlitos Alcaraz’s coach," de Diego said.

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3. Carlos Alcaraz's entourage took controversial decision to sack Juan Carlos Ferrero, claims World No. 1's first coach

The first ever tennis coach Alcaraz worked with, Kiko Navarro, who is known to be close to both the World No. 1 and Ferrero, claimed that the decision to do away with the coach was not taken by the six-time Slam winner. Instead, as per Navarro, it was the rest of Alcaraz's entourage that convinced him to take the controversial step. The tennis coach told RNE Deportes:

"It was more from the environment than from the player; Carlitos is very protective of his coaches. He was with me, and I know he was with Juan Carlos, but there comes a moment when due to reasons not related to him or sports, they have made this decision. Juan Carlos has done a spectacular job; I worked with him for two years, and there is little to blame him for. The people who made the decision, which is not Carlitos, will have their reasons which I don't know now."

The development came as a shock particularly because Carlos Alcaraz enjoyed the best season of his career so far in 2025, winning eight titles inclusive of two Majors, reclaiming the World No. 1 spot by dethroning rival Jannik Sinner, and finishing the year with a 71-9 win-loss record.

On the coaching front, Samuel Lopez is widely being touted as the Spaniard's new head coach for 2026. Lopez joined Alcaraz's camp in late 2024 as an assistant to Ferrero.