Rafael Nadal's uncle Toni makes feelings clear on shocking Alcaraz-Ferrero split

Rafael Nadal's uncle Toni recently weighed in on Carlos Alcaraz's controversial decision to end his incredibly successful collaboration with Juan Carlos Ferrero. Ferrero began coaching Alcaraz in 2019 and guided his young compatriot to all 24 singles titles, including six Majors, that the 22-year-old has so far won in his career.

Alcaraz, the reigning World No. 1 in men's singles tennis, made the shocking announcement on Wednesday, December 17. The 22-year-old's decision shocked the tennis world primarily due to the stellar 2025 he enjoyed with Ferrero in his box, winning eight titles along the way, including the French Open and the US Open, and ending the year at the summit of the ATP Tour's singles rankings.

Many wondered why Carlos Alcaraz made the move, especially in the buildup to the 2026 tennis season. Speculation further intensified after Juan Carlos Ferrero, in a statement of his own, expressed that he had the desire to continue working with the World No. 1.

On the back of these developments, Toni Nadal, the uncle and former coach of the legendary Rafael Nadal, laid bare his own surprise at Alcaraz's decision. Speaking to Radioestadio Noche, the 64-year-old said:

"Of course it has surprised me, especially after such a good season. The logical thing was to continue, I'm surprised because Alcaraz finished as number 1 in the world." (translated from Spanish)

Nadal went on to suggest that Ferrero might not have been saying the things that Alcaraz was paying to hear from him. Casting his mind back to the glory years he shared with his former World No. 1 and 22-time Slam winner nephew, the iconic Spanish tennis coach added:

"Relationships in the tennis world are difficult because the one who pays, who is the player, normally pays to hear what he wants to hear. For me it was easy to tell my player things he didn't like to hear because it was different, he was my nephew, it was a different relationship."

"It won't affect Carlos Alcaraz" - Rafael Nadal's uncle Toni on Spaniard's future prospects without Juan Carlos Ferrero's coaching

Carlos Alcaraz at the 2025 Miami Invitational (Source: Getty)

Going on to talk about how he would have liked Carlos Alcaraz and Juan Carlos Ferrero's collaboration to continue, Rafael Nadal's uncle Toni told Radioestadio Noche:

"At a tennis level, Carlos has to be very satisfied with the work that Ferrero has done in all this time. I would have liked Ferrero to have stayed because I think he was doing a very good job. I would have liked them to have been together throughout their careers because I think they both did very well."

The 64-year-old though, delivered a brief but optimistic take on how Alcaraz's already-impressive career might unfold going forward, saying:

"I don't think it will affect Alcaraz because he is a very good tennis player."

As per several reports in the media, Samuel Lopez, who had been serving as an assistant to Ferrero since late 2024, is now set to become Alcaraz's head coach. Only time will tell if the World No. 1 decides to add a secondary coach to his team.