Carlos Alcaraz's coach Juan Carlos Ferrero set to reunite with Spaniard to "help him prepare" for Paris Olympics final against Novak Djokovic: Reports
Reports have emerged from Spain suggesting that Carlos Alcaraz's coach Juan Carlos Ferrero will be heading to Paris ahead of the World No. 3's men's singles final outing at this year's Olympics. Alcaraz is set to lock horns once again with World No. 2 Novak Djokovic on Sunday, August 4, having recently blown the Serb away in the final of the 2024 Wimbledon Championships.
Alcaraz has so far been guided through his maiden Olympics appearance by national coach David Ferrer and Pablo Carreno Busta's coach Samuel Lopez. However, the absence of Ferrero, who the 21-year-old heavily relies on by his own admission, hasn't had too much of an impact on the 21-year-old's singles displays at the Games.
The high-flying Spaniard is yet to lose a set, having breezed past Hady Habib, Tallon Griekspoor, Roman Safiullin, Tommy Paul, and Felix Auger-Aliassime. Carlos Alcaraz had a decent run in men's doubles as well, partnering the legendary Rafael Nadal. The duo reached the men's doubles quarterfinals before bowing out to the USA's Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram.
On Friday, August 2, Spanish media outlet MARCA reported that Ferrero is slated to reunite with Alcaraz to aid the 21-year-old in his preparations for the final against Djokovic. The World No. 3 is aiming to break Spain's men's singles Olympic gold drought extending back until 2008, when Nadal finished first after defeating Chile's Fernando Gonzalez in the final.
Meanwhile, Djokovic is seeking to put an end to his own duck at the Olympics. The prestigious Olympic gold medal remains the biggest prize to have eluded the Serb so far, with his closest rivals Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray all having triumphed at the Games.
"That is why I am here today" - Carlos Alcaraz on the profound impact of coach Juan Carlos Ferrero's 'strict' approach
In a recent interview with Relevo, Carlos Alcaraz opened up about Ferrero's approach to coaching him. The 21-year-old admitted that Ferrero is a tough taskmaster and for the most part, is a strict disciplinarian. However, Alcaraz also revealed that Ferrero knows when to mix things up.
"He is tough. He is a very serious person when he has to be, when it comes to work and discipline, he is very hard on you. But he is also very, very funny when he has to be. He knows how to differentiate the moments very well," Alcaraz said.
The reigning French Open and Wimbledon champion acknowledged Ferrero's immense contribution towards his development as well.
"Yes, he is very strict with everything, with the issue on the court, with the issue of professionalism, with the issue of the things that I have to improve off the court, like the phone, punctuality, rest, etc. But I think that is why I am here today, that is why I have grown very quickly, because if he were not so strict I might have gone crazy," Carlos Alcaraz added.
Ferrero's guidance has seen the 21-year-old become one of modern-day men's tennis' most dominant forces. Carlos Alcaraz has won 15 ATP Tour-level titles under watchful eye, and has also been ranked World No. 1.