"There were protests... we collided due to Alexander Zverev's lack of respect" - When Carlos Alcaraz's coach Juan Carlos Ferrero split with German
Carlos Alcaraz's coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero, had a coaching stint with Alexander Zverev before teaming up with the young Spaniard. He later revealed details about his split with the German.
Ferrero started coaching Zverev in July 2017. Under his guidance, the then-20-year-old won the Rogers Cup, defeating Roger Federer in the final. However, their partnership ended after eight months on a sour note for both parties.
During a 2020 interview with Spanish media outlet 3iGuales, Ferrero discussed his separation from the two-time Grand Slam finalist, saying he was too inconsistent to win a Major.
"I trained Zverev for eight months and I noticed that he used to go back and forth a lot in the same match and that’s why I think he couldn’t win a Grand Slam yet. That irregularity leads him to play the fifth set heads or tails," Ferrero said.
"Earning a lot of money when you are young can get you dizzy. At that time, the player’s environment and their role are key factors," he added.
The 2003 French Open champion added that Alexander Zverev had too many off-court "distractions" that hampered his performance. He also claimed that the former World No. 2 was "disrespectful" towards his team members.
"They have too many distractions off the court," Ferrero said. "Phone calls, social networks, friends who suddenly appear… I watch them fooling around on Instagram and not thinking about tennis as it was in our time. Zverev was, for example, three hours on the court, but he could not perform quality training for an hour and a half."
"There were protests. Stops. Anger. Distractions. At the time, we collided due to his lack of punctuality and lack of respect for the team members," he added.
"I needed this because after working with Alexander Zverev, that wasn’t easy for me" - Juan Carlos Ferrero on coaching Carlos Alcaraz
After parting ways with Alexander Zverev, Juan Carlos Ferrero began coaching Carlos Alcaraz in late 2018. Since then, the 44-year-old has built a strong bond with the young Spaniard.
Under Ferrero's guidance, Alcaraz has won three Grand Slams: the 2022 US Open, 2023 Wimbledon Championships, and 2024 French Open. He also became the World No. 1 ranking, among numerous other accomplishments.
In a 2022 interview with Eurosport, Ferrero praised his young protege, saying he was like his son.
"He [Carlos Alcaraz] is like another son for me, the older one," Ferrero said. "He’s my second player as a coach and I think I keep learning from him and he’s learning from me. We’re both together growing up at the same time. He’s a very nice guy and it’s very easy to work with him."
Ferrero also mentioned that after his challenging partnership with Zverev, he needed to team up with someone like Alcaraz, who shared similar goals.
"What I know is I needed something like this because after working with Sascha [Zverev] that wasn’t that easy for me, it’s not the same culture. He understands a little bit differently [the meaning of] being professional," the former World No. 1 said.
"I needed to refresh a little bit and work with someone that was a little bit the same character as me and wanted the same things for the future and in Carlos I think I found it," he added.
Interestingly, Alcaraz won his maiden Roland-Garros title by defeating Zverev in a thrilling five-set final.