Carlos Alcaraz was reunited with his former coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero, at the ATP Finals on Saturday, almost a year after they parted ways. The pair met on the practice courts in Turin, where Ferrero has been working with Ben Shelton ahead of the 2027 season.
A Decade of Partnership
Former world No. 1 Ferrero began coaching Alcaraz when his countryman was just 15 years old. Under Ferrero's tutelage, Alcaraz lifted six Major trophies and became the youngest world No. 1 in ATP history when he was 19.
But the pair confirmed their split last year, weeks after the Spanish star finished runner-up at the season-ending championships. The decision seemed to come from Alcaraz's side, as Ferrero said that he wished he could have continued, while the 23-year-old later said: "With Juan Carlos, we decide to do it. I'm just having plenty of confidence of the team that I have right now."
New Roles and Reunion
The current world No. 3 continued working with his other coach, Samuel Lopez. Alcaraz has since completed the career Grand Slam by winning the Australian Open in January, and has also won titles in Doha, Tokyo, Vienna and Paris this year.
Ferrero has now returned to the coaching circuit and will join Shelton's team ahead of the 2027 season. While their partnership has not yet officially begun, Ferrero has been on the practice courts with Shelton at this year's ATP Finals, as he was invited to Turin to take part in some events for former world No. 1s. He will also watch Shelton's first match against Arthur Fils.
Shelton decided to train with Alcaraz for one of those sessions, reuniting Ferrero with his old charge. The seven-time Major champion played his last tournament with Ferrero in his box here in Turin a year ago. They then travelled to Bologna for the Davis Cup Finals before Alcaraz was forced to withdraw due to injury.
No Bad Blood
Almost a full year later, there was no bad blood between either man when they saw each other on the practice courts. Alcaraz embraced Ferrero at the net as he joined Team Shelton on the court on Saturday afternoon, and they hugged again at the end of the session.
According to Marca, this was not their first meeting. Instead, Alcaraz and his ex-coach came face-to-face in the restaurant earlier on Saturday, away from the cameras and public eye. There, they also shared an embrace.
Ahead of their practice session, Alcaraz admitted it would be a bit strange to see Ferrero with another player, but he was looking forward to their reunion. The 23-year-old said: "I'm not gonna lie, it's gonna be weird a little bit. It's been a really long time with not seeing him. But I'm excited and I'm looking forward to seeing him, talk to him.
"As I said in Paris when I was asked, I think he's going to do a great job [with] Ben. He's going to do great things to Ben's game and I'm really excited and looking forward to seeing him in Ben's box, coaching him, and seeing what's going to be his improvements as a player because of Juanki. Really looking forward to seeing him here around, talking to him and give him a really big hug that it's been a while without seeing him."
Shelton is in the John McEnroe Group with Alexander Zverev, Arthur Fils, and Rafael Jodar. He faces Fils on Sunday evening. Alcaraz heads up the Ivan Lendl Group and will face Daniil Medvedev, Flavio Cobolli, and Frances Tiafoe.
