Carlos Alcaraz was coached by Juan Carlos Ferrero for the best part of a decade, though one of the most successful player-coach partnerships of modern times has officially ended.
World No 1 Alcaraz announced his shock split from Ferrero in a surprise announcement on Wednesday, the pair parting ways after first working together back in 2019.
Alcaraz was still a teenager when Fererro, a former world No 1 in his own right, became his coach, and their partnership proved to be one for the ages, with the 22-year-old winning six Grand Slam singles titles under his compatriot’s guidance.
Though the news of Ferrero’s departure has naturally come as a huge shock, it does not appear that the world No 1 will be making a big-name hire to replace the former French Open winner.
Instead, it seems that assistant coach Samuel Lopez will now take the reins as Alcaraz’s head coach — but who exactly is the man now set to lead the reigning French Open and US Open champion’s entourage?
Work with Alcaraz
Lopez is not a new figure to Team Alcaraz, having initially joined the Spaniard’s team alongside Ferrero and fitness trainer Juanjo Moreno ahead of the 2025 season.
That proved to be a key hire for Alcaraz, who recorded undoubtedly the best season of his career under the combined guidance of Ferrero and Lopez.
The Spaniard won eight ATP Tour titles across 2025, the most he has ever won in an individual season — highlighted by his Grand Slam triumphs in Paris and New York.
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Alcaraz returned to world No 1 for the first time in two years in September 2025 and finished the year atop the rankings for the first time since 2022.
While Ferrero remained front and centre, Lopez’s impact was undeniable, with Alcaraz’s new coach leading notable improvements on his serve across the year.
And, the 55-year-old has previously also acted as Alcaraz’s lead coach at events Ferrero did not travel to.
One of those events was the Rotterdam Open in February 2025, when the 22-year-old lifted the first indoor title of his career.
Speaking to TNT Sports after Alcaraz’s Rotterdam triumph, Lopez opened up about the philosophy that he and the world No 1’s team were trying to enforce.
He said: “We have put a lot of emphasis on him [Alcaraz] being himself. Being very clear about what he has to do, his routines, his attitude, being above all else.
“Worrying a lot about that and not so much about tennis, and then building Carlos Alcaraz. He is achieving this.
“It is one of the objectives we set ourselves in the preseason. Things are not easy, but we have taken another step this week.
“We have to continue along this line. He is not at an advanced age, because he is very young, but he does have some tennis experiences in which he has to get to know himself more and more.”
Pre-Alcaraz success
Lopez gained initial coaching success working with the likes of Guillermo Garcia Lopez, Santiago Ventura, and Mariusz Fyrstenberg on the ATP Tour.
However, prior to his work with Alcaraz, he was best known for a long and successful partnership with Pablo Carreno Busta, coaching the Spaniard from 2015 to 2024.
Lopez coached Carreno Busta to all seven of his ATP Tour titles, including a Masters 1000 triumph at the 2022 Canadian Open.
Under his guidance, Carreno Busta also won a bronze medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and reached a career-high of 10th in the ATP Rankings, reaching two US Open semi-finals and two French Open quarter-finals.
Lopez split with Carreno Busta at the end of 2024 to begin working full-time as part of Alcaraz’s team, alongside Ferrero.
Now, the 55-year-old finds himself as the head coach of arguably the most successful male player of his generation, with all eyes on how far Alcaraz can progress under Lopez’s chief guidance.
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The post Who is Samuel Lopez? Man set to lead Carlos Alcaraz’s post-Ferrero era appeared first on Tennis365.
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