Brad Gilbert has described Carlos Alcaraz and Juan Carlos Ferrero’s break up as an “absolute stunner” and suggested David Ferrer could take over.
The player and coach jointly announced the split on Wednesday after six years working together, a time in which Alcaraz has risen to become one of the best players on the planet and won six Grand Slams.
But Alcaraz’s box will look different in 2026 with Ferrero absent and former player turned coach Gilbert has given his thoughts.
“What an absolute stunner with the split of Alcaraz and coach Juan Carlos Ferrero,” he said in a video posted on X. “I kind of said last week, it was really quiet off season, and I expected something to happen, but certainly not with the situation that we just had this morning.
“With the incredible year of Alcaraz finishing number one in the world and the best year of his career, I kind of thought between (world numbers) three and eight we would have a coaching split, or somebody add something to the team but that’s the one thing about tennis you just never know.
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“And if the player wasn’t feeling it, that’s instantly when they’ll make a move. And the timing, obviously, we’re only less than a month away from the Aussie Open. What will Alcaraz do next?”
As for that question, Gilbert put forward two potential candidates of David Ferrer, who captained Alcaraz in the Davis Cup, or Carlos Moya who previously worked with Alcaraz’s competitor Rafa Nadal.
“The two thoughts that jump into my head David Ferrer, the Davis Cup, captain of Spain, obviously former great player. Good familiarity with Carlos, maybe he jumps in on an interim.
“But obviously the name that really jumps out an interesting one would be Carlos Moya, who obviously had amazing success with Nadal, but you know, he’s with the Nadal Academy, so who knows about that dynamic, but it will be an interesting few weeks.”
Read next: What is Carlos Alcaraz’s record at tournaments Juan Carlos Ferrero missed?
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