Two-time Grand Slam winner Yevgeny Kafelnikov did not mince his words about Carlos Alcaraz’s father’s alleged “interference with the process” following the split with Juan Carlos Ferrero.
After seven highly successful years, the Alcaraz-Carlos Ferrero partnership is no more with the player announcing shortly after the conclusion of the season that he had parted ways with his long-term mentor.
Alcaraz won 24 singles titles – including six Grand Slams and eight ATP Masters 1000 events – and claimed two year-end No 1 trophies while he was also named ATP Player of the Year in 2022 and 2025.
Ferrero, meanwhile, was named Coach of the Year in both those years, although he shared the award with Samuel Lopez – who joined the Alcaraz coaching set-up ahead of this season – this year.
But while the split was a shock to the tennis community, insiders have revealed that there has been tension between Alcaraz entourage – which includes his father Carlos Alcaraz Senior – and Ferrero for quite some time.
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It had been speculated that the Alcaraz camp wanted to get rid of the 2003 French Open winner at the end of the 2024 season, but the player himself was not in favour of the move.
With several reports of meddling from Alcaraz Senior, Kafelnikov believes it is time for the world No 1 to make his own decisions.
“The biggest mistake is when parents interfere with the process,” he told CLAY. “I don’t know the background of Carlos’s father, but I never liked it when someone does that…
“For example, in my family it was me who was making all the decisions. My father never interfered in how much money I was paying a coach or whether I was buying this or that.
“From what I heard, there was a big dispute between Juan Carlos and Carlos’s father. I’ve always said that these kinds of situations will, in the end, affect the player negatively – when parents interfere.
“Carlos is a grown man, he is the one who can make all the decisions now. I don’t know why he didn’t tell his father: ‘Look, it’s my own deal, we’ve been very successful together, won so many Slams, made so much money…’
“That part is a bit disappointing for me.”
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Lopez has taken over as Alcaraz main coach following Ferrero’s departure, but his management team could still add another coach to the set-up.
There is no doubt that the best coaches in the world will line up to mentor one of the biggest stars in men’s tennis, but Kafelnikov says anyone who joins the team should take an early stand about his parents.
“If you ask me, I personally would not want to deal with the parents. If Carlos approaches someone directly, that’s okay,” he said.
“The first thing a new coach should ask for is that the parents stay away from the coaching process. They can sit in the box, they can travel with the team, but they can’t interfere.
“A father cannot be an agent, taking care of all the deals, scheduling, and everything else. I’m honestly not sure who could take the helm now.”
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