Italian tennis legend Adriano Panatta thinks Carlos Alcaraz “made a mistake” by splitting with his former coach Juan Carlos Ferrero.
In December, the tennis world was shocked when Alcaraz and Ferrero brought an end to a seven-year partnership that featured 24 titles, including six of his seven Grand Slams.
Alcaraz started attending Ferrero’s academy in Villena in 2018 when he was 15, and he became the youngest ATP world No 1 in history after winning his maiden major at the 2022 US Open aged 19.
Samuel Lopez, who coaches at Ferrero’s academy, is now Alcaraz’s head coach, having previously worked in tandem with Ferrero.
In his first tournament after splitting with Ferrero, Alcaraz secured his maiden Australian Open title to become the youngest man to complete the career Grand Slam.
Alcaraz then won the Qatar Open in February before falling in the semi-finals in Indian Wells and the third round in Miami in March.
The 22-year-old was beaten by Jannik Sinner in the Monte Carlo Masters final earlier this month. Alcaraz suffered a wrist injury that ended his campaign at the Barcelona Open last week and also forced him out of the Madrid Masters.
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Adriano Panatta, who won the French Open in 1976, argued Alcaraz is missing Ferrero’s presence in his team.
“In my opinion, he made a mistake leaving Ferrero, who is a tough, demanding coach, but also a great tennis expert,” the former world No 4 was quoted as saying by We Love Tennis.
“At 21 or 22, with all the trophies he’d won, Carlos became more ambitious and he made an error. I would be happy for him if he went back to Ferrero.
“The relationship between coach and player is visceral: coaches dedicate their lives to the players they coach and follow every single day, sacrificing their families.
“A coach must first and foremost understand tennis and have no gaps in their knowledge. He shouldn’t be a parent or a confessor, but he must be able to help you reach that next level of quality, depending on your age.
“If you stay with a father figure as a coach your whole career, there’s a risk the relationship will deteriorate.”
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