Carlos Alcaraz’s first coach Carlos Santos explains why world No. 1 split with Juan Carlos Ferrero ahead of Australian Open 2026

Carlos Santos has revealed why Carlos Alcaraz has split with his coach Juan Carlos Ferrero on the eve of the 2026 Australian Open. The world No. 1 had been guided by Ferrero since joining his academy in Murcia as a teenager. The six-time Grand Slam champion will be hoping to complete a Career Grand Slam when he takes to the court in Melbourne next month.

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Carlos Alcaraz’s former coach Carlos Santos believes that the Spaniard’s split with Juan Carlos Ferrero was due to a "financial issue" rather than an issue on the court.

The six-time Grand Slam champion revealed that he had parted company with his coach in a post on social media on December 17, just under a month before the start of the 2026 Australian Open, live on TNT Sports and discovery+.

Alcaraz and Ferrero had been working together since the 22-year-old joined his academy in Murcia as a teenager.

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Santos was Alcaraz’s coach as a child, and he says that Ferrero did not want to attend all the world No. 1's tournaments.

"No, no, it's a financial issue and a failure to reach an agreement regarding the time he spends with Carlitos at tournaments, trips, and so on," he told Eurosport Spain after being asked if their split was due to issues on the court.

"They want him to be exclusively with him, traveling to all the tournaments.

"And Juan Carlos doesn't want to go to all of them, or can't go to all of them right now."

Alcaraz’s split with Ferrero comes a month before the start of the

The Spaniard is hoping to complete a Career Grand Slam by winning the tournament, with his previous best performances coming in 2024 and 2025, when he was eliminated in the quarter-finals.

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The end of Alcaraz and Ferrero’s professional relationship has brought back bad memories for Santos.

He believes that Alcaraz’s father has the final say on the Spaniard’s coaching team.

"Well, look, I hadn't thought about that, but talking to my wife, she mentioned it," he said after being asked to compare his experience with Ferrero's departure.

"Thinking about it a bit, in the end, Carlos's father is the one who's really in charge. Carlitos has nothing to do with it. I mean, Carlitos would have continued for as long as Juan Carlos wanted.

"I was with Carlitos for eight years, Juan Carlos for seven. The same thing happened to me: I wanted certain conditions, but his father didn't see them that way. And Juan Carlos must have asked for other conditions that his father also didn't want and didn't agree to.

"But at least Carlitos said some very kind words about Juan Carlos, and it really was a very important time for him. It was for me too, but unfortunately, I haven't had such kind words publicly."

The Australian Open will get underway on January 12, with Jannik Sinner hoping to defend his crown in Melbourne.

Santos believes that Alcaraz will continue to compete at the highest level despite his split with Ferrero.

"Carlitos loves Juan Carlos very much and will always cherish his memory, but Carlitos is independent," he added.

"He has absorbed everything Juan Carlos taught him and now possesses all that knowledge. He's read Juan Carlos's book; he knows everything.

"Juan Carlos has taken him all over the circuit, helped him with wild cards, with everything, and now he's absorbed everything Juan Carlos knew.

"He has no problem training with one person or another. He has a brilliant style of tennis that doesn't depend on anyone. He plays on his own."

Watch and stream top tennis action, including the 2026 Australian Open, live on TNT Sports and discovery+

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