Juan Carlos Ferrero has hinted that he will return as a coach soon but has kept secret which player he will link up with.
Carlos Alcaraz shocked the tennis world last December when he announced that he had parted ways with Ferrero after seven years and six Grand Slam triumphs together.
Ferrero later said he wished he could have continued working with the 23-year-old, for whom he once described as his “fourth child”.
Samuel Lopez has been the seven-time major winner’s main coach in 2026, in a year where Alcaraz completed the career Grand Slam in Australia and then was out for more than four months with a wrist injury.
Ferrero said in June that he would be open to coaching world No 1 Jannik Sinner one day and now it seems he will be returning to the tennis circuit but the identity of that individual remains hidden.
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The former French Open champion said he had enjoyed his time with his nearest and dearest and that he would be back in a coaching corner at some point.
He told Movistar+, “This year I’m very calm, enjoying my family and preparing for what’s coming next year. I think I’m going to return to the tennis circuit, but I can’t say with whom.”
Speculation has now turned to which player Ferrero will coach. Rafael Jodar has been mentioned, with the young Spaniard currently coached by his father, Rafael Jodar Senior.
The 19-year-old sits 14th in the world after a meteoric rise and some believe that a top coach could help him reach the next level.
Conversely, Alex de Minaur has struggled in 2026, both with results and his motivation to continue with the tennis grind. Perhaps a new coach could help him relight his fire, although he does have long-time coach Adolfo Gutierrez in his corner.
Former US Open champion Daniil Medvedev began working with ex-player Andrey Golubev on a trial basis in mid-August but it remains to be seen if that will last.
Félix Auger-Aliassime is yet to announce a replacement for long-time coach Frédéric Fontang, who departed his team in July after nearly 10 years together.
And with Sinner, his core coaches are Simone Vagnozzi and Darren Cahill. The latter was convinced to stay on after initially vowing to stop at the end of 2025. Could Ferrero replace the Australian?
Incidentally, despite being with Alcaraz from the age of 15 to 22, Ferrero said the pair hadn’t spoken much since their split.
In an interview over the summer, he did admit he would tweak some of the coaching methods he used to nurture Alcararz but he didn’t regret pushing him “to the limit.”
He said, “In hindsight, I’d change a few small things, but not the essence. I imposed tough training and discipline on Carlos right from the start. I pushed him to the limit many times. I kept him grounded. That’s my way of doing things, and the work paid off.
“We don’t talk much. I wrote to him when he won in Australia and in Doha. I spoke to him when he got injured. Nothing more. We both needed space to start over.”
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