“I am a very ambitious person and I want to win the Australian Open to complete the career Grand Slam” – Carlos Alcaraz. The 21-year-old is now putting in a lot of hard yards to find glory in an unglorified terrain! Australian Open has been the only missing piece in the puzzle for him when it comes to winning Grand Slam titles. So, he has already brought some changes in his time and now, perhaps, it’s time for him to shine his ‘sword’. His coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero was seen helping him in his preparations ahead of the 2025 AO.

Keeping no stones unturned! If Carlos Alcaraz wins the title in Melbourne, then he’d become the youngest male player to complete the feat of a Career Grand Slam since his idol, Rafael Nadal. Recently, his coach Ferrero was spotted giving out some smart strategies during their training session. What was it, though? Juan Carlos Ferrero was seen giving Carlos Alcaraz different racquets during his practice session. So, now it’ll be interesting to see if Alcaraz ends up tweaking his setup a little ahead of the Australian Open.

Which racquet does he use, though? Well, Carlos Alcaraz signed his first contract with BABOLAT in Spain at the age of 10. He joined the international BABOLAT team at the age of 13. He currently uses Babolat Pure Aero and as per reports, he will continue with this renowned racquet brand until at least 2030. What does Babolat and its racquets mean to Carlos Alcaraz?

During a previous interview, Alcaraz answered this question by saying, “For more than 10 years now, Babolat experts have been constantly working closely with me to provide the best tennis equipment for my performance. Playing with my Pure Aero 98 strung with RPM Blast is more than just having a tennis racquet.” He further added, “It means I’m a member of the BABOLAT family, and that there are people at BABOLAT I think of as part of my team. They listen carefully to my needs and my feedback, and it’s a constant, constructive two-way process.” We’ve seen Alcaraz intending to try a few things with his racquet but do you who’s the new addition to his team?

Carlos Alcaraz hires the veteran coach Samuel Lopez to work alongside Juan Carlos Ferrero in the 2025 season

Carlos Alcaraz has already made his intentions pretty clear ahead of 2025. However, at the same time, he’s quite wary of the threats that may come on his way in Melbourne. Talking about his biggest threat at the AO, Carlos Alcaraz said Novak Djokovic will be “really dangerous” at the 2025 AO, especially after having gone through a disappointing campaign in the 2024 season. Speaking on Djokovic he added, “If he goes to Australia with hunger, [he] is going to be one of the favorites to win Australia.“

What is Alcaraz planning to overcome these types of ‘hurdles’ in the 2025 season? Well, he recently brought Samuel Lopez to his team. It’ll be interesting to see what value Lopez adds to his game. Lopez will join the team in early February in Rotterdam. What does Carlos Alcaraz think of his new addition, though?

During an interview with Tennis.com Alcaraz said, “I think Samuel, for me, is one of the best coaches that we have on tour. They trust each other 100 percent and being able to travel with both, for me, it’s going to be great. I think I’m going to grow as a player thanks to them.” He has expressed his desire to bring in more favorable outcomes with some really hard work along with his team. 

Alcaraz has been coached by Juan Carlos Ferrero since the age of 15 and Ferrero had a huge impact on his tennis career. How things have changed from his early training days with these renowned faces in the tennis world? “They’re listening to me much more than before. Obviously, when I was 16 years old I had nothing to say. Right now I’m doing more things for myself, let’s say I’m taking more decisions, serious decisions, ” said Alcaraz.

He also expressed his admiration for his new coach Samuel Lopez in the same interview. Now, it’ll be interesting to see if this team can help Carlitos achieve his unfulfilled dreams in the tennis world in the upcoming years. What do you think about this, though?