Carlos Alcaraz began playing tennis at four at the Real Sociedad Club de Campo de Murcia. Interestingly, this was the same club where his father, Carlos Alcaraz Sr, aka Carlos Alcaraz González, worked as a tennis coach and club administrator. Interestingly, his father had a background in tennis himself and was among the top 40 players in Spain. This was all before financial constraints halted his progress. Despite his father’s tennis experience and presence at his initial training ground, Alcaraz’s early development was guided by childhood coach Kiko Navarro, followed later by his long-term partnership with Juan Carlos Ferrero. This begs the question: why didn’t he directly train Carlos at the higher levels?

On April 2nd, in an interaction with French journalist and filmmaker Loïc Prigent, for an episode of Louis Vuitton’s Extended Podcast, Alcaraz spilled the beans on his growing-up years with his father, Carlos Alcaraz González, and his trainer and ex-Spanish pro Juan Carlos Ferrero. For the uninitiated, Ferrero joined Alcaraz in September 2018. That time, he was ranked out of top 100. In a year of their partnership, however, Ferrero helped him climb to No.25 and then later to the top spot as well. And it was under his tutelage only that Alcaraz clinched all his four majors.

Praising Ferrero’s contribution, Alcaraz revealed, “I learned a lot from him, at the beginning of our partnership. I learned a lot from him as a person and as a player. He taught me the importance of being a good person off the court, and how the things you’re doing have a huge impact on the court.”

On a previous instance, a Spanish pro, Roberto Bautista Agut, noted that Alcaraz’s coach was “doing a phenomenal job of guiding him in that regard because he’s been through the same thing. I’m so happy that everything is going so well for them.” But this partnership wouldn’t have blossomed had it not been for Alcaraz’s father.

“He never stepped on the court when I was with them (coach and group). Behind, he always talked to my coaches about what I have to practice, what I have to do, but never directly to me.”  But why?

Continuing further, Alcaraz explained, “He always wanted to respect the role of the father. He never wanted to mix being a coach and a dad.” And he “always wanted that to be separate… and I think it helped me a lot. Because a lot of fathers don’t know how to be, let’s say be a father or be a coach.”

It appears that the close relationship with his father and coach has really helped the Spaniard turn into a nice guy with great values. Coming back to his trainer, it’s not the first time Alcaraz has showered praising words on him.

When Carlos Alcaraz called Juan Carlos Ferrero an “important person”

Juan Carlos Ferrero joined Carlos Alcaraz when he was just a 15-year-old teenager. Under Ferrero, he later became the youngest ATP World No.1 in the rankings at 19 years, 4 months, and 6 days. He accomplished this feat after his US Open triumph in September 2022.

Last season, Alcaraz briefly touched upon his relationship with Ferrero. Initially, he underlined that, “He is tough. He is a very serious person when he has to be, when it comes to work and discipline, he is very hard on you.” But guess what? He’s also “very, very funny when he has to be. He knows how to differentiate the moments very well,” reported Tennis World USA in July 2024.

Emphasizing the former Spanish pro’s crucial involvement in improving his personality, Alcaraz added, “he is a very important person for me, as I have said many times, I already consider him family, I trust him 100%, I can talk to him about everything both professionally and personally, he is a great fundamental support in my life. He has made me grow a lot as a player and as a person.”

Going forward, Alcaraz will need the guidance of Ferrero even more. Why so? After his AO setback in January, he bounced back in Rotterdam to win his maiden indoor hard court title. But then, the former World No.2’s form took a dip. In his last two events (Indian Wells and Miami), he couldn’t leave a lasting impact, exiting in the semifinal and first round, respectively.

But next month will mark the return of his favorite major – the French Open. He’s already won a trophy on the Parisian clay court last season. Will he manage to make it two in a row with the help of his coach? Only time will tell. What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.