A return to coaching for Ferrero? Carlos Alcaraz's former mentor advised taking on latest Spanish star

At the end of 2025, Carlos Alcaraz and Juan Carlos Ferrero parted ways. It was news that came from nowhere and stunned the tennis world. The work and development Ferrero had completed on Alcaraz made him one of the best, if not the best, players in the world. With the former professional still out of tennis, Rennae Stubbs has come up with a possible solution: for Ferrero to team up with Rafael Jodar.

The next Spanish sensation, the 19-year-old super talent has taken the tennis world by storm this year. In his breakthrough season, he has reached the Roland Garros quarter-final, the Canadian Open semi-final on top of another brace of Masters 1000 last-eights, and reached two ATP finals, winning the Grand Prix Hassan II at the start of the clay swing.

His electric form has propelled him into the limelight and he is now on the cusp of making his top 10 debut. Soon to make his debut at the US Open, the sky is the limit for the youngster who is looking to follow in Alcaraz's footsteps and win a maiden major title at Flushing Meadows a the age of 19.

One of the most noticeable things about Jodar is his coaching setup. In his box, his father has been a lonely figure this year, surrounded by empty chairs as he watches his son compete. He taught himself tennis to help train and guide his son from a young age. The duo have so far made a father-son coaching relationship work very well, something that can be tumultuous.

However, with his rapid development the calls have been coming in from the top coaching setups wanting to take the reigns from here. For the time being, Jodar has stayed loyal with his father but things could change in the future.

One name thrown into the ring by former doubles number one Stubbs was Ferrero. His success was Alcaraz was stunning and they quickly became one of the most notorious player-coaching partnerships on the ATP Tour. They collected six Grand Slam titles, eight Masters 1000 triumphs and countless weeks as World No.1 from a very young age.

The former Roland Garros has worked his magic on Alcaraz, and Stubbs believes that he could do the same for Jodar. "Perhaps he could add someone to his team who can contribute, like Juan Carlos Ferrero," she said on her podcast. "Someone who can bring that extra dimension in terms of how to emotionally manage the semi-final and the final. How to deal with the press."

She acknowledged his father, but admitted that this could be the time to move on from him and push towards bigger successes. "His father has done a great job and is a lovely person, but taking the next step to win the most important titles will not be an easy task."

Ferrero has showed his intention of returning to coaching one day, but that day has not yet come about. It would be a highly anticipated partnership if it was to occur, but for the time being Jodar and his father seem very satisfied together, and the results show for themselves.

Sometimes unfairly, Jodar has been the centre of controversy on a number of occasions in his debut year on the ATP Tour. He has become a battering ram for many tennis fans, with the latest debacle surrounding his shoelaces which continue to break. This has been highlighted at the Cincinnati Open with a certain Denis Shapovalov less than impressed.

The Aussie continued her analysis of Jodar by focusing on his attitude, with the caveat of his stull very tender age. "He has a somewhat fussy or irritable temperament, and he can be a bit rough on the court at times. But he's 19; he's learning to handle this pressure."

Jodar's Cincinnati Open campaign ended to the hands of Flavio Cobolli after the Italian mounted a successful comeback. It is the first Masters 1000 event since the Monte-Carlo Masters that has not seen Jodar's name in the last-eight. He will now set his sights for Flushing Meadows with a debut at the US Open on the horizon.