“I don’t know if Carlos Alcaraz will be mentally prepared" - Feliciano Lopez sheds deep concerns if World No.1 'mentally prepared' to continue without Ferrero

Four-time Grand Slam quarter-finalist Feliciano Lopez has shared his concerns over Carlos Alcaraz's split with Juan Carlos Ferrero, stating he feels 'a bit sorry' and his uncertainty whether Alcaraz will be able to cope without him.

It is just a couple of weeks from the 2026 tennis season from commencing, with the majority of players settled and competing the final touches to their preparations ahead of what they hope to be a year filled with triumph and glory. This is very much predicted for Alcaraz, who along with Jannik Sinner have dominated the ATP Tour for the last couple of years.

The Spaniard has done that with Ferrero by his side. They have had a very enjoyable partnership together, first beginning back when Alcaraz attended the Juan Carlos Ferrero Academy when he was 15. Ferrero, seeing the talent he possessed, guided him to a bucket-load of success in a short space of time. This includes six Grand Slams, eight Masters 1000 titles, 24 ATP triumphs and 50 weeks and counting as world number one.

Lopez was once one of Spain's most talented players. The former world number 12 enjoyed a lot of success in a career spanning almost two decades. This included success in the 2016 Roland Garros doubles, teaming up with Marc Lopez to win his first and only Grand Slam title. On top of that he won five Davis Cup titles while clinching 18 ATP singles titles ranging from 2004 to a brace of Queen's trophies in 2017 and 2019.

The Alcaraz-Ferrero news caught him off-guard. "I feel a bit sorry about this split. I’m sad and surprised," he told El Partidazo de COPE. “I don’t know if Alcaraz is mentally prepared to face the rest of his career without Ferrero.”

He believed that the split came too soon amid all the success the duo had completed and were set to achieve. "I think it’s still a bit too soon to stop working with someone as important as Ferrero.," he commented. "Juan Carlos has been the most important person in his career, I think, along with his father”.

The Australian Open is fast approaching, set to take place from January 18 - February 1. It is a hugely important tournament that Alcaraz has bookmarked. It is a setting that he has not usually found his best game. This has resulted in a best performance of a quarter-final in 2024 and 2025. It is a huge outlier in a decorated CV the 22-year-old can boast. He will be hoping to add the final piece to the puzzle in Melbourne.

Nevertheless, this will all have to come in the wake of him splitting with Ferrero, something that Lopez is not sure he is ready for. “I don’t know if Carlos Alcaraz will be mentally prepared to face what remains of his career, at least in the short term, without Juan Carlos Ferrero as his coach. That’s my opinion, and that’s why I’m a little saddened by this split.”

He was unsure it was his decision in the first place. “In Alcaraz’s case, I think he’s not making those decisions yet," Lopez said. "I have doubts about whether Carlos was the one who really decided he didn’t want to continue with Juan Carlos." He concluded by believing it was not an on-court issue between the pair. “Yes, I would point more to the economic issue.”

For the time being, Samuel Lopez will take the reigns at the top. He will oversee Alcaraz's early season progress which will begin in the Hyundai Card Super Match in Incheon, South Korea, on January 10, competing in the exhibition alongside Sinner. This will occur eight days before the start of the Australian Open.