"I thought he was going with one of these young Spanish guys" - Ben Shelton recalls how intriguing Ferrero partnership was formed

The recent bombshell news has included Juan Carlos Ferrero, with his next coaching mystery now at an end, with the tennis player in question being Ben Shelton. The American is currently in action at the Paris Masters, and after a solid 6-3, 6-4 victory over Cameron Norrie, he explained how this upcoming partnership came about.

Ferrero had been working alongside Carlos Alcaraz for years, but they officially split up at the end of 2025. From that point, all tennis fans were waiting for his next move. They had to bide their time as the Spaniard pondered his next move.

His reputation had skyrocketed under Alcaraz, who he led to six Grand Slam titles and numerous weeks as World No.1 at just the tender age of 22. Now, it was time for a new challenge, and the rumours began.

In the end, it would be Shelton who gets to work alongside Ferrero. This intriguing collaboration will commence at the start of 2027. There will be a shift in the team dynamic with Shelton's dad, Bryan, still coaching his son but now having to work alongside Ferrero.

It was an opportunity that Shelton did not think he would get, automatically believing that his pathway would direct him somewhere else.

“Honestly, I saw the stuff online, I thought it was true, too, I thought he was going with one of these young Spanish guys," he told the Tennis Channel.

“But I just reached out to my agent one day and I was like, ‘Hey, could you just at least, you know, hit the guy up and see if he’s available or if he already locked something in’. He ended up being available and we had some talks on the phone and that was kind of that, but I’m really looking forward to it. I think that he’s a great guy, we get along well, and hopefully we can have a big year next year.”

Currently ranked as the World No.4, there have been glimmers of Shelton's stark potential in 2026. A Canadian Open triumph is the pick of his four ATP titles this campaign while breaking new ground at Grand Slam level as he reached the final of the US Open, losing out to Alexander Zverev.

However, his form on the big stage has not been great, with a consistent string of early exits and humiliating defeats, something the 24-year-old has not been able to escape. Under Ferrero, whom he regarded very highly, Shelton believed that was much to learn and improve on.

“For me, I think obviously he’s one of the best coaches in the world, what he did with Carlos I thought was outstanding and and also a guy who’s had a lot of success on clay courts which is something that I’m trying to improve,” he continued.

After being coached by his dad his whole career, Shelton still seemed positive in getting someone else on board. “I think that it’s a unique situation where I have a parent coach who’s willing and able to bring someone in who has no ego, and both of us are really looking forward to be able to learn from Juan Carlos. For us, it’s the perfect storm, I’m happy to have him on the team and super excited to get to work in the off-season.”

Shelton will return to the ATP Finals in a couple of weeks after making his debut last year. He lost all three matches in the round robin phase and will be determined to right those wrong. For the time being, all focus is on the Paris Masters. Into the last-16, the 2025 quarter-finalist will take on either Mattia Bellucci or Arthur Rinderknech.