Juan Carlos Ferrero embarks on a new path after ending his era with Carlos Alcaraz

Former Carlos Alcaraz coach Juan Carlos Ferrero found a new professional challenge for 2026, after announcing his collaboration with young Spanish golfer Ángel Ayora.

As explained by the Spanish coach, he will take on a role as Ayora’s mental coach — and not for technical aspects. The golfer is looking to add a new angle to his preparation, focusing on decision-making and the emotional strength that characterises individual sports.

The move comes just one month after the separation between Ferrero and Alcaraz — one of the most talked-about topics during the off-season. The relationship ended in December 2025 after more than seven years together, during which the Murcian began his career and established himself on the Tour.

Working under Ferrero’s guidance, Alcaraz achieved six Grand Slam titles and eight Masters 1000 crowns — for a total of 24 titles.

The split occurred due to differences in the negotiation of a new contract and professional agreements, although Ferrero previously clarified that it was not a monetary issue.

“Excited to announce a new professional collaboration for 2026!” Ferrero wrote on his social media. “I’ll be working alongside @angel.ayora_, a young golfer with great potential, his coach Juan Ochoa and his management team All In Sports Group.

We’ll be working together on the mental side of performance and professional development.”

However, he clarified that it will not be a full-time role, and that he will continue working in parallel at the Juan Carlos Ferrero Academy.

“Tennis is my life, and I’ll continue giving my all at the Academy and on the circuit. However, golf also excites me — it’s an individual sport where the mental aspect plays a crucial role. I’m delighted to be able to contribute my experience and support Ángel’s growth on the circuit.

We’ve already started, highly motivated and looking forward to continuing this journey.”

The end of the partnership with Alcaraz came one month earlier, while contractual terms were being negotiated.

“Everything seemed like it was set to continue,” Ferrero said one month ago. “It’s true that when the year ends, there are certain things at the contract level that have to be looked at. And as in any new contract, looking ahead to next year, there were certain things on which we did not agree…

It may be that they could have been saved if we had sat down to talk, but in the end we didn’t sit down and we decided not to continue,” Ferrero explained.

There was speculation about a possible new coach for Alcaraz, but ultimately the world No. 1 opted to trust Samuel López — who joined his team in 2025 as co-coach alongside Ferrero and who, from this season onwards, will take on the main role leading Alcaraz.

This week at the Australian Open marks their first tournament together, and Alcaraz has already reached the quarterfinals — winning convincingly along the way. He defeated rivals such as Corentin Moutet (32nd) and Tommy Paul (19th), without dropping a single set.

His next opponent is world No. 6 Alex de Minaur, the main local hope, who will be looking to break the quarterfinal barrier at Grand Slam tournaments. So far, they have faced each other five times, with all victories going to Alcaraz — the most recent at the ATP Finals — although this will be the first time they meet in a five-set match at a Grand Slam.