Rafael Nadal’s uncle Toni recently criticized Carlos Alcaraz after the World No. 1 Spaniard didn’t make any mention of ex-coach Juan Carlos Ferrero following his men’s singles title triumph at the 2026 Australian Open. The 64-year-old opined that he wouldn’t have liked it had his legendary nephew behaved in the same manner during his illustrious playing days.
Alcaraz defeated Novak Djokovic in the Melbourne final to leapfrog Nadal, becoming the youngest player in the Open Era to complete the Career Grand Slam, i.e. to have won all four singles Major titles. In the aftermath of his historic achievement, the 22-year-old thanked his current head coach Samuel Lopez, but didn’t offer any words of appreciation for Ferrero, who had guided him to six of the Slams he had previously won before the controversial end of their glorious collaboration late last year.
Criticizing the reigning No. 1 for not publicly acknowledging the profound impact Ferrero had on his development in the aftermath of his Melbourne success, Toni Nadal told Radioestadio Noche (translated from Spanish):
“It’s all well and good to praise your coach, but you have to remember the other person too. I don’t know how things ended with Ferrero, but when he says that, I feel bad saying it. I’m sure Samuel López has done a great job these past two months, but he can’t forget Ferrero’s work over the years. I wouldn’t have liked it if Rafa had said that about Carlos Moyá when I left.”
“We needed a change, we decided to make it” – Carlos Alcaraz addresses Juan Carlos Ferrero split
In the wake of his stunning Australian Open title triumph, Alcaraz gave an interview to El Mundo. Here, the 25-time career singles titlist briefly touched on his and Ferrero’s shocking split in December 2025. According to the Spaniard, his camp thought it best to bring the curtains down on the successful collaboration and head in a new direction. The seven-time Major champion said (translated from Spanish):
“A tennis player’s season runs from January to November, and when it ends, decisions have to be made. Life is based on that: on choosing paths. Sometimes those paths are right, sometimes they’re wrong, and you have to keep learning. We saw that we needed a change, we decided to make it, and it happened that way.”
Having departed Alcaraz’s coaching setup, Ferrero is right now working with 21-year-old Spanish golfer Angel Ayora. Ferrero’s role in Ayora’s camp revolves more around the mental aspect of golf rather than the technical elements.
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