Ferrero and Lopez Forge Alcaraz’s Path to No. 1
Amid the grind of a relentless season, Juan Carlos Ferrero and Samuel Lopez turned Carlos Alcaraz’s doubts into dominance, earning ATP Coach of the Year honors for guiding him back to the top with sharp tactics and unyielding support.
Carlos Alcaraz‘s 2025 season pulsed with the raw energy of a champion reclaiming his throne, eight titles gleaming like fresh trophies under the Mediterranean sun and New York lights. Juan Carlos Ferrero and Samuel Lopez, the Spanish architects behind it all, steered him through hard-court shadows to clay-court brilliance, recapturing the PIF ATP Rankings No. 1 spot and ATP Year-End No. 1 honors. Their Coach of the Year win in the 2025 ATP Awards caps a year where discipline met joy, turning a 71-match victory haul into a masterclass in resilience.
Ferrero’s second such accolade, following his 2022 triumph, pairs seamlessly with Lopez’s debut, their bond forged in the Ferrero Tennis Academy’s red dust. Lopez, who coached Ferrero from age ten and knew Alcaraz from his earliest swings, slipped into the team without friction before the season kicked off. Together, they aligned on every facet, from refining the one–two punch of wide serves followed by crosscourt returns to injecting levity into grueling sessions, ensuring Alcaraz’s explosive forehands stayed sharp without burnout.
“I’m so happy with the award,” Ferrero told ATPTour.com. “I was in no doubt that Samuel would fit our working philosophy really well, because we’ve been working together for many years and he knows exactly what I want for Carlos. He’s done great work from the start.”
“Everything was easy, because the results came,” Lopez said with a smile. “I’ve known Juan Carlos since he was ten years old and Carlos since he took his first steps at the Ferrero Tennis Academy. I was with Pablo Carreno Busta during that period, but we’d shared a lot of moments together. The working atmosphere is very relaxed because we’ve always known each other and we understood what Carlos needed.”
Hard-court doubts fuel deeper resolve
The ATP Masters 1000 hard-court swing hit like a sudden chill, exposing cracks after Alcaraz’s Rotterdam glow. Indian Wells, tentative footwork let baseline exchanges drag, and Miami’s opener against David Goffin unraveled with inside-in forehands sailing wide, confidence fracturing under the quick bounce. Ferrero and Lopez didn’t just tweak strokes; they dove into the mental fray, chatting as friends to unpack the sting, shifting from tactical drills to psychological resets that rebuilt his edge.
“Carlos had just won in Rotterdam, when he did great,” Ferrero recalled. “But in Indian Wells and Miami he lost a little confidence. It was a tough time, not because of the defeat, but the way it happened. He was affected by the tournament and we had a chat when we got back.”
These talks emphasized expressing vulnerabilities, turning short-tempered moments into opportunities for growth. Alcaraz emerged with bolder serve-volley rushes and varied returns—mixing flat drives with underspin slices to disrupt returners—setting the stage for surface transitions. The duo’s insistence on fun amid rigor kept sessions electric, preventing the isolation that plagues the tour’s endless circuit.
Clay surge sparked by Monte Carlo grit
Monte Carlo flipped the script, a gritty title grab where Alcaraz’s 10-out-of-10 attitude outpaced his strokes, heavy topspin loops pinning opponents deep before inside-out winners cracked the baseline. Even without flawless form, he grinded semifinals with precise drop shots that lured foes forward, then pounced with down-the-line backhands. This lightbulb win restored clarity, propelling a 22-1 clay rampage through Barcelona’s final, Rome’s triumph, and Roland Garros glory.
“Winning in Monte Carlo, without playing that well, but having a 10-out-of-10 attitude really helped him have clarity about the rest of the season,” Ferrero said. “From there he reached a lot of finals, had incredible results in the Grand Slams... But Monte Carlo was a lightbulb moment. It gave him the confidence he needed and from there he was able to get some amazing results.”
Lopez spotlighted Alcaraz’s maturity in voicing pressures post-Monte Carlo, easing the tour’s weight through open talks on fears and demands. This evolution sharpened his all-court game: looped forehands dominating slower clay, aggressive net forays in tiebreaks sealing points. The US Open and Cincinnati crowns later validated the blueprint, Alcaraz blending slice defenses with crosscourt lasers to conquer hard-court finals, his joy infectious under stadium roars.
“Carlos has matured and he has realised the importance of expressing his feelings,” Lopez observed. “After Monte-Carlo, he was talking much more about how he was feeling and it really helped him to express himself more, in terms of any difficulties, fears, and everything that comes with being there and handling the pressure of the tour.”
Shared vision eyes endless ambition
Ferrero’s four nominations since the award’s 2016 start, voted by peers who grasp coaching’s complexities, make this shared win doubly sweet. Their balance—Ferrero’s strict discipline tempering Lopez’s joker vibe—maximized Alcaraz’s talent, ensuring 100 percent effort laced with laughter. Lopez’s prior stints with Nicolas Almagro and Carreno Busta added fresh angles, like unpredictable 1–2 patterns that kept top seeds guessing in Masters 1000 clashes.
“Honestly, since I started this project, it’s never been a goal to win Coach of the Year,” Ferrero reflected. “But for the work to be recognised by other coaches who understand as we do how complicated it is... it means a lot to me to have won it twice now. This year it’s doubly fulfilling because I’m sharing it with Samuel.”
“Maybe I freshened things up, because Juan Carlos has been with him for seven years and I’m new,” Lopez noted. “I know the team and we’ve all contributed equally, but in different ways. Above all, we’ve really insisted that the work has to be fun.”
“The goal is for Carlos to work at 100 per cent and get everything out of the talent he has within him,” Ferrero added. “We do that through hard work and discipline, but also with fun and joy while we’re doing it. In that regard, I’m maybe a bit stricter and more serious. And Samuel is the joker, he’s more open. But he also has the serious side you need when it comes to work.”
Turin’s year-end No. 1 clinch etched pure elation, Lopez treasuring his first Grand Slam as coach at Roland Garros alongside the Turin magic. “On a personal level, I won my first Grand Slam at Roland Garros by forming part of a team as a coach, and what a win!” he said. “Then, at the end of the year we knew he had the chance to end it as No. 1 and although nobody on the team was obsessed with it at the time, doing it in Turin was also a very happy moment.”
As 2026 looms, their mission sharpens: sustain Alcaraz’s fire, chasing majors few touch while nurturing that signature joy. “Our mission is to keep his ambition alive,” Lopez emphasized. “You cannot rest on your laurels with what he’s achieved. From now on that motivation has to keep growing, wanting more big things that are within reach of so few and from there staying motivated and not settling for anything, always gunning for more with that joy he is known for, which rubs off on the rest of us.”
(Editor’s Note: This story has been translated from ATPTour.com/es.)
