Boris Becker has proven himself to be a good coach, and he was once a great player. His Wimbledon wins are legendary, just as Carlos Alcaraz's are. But Alcaraz is not yet in the position that Becker is to simply be a keen observer of the sport. That is a good thing on both sides.
Fans want to keep watching Alcaraz's magic for decades to come, and hopefully listen to Becker talk about it. To be sure, the retired German player is a fan of the young Spaniard, as Becker believes Alcaraz is the best player in the world. But the Spaniard might also have one issue he needs to disprove.
Late in 2025, Alcaraz fired his longtime coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero. The pair had worked together since Alcaraz was in his mid-teens, and together they had won six Grand Slams and watched as the player ascended to No. 1.
Boris Becker thinks Carlos Alcaraz needs to prove himself
Now, according to Becker and many others, Carlos Alcaraz is trying to show he can win without Ferrero. He has the talent to do so, but in high-stress matches, one can rightly wonder if Alcaraz will miss his former coach's guidance from the crowd. We don't know the answer to that yet.
In a recent conversation with Eurosport ahead of the Australian Open, Becker said, "(Alcaraz) is the most talented player in the world. I think he is more talented than (Jannik) Sinner, than (Alexander) Zverev....The pressure is on Alcaraz, without Ferrero by his side, to prove something. Is he good enough? Yes. Is he talented enough? Yes. Let’s talk in two weeks and see if we have a new champion in Melbourne. Today, on paper, I would say Sinner is the favorite."
It is slightly ironic to say the pressure to win the Australian Open is on Alcaraz, as Sinner is the two-time winner of the major and needs to win again to keep his point total close to the top-ranked Alcaraz. But Becker is not wrong.
Carlos Alcaraz has to show that he can win without Ferrero, and not just in Melbourne. Should the Spaniard take his first trophy at the Aussie Open but then relatively fail over the next few months, many will wonder, potentially even Alcaraz himself, if letting Ferrero go was the right move.
Now doubt the young Spaniard will be self-motivated to prove he can win Down Under, but after that, he will be playing in many tournaments he has already won. Will a lack of Juan Carlos Ferrero mean a slightly less-focused Carlos Alcaraz?