Tennis fans know the truth: As much as Juan Carlos Ferrero helped Carlos Alcaraz become the best player in the world, a huge reason for the success is Alcaraz's raw skills. He will likely succeed no matter who the coach is, and no offense to Ferrero. Alcaraz split with Ferrero this week.
But the player might not make a downgrade in potentially hiring a new coach. He could just stick with Samuel Lopez, who Alcaraz hired to help coach with Ferrero in December of 2024, but eventually, chances are that the ATP No. 1 will hire a different coach.
According to Brad Gilbert, the new coach might be former Rafael Nadal coach Carlos Moya. Moya is currently involved with Nadal's tennis academy, and maybe the younger Spaniard doesn't want a long-term link to the 22-time Grand Slam champion. He might want to create his own path.
Brad Gilbert suggest option for Carlos Alcaraz's next coach
Still, while rumors imply that Alcaraz split with Ferrero after seven seasons (which involved a total of 50 weeks at No. 1 and six Grand Slam trophies) because the player had commercial opportunities that maybe the coach wasn't fond of, Alcaraz isn't going to want to make tennis-related decisions that hurt him.
Moya has proven to be a fantastic coach with high-end talent, and both Nadal and Alcaraz are obviously high-level talent. Whether Moya or Alcaraz is at all interested in working together is unknown, but the idea is certainly an interesting one.
In a video posted on X, Brad Gilbert named other potential options should Carlos Alcaraz choose to hire a new coach. David Ferrer, captain of the Spanish David Cup team, has a clear familiarity with Alcaraz, though not an overly successful one.
Italy, home of Alcaraz's greatest rival, Jannik Sinner, has won the trophy of the last three years, the last one without Sinner playing in the finals. Maybe that would affect Alcaraz's decision.
Tennis fans might not know what Carlos Alcaraz plans to do in the near future, either. The Australian Open (the first major of the year) is a month away. The top-ranked player on the ATP has never won that Grand Slam, and he might wait to make his next coaching decision based on what happens in Melbourne.