They've Been a Winning Duo for Years — So Why Is Carlos Alcaraz Splitting from His Coach?

He's known as one of the world's top tennis players, but Carlos Alcarez isn't done aiming for the stars. For seven years now, he has been on that upward trajectory with the help of his coach and former winning player, Juan Carlos Ferrero.

Yet in December 2025, Carlos suddenly announced that he was splitting from his trainer.

Here's what we know about why Carlos and Juan decided to split, and what lies ahead for the up-and-coming tennis superstar, who took home the U.S. Open win for the second time in September 2025.

The surprising announcement came on Dec. 17, 2025. In a post shared to Instagram written originally in Spanish and translated to English, Carlos announced, "After more than seven years together, Juanki and I have decided to bring our chapter together as coach and player to an end."

He added, "Thank you for turning my childhood dream into reality. We started this journey when I was just a kid, and through all this time, you've accompanied me on an incredible journey, both on and off the court. And I have very much enjoyed every step of it with you." He seemed to indicate it was a mutual decision to part, but Juan seemed to suggest otherwise in a statement released to the press.

"I wish I could have continued," he said. "I am convinced that good memories and good people always find a way to cross paths again. We have been an incredible team despite the difficulties, and I am sure you will continue to achieve great success" (excerpts via USA Today).

So, it's unclear why exactly they split as a team, but they both seem to have goodwill for one another.

While Carlos's split from Juan comes as a shock to the world of tennis, this isn't the first time the unassuming tennis star has drawn surprising and major headlines in recent months, according to Newsweek.

Not only is his career on a major upward trajectory, but he somehow seemed to garner the ire of the President of the United States by winning the U.S. Open in September 2025.

Trump's attendance at the event was controversial to start with, because his presence allegedly delayed the game significantly due to enhanced security measures.

But it was his reaction to Carlos's win that set tongues wagging on social media.

Carlos secured a win at the Open over Italian Jannik Sinner in the final match of the tournament, and the raptly watching audience showed appropriate enthusiasm for his win.

Except, of course, for Trump, who sat stoically and looked unimpressed as he forewent clapping while those around him applauded Carlos's win.

However, it's unclear whether Trump's apparent disinterest reflected his true feelings about Carlos's performance. After all, it's entirely possible he was distracted. And tennis isn't exactly known as the president's favorite sport, so it's possible he didn't grasp the importance of Carlos's win.

Either way, the internet quickly mocked him as a "poor sport."

Carlos, on the other hand, received glowing praise for his historic win.