Alexander Zverev gets criticism for a surprising trait that Carlos Alcaraz was praised for
Juan Carlos Ferrero has coached both Alexander Zverev and Carlos Alcaraz at different times, and he noticed an important difference between them.
Ferrero guided two amazing players but did so at very different points in their careers. The 46-year-old is well-known for his successful seven-year run coaching Alcaraz from 2018 to December 2025. During that time, Alcaraz won an impressive seven Grand Slam titles and became one of the best players in the world. On the other hand, Ferrero worked with Zverev for a short time when Zverev was just 20, almost ten years ago, but their experience was quite different.
Alcaraz ended his coaching relationship with Ferrero after his father raised concerns about how his career was being managed. Samuel Lopez took over as Alcaraz’s main coach and quickly proved a great fit when Alcaraz became the youngest Australian Open winner at 22, in January 2026.
Ferrero described his time with Alcaraz as mostly about helping a young player grow, rather than trying to shape him into someone else. “My goal with Carlos was simple: to help a young guy who was only 15 when we started, with amazing talent, get better every day,” Ferrero told Eurosport. “I wasn’t trying to make him like me, but to support and develop all his qualities.”
While Ferrero has praised Alcaraz’s professionalism, his experience with Zverev was different. Ferrero said, “With Zverev, we didn’t see eye to eye on what it means to be professional. Our backgrounds are very different — he’s Russian-German, I’m Spanish — and we just didn’t connect the same way, so we went separate ways.”
Since then, Zverev has built a fantastic career, reaching world No. 2 and winning both the French Open and US Open in 2026. Ferrero is happy to see Zverev’s hard work paying off. “I think it’s well deserved. He’s clearly been working hard for a long time. Maybe his progress slowed down for a few years, but recently he’s pushed himself and taken advantage of the chance when some other top players weren’t at their best. Now, he’s mentally stronger and ready to compete with the best.”
Zverev is close to becoming ATP world No. 1 if he can win his next match at the Vienna Open against Tallon Griekspoor.