I Would Not Be Surprised: Carlos Alcaraz Suggests New Coach Has Been Revealed.
Carlos Alcaraz’s steady return to fitness has belied his rapid return to form, which has been almost instant since he played his first competitive match back at the US Open in September.
Since then, the Spaniard has already won two ATP titles and is currently into the quarter-finals of the Paris Masters.
Given how ravaged the field in the French capital is, it feels like there is nobody left capable of stopping him from adding a new piece of silverware to his already sprawling cabinet.
And yet, as he silently moves through the draw and closer to his first Paris Masters title, it is Jannik Sinner and Ben Shelton who have been dominating headlines.
After all, their respective coaching changes both came as great surprises, and have sparked mass speculation about how Carlos Alcaraz might react.
Brad Gilbert backs Carlos Alcaraz to make coaching change
Speaking on the latest Big T podcast, it was Brad Gilbert who shared his theory for what the future might hold for Alcaraz.
After all, since Juan Carlos Ferrero departed his team around this time last year, he has made no major additions to replace him, instead trusting in the guidance of Samu Lopez to spearhead his development.
Discussing Ben Shelton‘s decision to add Alcaraz’s old coach to his team, Gilbert actually made a bold prediction about the seven-time Grand Slam champion, noting: “I’m sure he’s eager to get to work and make some changes so he can close the gap on Sinner, Alcaraz, and Zverev, and his combined record against the three is not that great.
“But honestly, I do believe now after what Sinner did, you know… I expect at least two, three, more guys in the top ten to make big changes, and I expect two, three, women, probably, that are playing the year-end championships, to make changes.
“I think, actually, Alcaraz will make a move soon, and the guy to keep most eyes on, I think, is David Ferrer.
“Because he’s all of a sudden stopping as the Davis Cup captain. Everyone thinks now that that’s a perfect solution to go to Jodar, but, you know, I would not be surprised if Alcaraz makes a move this off-season.”
Elsewhere, Alcaraz recently discussed shock losses to Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev at the Paris Masters, as he seeks his first-ever title here.
Chris Eubanks reacts to Ben Shelton hiring Juan Carlos Ferrero
Shelton’s decision to hire Ferrero came completely out of left field, catching everyone by surprise.
Chris Eubanks was no different, and chatting in that same podcast, he offered his honest view on the decision.
“It completely caught me off guard as well,” the American admitted.
He continued: “I’m sitting here kind of in this bit of a limbo period of wondering, who’s he gonna go with? Jodar seemed like the most logical choice, young Spaniard; he’s had success obviously with another young Spaniard. That’s kind of where I kind of think all my energy went towards.
“And yesterday, you start to see the reports, and I go, this is actually a perfect match.
This makes all the sense in the world, based on, for Ferrero, he’s clearly done a lot of good with players who are phenomenal athletes, players who possess a lot of firepower, and players who are incredible competitors. That’s all Ben Shelton.”
Eubanks then expanded on exactly why the match-up between player and coach will be ‘so nice’, adding: “It gives Ferrero a different type of horse in the race. It gives him a different type of athlete that he can kind of help to mould and guide alongside his team, and his father, Bryan, to just add a little bit of the few percentage points to kind of get Ben over the hump.
“You look at Ben’s career so far, starting pro, he’s gotten better and better every single year. That’s no small statement from 2023 to 2024, 2024, 25. What he’s been able to do this year’s been incredible: winning another Masters 1000, the final US Open, has consistent results at the biggest tournaments, and now he’s gonna have somebody on his bag who has the experience, not just as a player, but also as a coach, and someone who loves to work hard as well. I think Ferrero’s gonna blend in perfectly with their kind of team dynamic.
“I think it was a great hire, didn’t see it coming, I’m excited to see what they do on the court.”
