“Thinking about only wanting to beat Carlos Alcaraz”: Coco Gauff’s ex-coach sends stark warning to Juan Carlos Ferrero about Ben Shelton role
Ben Shelton has bolstered his coaching setup with the addition of Carlos Alcaraz’s former coach Juan Carlos Ferrero for the 2027 season. When Ferrero announced his plans to return to coaching, many speculated who would be his next project. But his inclusion in Shelton’s camp came as a surprise to many.
Rather than replacing the southpaw’s father, Bryan, the Spaniard will work with him. The 2003 US Open champion Andy Roddick believes Ferrero’s ambitions could be driven by the desire to beat his former protege.
In response to his viewpoint, Coco Gauff’s former coach Brad Gilbert gave his perspective about the 2003 French Open champion’s collaboration with Ben Shelton. He stressed the coach’s own discipline before turning to their split and to the flaw in making a former pupil the target.
“One thing is most important for coaches. You cannot make it personal that your quest is to beat your former player. It is about coaching your player to become a better player and not get personally involved,” Gilbert said on the Big T Podcast.
“If you’ve been fired or dismissed, it’s about you working with this player to maximize their potential, as opposed to you thinking, ‘Oh my god, all I want to do is beat Alcaraz.’ You need the player that has some skill set to be able to be in the equation,” he added.
Ferrero spent seven years with Carlos Alcaraz and guided him to six Grand Slam titles before their split in December 2025.
Ben Shelton explains how he convinced Ferrero to join his team
Ben Shelton shed light on his upcoming partnership with Ferrero after beating Cameron Norrie in his opening match. The 24-year-old admitted he had believed the reports linking Ferrero to one of the young Spanish players, with Rafael Jodar at the top. But to his luck, the 46-year-old was available, and after a few calls they came to an agreement.
Honestly, I saw the stuff online, I thought it was true, too, I thought he was going with one of these young Spanish guys. But I just reached out to my agent one day and I was like, Hey, could you just at least, you know, hit the guy up and see if he’s available or if he already locked something in,” Ben Shelton said while speaking to the Tennis Channel in Paris.
When the appointment was confirmed, the reported plan claimed Ferrero would play 10 to 12 tournaments next season, including all four Grand Slams, after an off-season block in the United States. Ben Shelton, the world No. 4, reached his first Grand Slam final at the US Open, beating Alcaraz in the quarterfinals before losing to Zverev.
