Tennis

‘I train with Carlos Alcaraz every day and…’, says top coach

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Juan Carlos Ferrero has been voted Coach of the Year at the 2022 ATP Awards for his contribution to Carlos Alcaraz signing a season full of records on the Tour. The Spaniard became the first player under 20 to close the year at No.1 in all 50 editions of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings after a spectacular campaign in which he lifted two ATP Masters 1000 titles and his first Grand Slam crown at the US Open. Alcaraz, who also won titles in Rio de Janeiro and Barcelona, ended the season with a record of 57-13. Under Ferrero’s guidance, Alcaraz also had the biggest climb ever to No. 1 at the end of the year, climbing from No. 32 at the end of 2021. “This year has been an incredible year,” he said. Ferrero, after being selected by other coaches as the winner of the ATP Award. “Fortunately all the hard work has been rewarded with results and now with this incredible award. I am extremely happy to win the ATP Coach of the Year award. Thank you all for the support.” Ferrero first met Alcaraz at the Equelite Sports Academy when the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals champion was just 13 years old. He then watched the Murcian pick up his first ATP Tour point at just 14 years old, before officially starting to work together in 2018. “I saw him when he was 13 years old,” recalls Ferrero. “He came to the academy and we trained one day. He was very small, but everyone was talking about him. He had everything he has now, but in miniature. Officially, I saw him when he scored his first point at 14 years old. So you could already see how he competed “” When he came to the academy at 15 years old, he was very skinny. He was fast but he had no muscles. Despite everything, we saw something very special.” Alcaraz’s rise to the top of men’s tennis has captured the world’s attention. However, it has not been a big surprise for Ferrero. “It is happening very fast.”

Ferrero talks about Alcaraz

Elected ATP coach of the year 2022 by his peers, Juan Carlos Ferrero, who had an exceptional season alongside his player, Carlos Alcaraz, wanted to look back on the day he worked for the first time with the youngest world number one in history. “When he first came to the academy at 15 he was a stick man, he was quick but had no muscles. Despite this, we saw something very special. His rise came very quickly, it’s a surprise for everyone, except for me, because I train with him every day and I know what he can do. I was sure that if it wasn’t this year, it would be the next. Now we want to continue.”

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