Carlos Alcaraz will join the legends of the sport if he keeps his “motivation intact” throughout his career, according to former coach Juan Carlos Ferrero.
In December, Alcaraz and Ferrero parted ways, bringing an end to a seven-year partnership that featured 24 titles, including six Grand Slams.
Alcaraz started attending Ferrero’’ academy in Villena in 2018 when he was 15, and he became the youngest ATP world No 1 in history after winning his maiden major at the 2022 US Open aged 19.
Samuel Lopez, who coaches at Ferrero’s academy, is now Alcaraz’s head coach, having previously worked in tandem with Ferrero.
In his first tournament since splitting with Ferrero, Alcaraz secured his maiden Australian Open title to become the youngest man to complete the career Grand Slam.
The 22-year-old then won the Qatar Open in February before falling in the semi-finals in Indian Wells and the third round in Miami last month.
In an interview with Marca, Ferrero was asked if he believes Alcaraz can become the best player in history.
“Yes, of course. What he needs to do is keep his motivation intact,” said the former world No 1.
“He needs to stay motivated when he’s achieving all the goals he’s set for himself, and then, when his motivation isn’t at 100%, professional discipline has to kick in.
“I think Carlos will stay motivated because he knows he has some very important players ahead of him, players who have achieved great success, and he wants to be one of them.
“I don’t see any reason to think his motivation will drop in the short term, and I hope he stays at this level for a long time because he’ll have opportunities to win major titles.”
Alcaraz will be next in action this week at the Monte Carlo Masters, where he is the reigning champion.
