Carlos Alcaraz’s former mentor, Juan Carlos Ferrero, is set to coach Ben Shelton next season.

Ferrero had previously revealed he would begin working with a new player in 2027 and said he would reveal the star on November 9. But according to the Times, the Spaniard will take Shelton under his wing in January, joining his current coach and father, Bryan Shelton, in the 24-year-old’s team.

The American star took his career to new heights this year by winning four tour-level titles and reaching his first Grand Slam final at the US Open. The appointment of Ferrero is a shocking one and has left some fans concerned for Shelton.

Fans react to Ben Shelton hiring Juan Carlos Ferrero

In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, one fan said: “Makes literally no sense at all. Seems like Shelton gets what he needs mentally from his dad. He was just off his game against Zverev in the final; it’s a bad matchup for him. This seems like an insane reach that won’t fit at all; the father/son dynamic worked for Ben and Bryan.”

Another fan stated: “This won’t work unless the dad takes a back seat.”

This user said: “I don’t think Ferrero and Shelton’s dad are good together; without Carlos, he had his clashes with this one, it will be worse.”

One fan argued: “I think Shelton with Ferrero can improve a lot, but hopefully Shelton’s dad gives up a lot of control to the Spaniard. I think for the ATP, this is very good news.”

Finally, this fan said: “I don’t think Shelton is the right one for him; his father could limit his work a lot.”

Ben Shelton’s title triumphs during the 2026 season

Prior to this year, Shelton had never won more than one title in a season. That all changed this year with his tally of four, the first of which came at the Dallas Open. Following a quarterfinal run at the Australian Open, Shelton went all the way in Dallas to secure his fourth ATP title.

Shelton’s next title in 2026 came during the clay swing at the Munich Open, where he beat Joao Fonseca and Flavio Cobolli en route to capturing the crown. Then, on the grass courts of Stuttgart, Shelton triumphed once again.

His fourth title of the season came at the Canadian Open, where he defended his crown to win a second ATP Masters 1000 tournament.