Juan Carlos Ferrero coached Alexander Zverev and Carlos Alcaraz in two separate stints, but has described a key difference between the pair.

Ferrero coached two of the world's greatest players in completely different stages of their careers. The 46-year-old is widely known for the success he enjoyed during his seven-year partnership with Alcaraz from 2018 to December 2025.

The Spaniard won a whopping seven Grand Slams under Ferrero's guidance, establishing himself at the pinnacle of the sport. Zverev, meanwhile, endured a brief stint with Ferrero as a 20-year-old almost a decade ago, with the two players making opposite impressions.

Juan Carlos Ferrero slammed Alexander Zverev's professionalism

Alcaraz ended his partnership with Ferrero after his father questioned the management of the player's career. Samuel Lopez replaced him as his main coach, and the decision was instantly vindicated after he became the youngest winner of the Australian Open, aged 22, in January 2026.

The two-time Wimbledon champion has since endured a topsy-turvy year, largely due to the wrist injury he sustained at the Barcelona Open and, when discussing his partnership with the tennis superstar, Ferrero spoke about nurturing a young Alcaraz instead of trying to mould him into his own image.

“My goals with Carlos were very clear. It was to truly help a young man, who was 15 when we started and had spectacular qualities, improve day by day," Ferrero told Eurosport.

"I wasn’t really thinking about putting my own things into him, but rather trying to adapt to who he was.

“It’s true that the experience of having played, of having achieved certain things, can influence your guidance. But at no point did I think that I was going to make him just like me. No, no, nothing could be further from the truth. Instead, I tried to adapt to all the qualities he had in order to fully develop them.”

Alcaraz has been praised for his professionalism by Ferrero in the past, whereas Zverev - who had the coach in his corner for a few months in 2017 when he was 20 - was not complimentary of the German.

"With Zverev, let’s just say we didn’t share the same understanding of the professionalism involved in being a tennis player," he continued. "Our cultures are very different. He’s Russian-German, I’m Spanish. We thought differently and, in the end, we each decided to go our separate ways.”

Zverev has since carved out an incredibly successful career, rising to number two in the world rankings - and on the cusp of overtaking Jannik Sinner - after winning the French Open and US Open in 2026.

Juan Carlos Ferrero's praise for Alexander Zverev

After winning his first two Grand Slam titles, Ferrero has praised the 29-year-old for his hard work paying off.

“I think it’s well-deserved,” Ferrero said. “He’s a player who I believe has been working towards this for a long time. Perhaps his level and development had stagnated a bit over the last three or four years. But in the last year and a half, I think he’s realised this and has really been trying to improve.

“It just so happens that neither Carlos nor Jannik [Sinner] have been there. He’s taken advantage of the opportunity. But I think that now, having seized that opportunity, he’s going to be mentally stronger to try and compete on equal terms with them.”

Zverev can officially become the new ATP world No. 1 by reaching the quarter-finals of the Vienna Open with a victory over Tallon Griekspoor.