Jannik Sinner’s rivalry with Carlos Alcaraz takes dark twist amid shock ‘betrayal' rumours
Carlos Alcaraz’s former coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero, has announced his intention to return to the ATP Tour in 2027, and reports have surfaced linking him to the Spaniard’s long-time rival, Jannik Sinner.
Ferrero, a former Grand Slam finalist himself, led Alcaraz to six tennis Majors, including two final victories versus Sinner in 2025 at Roland Garros and the US Open.
Jannik Sinner’s rivalry with Carlos Alcaraz set to grow in intensity, if Juan Carlos Ferrero joins the Italian’s team
According to the Tennis Weekly Podcast (TWP), “more and more reports” are surfacing that claim Ferrero will join Sinner’s team in 2027.
Initial rumours arose through journalist Gonzalo Ferreyra, who claimed that former world No.4 Jose Luis Clerc, also known as Batata, hinted Ferrero would coach Sinner in 2027 in August.
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“During Cincinnati, Jose Luis Clerc hinted that Juan Carlos Ferrero will be Jannik Sinner’s coach in the 2027 season,” wrote Ferreyra on X.
“A few hours ago, another source confirmed Batata’s information to me,” he concluded. Ferreyra has not yet named the source that supported Clerc’s claim.
In the hours prior to TWP’s post, Tennis Italiano claimed “in Spain, they are certain” that Ferrero will return to coach either Sinner, or rising talent Rafael Jodar.
The podcast wrote on X: “Still unconfirmed and we genuinely struggle to believe this, but more and more reports are saying Juan Carlos Ferrero will be coaching Jannik Sinner in 2027.
“If true, we wonder how 'friendly' Carlos and Jannik will be moving forward,” they concluded, before noting that Ferrero might have looked “more smug” while announcing his return to the Tour, if his plans involved Sinner.
The Spaniard, a fellow countryman to Alcaraz, spoke with Movistar on Tuesday, and said: "This year I am very calm, enjoying family time and preparing for what is coming next year.
According to AS, sources close to Ferrero clarified that he does want to return to the Tour, and is in talks with various ATP players.
Additionally, the sources stressed that no deals have been finalised yet, but did not rule Sinner out as a possibility, despite growing noise linking the Italian to him.
Sinner’s current coach, Darren Cahill, is expected to depart from the five-time Slam champion’s team ahead of 2027. He committed to “at least one more season” back in January, amid rumours of the Australian leaving his athlete’s side.
Why was Carlos Alcaraz’s 'tennis divorce' with Ferrero so messy?
As implied by the Tennis Weekly Podcast, who claimed that Ferrero might have looked more smug while announcing his Tour return, his relationship with Alcaraz saw a sour conclusion.
After departing from the seven-time Major winner’s team in December 2025, Ferrero watched on as Alcaraz won the 2026 Australian Open, and completed the Career Slam.
Rumours surfaced shortly after their split that the Spaniards’ ‘tennis divorce’ was a messy affair, prompting Ferrero to talk with Clay in January, shortly before Alcaraz won in Melbourne.
The 23-year-old had posted a series of photos to social media reflecting on “the truly important things” in 2025, and Ferrero was absent, despite coaching him to two Slam victories, in all of them.
On whether that surprised him, Ferrero said: “A little, yes. Of course it surprised me, because I was very much part of 2025. But I guess they were already looking toward the future and didn’t want to link me to anything anymore.
“Once a relationship is broken, it becomes a decision made by the whole team, not just by him. There’s no point dwelling on it if that’s the path they chose.
“Naturally, I would have liked things to be different, but in the end you have to respect other people’s decisions,” said the Spaniard.
Ferrero also clarified that his latest conversation with Alcaraz, as of nearly February 2026, was one of mutual respect, but confirmed that the Spaniard’s post arrived after their talk.
On what caused the split, Ferrero said: “In the end, these are internal matters where we could not agree on certain aspects of a contract that included new conditions.
“From their side, they saw things one way; from mine, another. And in the end, there was no compromise from either side and no agreement to continue. That is all there is to it.
“We already had the pre-season planned; this was something that happened suddenly. I did not expect certain changes in certain things, and in the end, they happened,” he concluded.
The Spaniard also claimed in his interview with Clay that he had received four offers to coach, three men and one woman, all at top-20 level across the ATP and WTA Tours.
When pressed as to why he didn’t accept, Ferrero stated “finding that same excitement” after coaching a multi-Slam winner in Alcaraz was “difficult.”
Should he return to coach Sinner in 2027, a five-time Major champion, that “same excitement” Ferrero claimed to lack would surely be easily discoverable.
The Italian won one Grand Slam title in 2026, retaining his Wimbledon crown, and was sidelined for the US Open through injury.
On how it will feel to see Alcaraz again on the ATP Tour, the Spaniard told Clay: “That moment will be difficult, complicated. The normal thing would be to have returned to the tour with someone else.
[Then I would] see him, obviously, in a different way. As a rival, right? Of the player I might be coaching.”
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