Brad Gilbert has sensed that Juan Carlos Ferrero is so “excited” to begin working with Ben Shelton after a tough split from Carlos Alcaraz.
The Spaniard shocked the world last December when he announced his coach of seven years, Ferrero, would be leaving his team ahead of the Australian Open.
Following Alcaraz‘s maiden Australian Open win, where he completed the career Grand Slam at the age of 22, Ferrero admitted he had struggled with being moved on.
When asked if he saw the seven-time major winner’s victory over Novak Djokovic Down Under, the former world No 1 said, “No, I didn’t watch the final.”
And in January, the former French Open champion admitted, “I see the results; I haven’t watched any matches, just a few highlights. I know he’s playing very well, that he’s very mature, very calm, and I am happy that he and the whole team are doing well. I am not watching much tennis.”
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Samuel Lopez is now Alcaraz’s main coach, while Ferrero is preparing to link up with world No 4 Shelton and his father and coach Bryan for the 2027 season.
Coco Gauff’s former coach, Gilbert, got to interview the 46-year-old following Shelton‘s run to the Paris Masters final, where he lost to Alcaraz in two tight sets.
Former world No 4 Gilbert got the sense that Ferrero is raring to go for this challenge, and he believes the 24-year-old can take his game to the next level, while stressing an important lesson along the way.
He said on The Big T Podcast, “First of all, I sensed instantly how excited he was to get back to work. Obviously, what happened a year ago, there is a hurt process, and you have to figure out where you are going.
“Now, all of a sudden, your brain has got to start switching in. It’s not about, ‘I got to get back at my former player’, it’s about, ‘What can I do to help my new player get better?’.
“And I think he seemed genuinely very excited to get started, and I think he has someone who he really thinks is close to being at that level, and he really wants to help them.”
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