Carlos Alcaraz’s coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero, has spoken openly about the tennis ace’s celebrations in Ibiza after winning the French Open. The young Spaniard battled from behind to defeat Jannik Sinner in a nail-biting final at Roland-Garros.
Alcaraz saved three championship points to clinch a 4-6, 6-7 (4), 6-4, 7-6(3), 7-6(2) victory and defend his title. Post-match, it was revealed that the 22-year-old had plans for a well-deserved three-day bash on the party island.
This echoed his celebration from last year’s triumph at the French Open. Speaking to El Laguero, Ferrero shared what he had told Alcaraz and left the five-time Grand Slam winner with a crucial piece of advice.
“Yesterday, I told him to have a good time, that he deserved it, but to remember he’s a tennis player at all times,” Ferrero explained. “We know how he is and these days do him good. When he returns, he comes back with a clear head, renewed.
“It’s no longer about the word ‘party’, but about disconnecting. Being with his friends and not thinking about tennis and being a normal 22-year-old, and returning to work with enthusiasm.”
While seeing the break as beneficial, Ferrero’s final comment suggests that Alcaraz’s partying will soon be over. The 22-year-old will have to begin preparing to defend his Wimbledon title later this month.
The focus on Alcaraz’s celebrations comes after the young tennis ace discussed his partying during his recently released Netflix documentary, Carlos Alcaraz: My Way. He has enjoyed a similar break at the same time of the year since 2023.
“Look, in Ibiza… I’m not going to lie to you,” Alcaraz admitted during the documentary. “It’s about partying and going out. I went there to let loose. I don’t know if it’s right to say it that way, but I went out.
“I made the most of it. On my return, of course, I won at Queen’s and Wimbledon. I’m not saying I won because of the party, but those days did me good. And if things go well, I have to repeat.”
Alcaraz looks to have done exactly that after his Roland-Garros triumph. His coach is aware that this leads to increased scrutiny of Alcaraz, but he feels that living a more balanced life is ultimately beneficial.
“Now everything is talked about; once the documentary came out, we knew there would be negative comments, especially if he loses,” Ferrero explained. “If he had lost in Paris, surely people would have said he should go to Ibiza.
“Although the documentary speaks about his own way, Carlos’s way is to train. We don’t put in a lot of training volume, I prefer two hours of absolute quality over four hours with a bad attitude. Before, I used to train much more, but the demands of the circuit make us seek quality and effective training. Whenever we’ve asked Carlos to work, he has done so.”
After Alcaraz’s stunning victory, Ferrero confessed he had doubts about the French Open champion’s chances of clinching the title from such a challenging position. “In the third [set], also a break down after losing two sets, when you sit on the chair, you start to think that maybe Jannik didn’t lose a set, and I’m two sets down, it’s going to be very difficult to come back.
But I think his strength is to keep believing all the time until the last ball is gone and he tries and tries. He was 0-40 in the fourth, 5-3, and he looked at me, and he still makes like this with the racket, saying we are still here, still saying vamos.
“I am not going to say I was believing that he was able to recover from this, 5-3, 0-40. But with Carlos, everything was possible, and he did it again. An amazing achievement.”
