Ben Shelton appoints Alcaraz’s former coach Juan Carlos Ferrero

Ben Shelton has appointed Juan Carlos Ferrero, the coach who helped Carlos Alcaraz win six Grand Slam titles, as part of an effort to turn his powerful game into more consistent results at the top of men’s tennis.

Ferrero will work alongside Shelton’s father, Bryan, and is expected to attend 10 to 12 tournaments next season, including all four Grand Slams. They will begin their formal work during an off-season training block in the United States. Ferrero is also due to watch Shelton at next week’s ATP Finals in Turin.

Shelton, 24, is ranked fourth in the world and reached his first Grand Slam final at the US Open in September, where he lost to Alexander Zverev. He has won seven ATP singles titles, including the Canadian Open in 2025 and 2026, but has also had setbacks against lower-ranked players. Last week he lost to Switzerland’s Jerome Kym, ranked 222nd, in Basel.

His US Open run included a quarter-final win over Alcaraz, but BBC Sport described the Spaniard as undercooked. Shelton’s improved backhand and defence helped him reach the final, while difficulties executing his forehand at key moments were costly against Zverev.

Ferrero, 45, coached Alcaraz from the age of 15 and helped him become a seven-time major champion. He and Alcaraz split in December 2025. The former world number one, who won the French Open as a player in 2003, has said he is looking forward to helping Shelton pursue his ambitions.

“Juan Carlos is one of the great minds in tennis,” Shelton said, adding that Ferrero’s experience of winning at the highest level and developing champions would be “a huge asset” to the team.

The partnership will also have to work within an existing father-and-coach relationship. Ferrero previously coached Alexander Zverev for six months, but their collaboration ended after Zverev’s early exit at the 2018 Australian Open. Zverev said Ferrero had been “disrespectful” to his team; Ferrero later said Zverev had not shown the professionalism he expected from a top player.

Rick Macci, the American coach who worked with the Williams sisters as teenagers, said Ferrero could help Shelton in several areas but pointed to concerns about the American’s backhand and return. Macci said Shelton could win major titles if circumstances favoured him, while reaching world number one would be a more difficult challenge.