Andy Roddick Defends Alcaraz’s Coach, Says Fans Need “Reality Check”
Andy Roddick has come to the defense of Juan Carlos Ferrero, pushing back against critics who think Carlos Alcaraz should find a new coach. The former American tennis star believes some fans have completely lost perspective on what Alcaraz has already accomplished.
Ferrero wasn’t with Alcaraz at the 2025 Monte-Carlo Masters. Instead, the young Spanish star was supported by Samuel Lopez, who joined his team during the off-season after previously coaching Pablo Carreno Busta.
| Name | Age | Points | Stats 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| es Carlos Alcaraz | 21 | 68,791 | 25 - 5 |
While Ferrero remains crucial to Alcaraz’s development and success, some have questioned whether the 21-year-old phenom might benefit from new guidance.
Ferrero himself has mentioned he doesn’t expect to coach Alcaraz forever. The former French Open champion has been open about eventually moving on, though the timing remains unclear.
Roddick thinks such talk is premature and shows how spoiled tennis fans have become.
“Do you guys remember the crazy times before the Big Three when players didn’t make the finals every week? Yeah, we kind of have to reset expectations, and one of Annacone’s former charges, Pete Sampras, as great as he was, winner of 14 majors, six year-end No 1’s — he would lose third round sometimes. He just would. He would win one or two majors a year instead of three.”
“We have to reset expectations, right? Carlos Alcaraz already has more majors than Andy Murray, he’s halfway towards icons like Connors, Agassi. It’s just absurd what he’s done. We need to reset a little bit, and anyone calling for a coaching change doesn’t know anything about coaching.”
Alcaraz is already one of the most accomplished young players in tennis history.
John McEnroe has called his game the most complete he’s ever seen from someone so young.
What’s scary is that Alcaraz likely hasn’t even reached his peak yet. Most modern players hit their stride in their late twenties, giving the two-time Wimbledon champion plenty of room to grow.
But even superstars face bumps in the road. Alcaraz sometimes makes questionable shot selections or tries to power through problems when a more measured approach might work better.
With experience, he’ll likely learn to balance his natural showmanship with the grinding mentality needed for consistent results at the highest level.
His budding rivalry with Jannik Sinner could accelerate that growth. Unfortunately, fans have missed out on seeing them face off recently due to Sinner’s ban (February 9th to May 4th) after an accidental contamination with clostebol.
When they do meet, it’s usually electric tennis. Many experts believe Alcaraz-Sinner could become the sport’s next great rivalry.
With Federer and Nadal now retired, men’s tennis could definitely use another memorable long-term battle to capture fans’ imagination.
