Darwin Blanch counted his lucky stars when he received a wild card for the Madrid Masters. The situation turned upside down quickly as he learned his first opponent would be Rafael Nadal, who beat the 16-year-old 6-1, 6-0. A handful of supporters were in the crowd to help Blanch gather the strength he needed. However, one peculiar individual stood out from the rest.

Juan Carlos Ferrero, the coach of Carlos Alcaraz, was a prominent presence in Blanch’s box. Spotting him confused fans as they wondered why he was there instead of prepping Alcaraz for his next match. The answer lies in the connection between Blanch and Alcaraz.

How Darwin Blanch and Carlos Alcaraz’s coach found each other

When he started his professional tennis journey, Blanch trained under Rick Macci, the childhood coach of Serena Williams. Being half Spanish from his father’s side, he eventually moved to Juan Carlos Ferrero Academy in Alicante, Spain. Although Fererro is not his main coach, he still guides Blanch on Tour. Not having experience of the ATP Tour, Blanch was certainly not in for a good time against Nadal. 

Fererro was likely in Blanch’s box to analyze how he would perform against someone who had far more experience. The result was not unexpected, and Blanch went home with his team, ready to strategize his future development. As he developed a good bond with Fererro, Blanch is also close to Alcaraz. The Spaniard finds the perfect hitting partner in the 16-year-old and has trained with him for many tournaments.

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“It’s a huge honor each time I get to practice with him,” Blanch said in a YouTube interview at the junior Davis Cup finals in 2023. Blanch is not the only tennis icon in his family. His siblings also train to become professional stars one day, as revealed by their father.

Blanch clan set to become the next tennis family

Darwin Blanch’s father, Ernesto Blanch, established the groundwork for his profound love of the sport. When Ernesto was working for Coca-Cola in Thailand, he made time to convert their backyard into a tennis court for his eldest son, Ulises. However, he had no idea that this do-it-yourself project would pave the way for his youngest son, Darwin, to develop a strong interest in the sport.

“From a very early age, they were very clear that they wanted to be professionals [tennis players], and they didn’t really want to talk much about going to college,” Ernesto recalled in an interview. While the space was first made for Ulises, his siblings, Dali and Krystal, followed suit.

At the moment, Darwin is the most popular out of his siblings. However, they all aim to make a big name for themselves on the Tour.