Given that top ATP players typically play around 15-17 events every year, travel for players often includes over 200 nights in hotels every year, something which Juan Carlos Ferrero is well aware of, given that the Spaniard was a top player himself, in addition to being Carlos Alcaraz’s coach for over seven years. Now, coming on board with Ben Shelton, the veteran Spanish coach seems to have laid down a clear set of rules that focus on work-life balance.
“Basically, it’s 12 tournaments a year, including Grand Slams and Masters 1000s,” said Ferrero while talking about his arrangement with Shelton’s camp during an interview with ElRaquetazoTv. “Plus the ATP Finals. His father will go to the other tournaments. Bryan will also come to whichever tournaments he wants, Australia, for example. I was clear that I wasn’t going to join a team that would require me to be there full-time. After eight years with Carlos, I wanted more time to spend with my family. I wanted someone who also had a second coach for that very reason.”
The tournament schedule suggests that Ferrero will focus more on helping Shelton put the finishing touches on, especially at the bigger events. That does not come as a surprise, as the Spaniard had always emphasized coaching a player with a more accomplished profile, when coaching speculations ran afire before the Shelton news was confirmed.
While traveling with Alcaraz to almost every event over seven years, one mustn’t forget that Ferrero’s investment in the former World No. 1 runs way back further than that. The veteran Spanish coach took Alcaraz under his wing when the Murcian was only 15, with Ferrero developing the seven-time Major champion’s game style from scratch at his own academy in Villena. Traveling to all the Challenger and ITF events, Ferrero also acted as a manager for a teenage Alcaraz during the early years, organizing travel and handling press, duties that exceeded the traditional obligations of a coach.
This is not the first time Ferrero has taken on a co-coaching role alongside a player’s parent. Before he took on Alcaraz, the Spaniard coached Alexander Zverev for a brief stint, alongside the German’s father. The collaboration did not last long, as the conflicting approaches between the Spanish coach and Zverev’s camp led to internal divisions.
As for dual coaching roles, that is a setup many players go for in the modern era. Someone like Jannik Sinner had both Darren Cahill and Simone Vagnozzi on his team, with the Australian working with the Italian behind the scenes during training and travel to the bigger events, while Vagnozzi was the one who traveled to all events and worked on the day-to-day tactical adjustments. Even Ferrero occasionally stepped back while coaching Alcaraz, letting the Spaniard work with Samuel Lopez at the helm of coaching duties, especially during the South American clay-court events, before Lopez became the main coach when Ferrero left.
For Shelton, hiring Ferrero was a big get, as the Spaniard’s track record with Alcaraz shows he is capable of taking promising players to the top of the sport, something the American definitely has ambitions of doing.
Juan Carlos Ferrero Can Help Ben Shelton Improve His Top-10 Record
By doing well at Grand Slams, winning Masters titles, and reaching a career-best ranking of No. 4, Shelton has passed almost every stepping stone there is to become an established champion on the Tour. However, the only thing that remains for the American is to improve his record against Top-10 players, which currently stands at 27.8 percent across his career.
During his partnership with Ferrero, Alcaraz had a tremendous record while playing against elite opposition, with the Spaniard’s current win-loss ratio being at 69.4 percent against the best players in the world. For Shelton, while he did win the US Open marathon against Alcaraz this year, the Paris Masters final showed he is still a step behind, with the current head-to-head record 4-1 in Alcaraz’s favor.
Also, the American has a 1-9 and 0-6 head-to-head record against Jannik Sinner and Alexander Zverev, two players against whom Alcaraz had a great record while playing under Ferrero. Shelton will hope that the Spaniard’s coaching experience comes in handy while playing against these top players, helping him overcome the individual matchups.