When Carlos Alcaraz confirmed he would be splitting from coach Juan Carlos Ferrero last month, the tennis world was left reeling by a story none of us saw coming.

Such was the bond we believed existed between Alcaraz and Ferrero that a parting of the ways appeared to be hard to comprehend, with many suspecting the duo would patch up their difference and find a way to reunite.

What has happened over the days since the news was announced confirms the glossy image of the coach who turned Alcaraz from a junior with big prospects into an all-time great of the game at the age of 22 was not all it seemed.

It appears that cracks were beginning to show in the relationship between Alcaraz and Ferrero long ago, with the father of the world No 1 being portrayed as a key figure in the decision to make the split from the former French Open champion.

Ferrero’s move to conduct a host of interviews that outlined his version of events drove a wedge between the two camps that will be hard to revive, as he hit back at claims that financial demands were at the root of the split after he was offered a new contract on a reduced salary.

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“Everything seemed like it was set to continue,” said Ferrero. “It’s true that when the year ends, there are certain things at the contract level that have to be looked at. And as in any new contract, looking ahead to next year, there were certain things on which we did not agree…

“It may be that they could have been saved if we had sat down to talk, but in the end we didn’t sit down and we decided not to continue.

“It’s true that when a year ends, certain things need to be reviewed regarding contracts. And as with any new contract, looking ahead to the following year, there were certain things we disagreed on.

“As with all contracts, one side pulls in one direction and the other in another. Carlos’s camp thinks about what’s best for him, and mine thinks about what’s best for me. There were certain issues on which both parties disagreed.

“Perhaps they could have been resolved if we had sat down to talk, but in the end, we didn’t, and we decided not to continue. That’s really what happened.

“There are points I won’t go into detail about, but we disagreed on them, and ultimately, we went our separate ways.”

If Alcaraz struggles without his mentor Ferrero at the Australian Open later this month, the idea that he could get his old coach back into his camp would have been an appealing option if their split was a little more amicable. 

After all that has been said since the very public sporting divorce, that option appears to have been closed and the tennis world now waits to get Alcaraz’s version of events.

We also won’t have long to wait to see how this great young player reacts when he tries to compete for a Grand Slam title without the coach who has been by his side on every step of his journey so far.

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