Juan Carlos Ferrero to join Ben Shelton’s coaching team and attend ATP Finals in Turin

Juan Carlos Ferrero will work with Ben Shelton and be on site to watch the American at next week’s ATP Finals in Turin, with plans to cover 10-12 tournaments next season including the four Grand Slams and to begin formal work during an off-season training block in the United States. The appointment pairs Ferrero — who split from Carlos Alcaraz in December last year — with the US Open runner-up as Shelton aims to close gaps in his game.

Ferrero is credited in the article with having helped Carlos Alcaraz win six Grand Slam titles before their split at the end of 2025, and it also describes how he started working with Alcaraz at 15, turning his fellow Spaniard from a "piece of spaghetti" into a seven-time Grand Slam champion. The 45-year-old won the 2003 French Open as a player and has since built a reputation as an astute coach and tactician; the piece notes he largely stayed away from the ATP Tour after the sudden December split but used a new book to promote himself as a 'supercoach'.

Shelton is identified as a 24-year-old left-hander and world number four who has been inside the world’s top 20 for the past four seasons and reached his first Grand Slam final in New York two months ago. His résumé in the article lists seven ATP Tour singles titles, including two Masters 1000 trophies at the Canadian Open in 2025 and 2026, while noting he lost in this year’s US Open final after beating Alcaraz in the quarter-finals but falling to new world number one Alexander Zverev in the championship match.

The account credits Shelton’s New York run to an improved backhand and better defensive skills but states that his inability to execute his forehand in crucial moments proved costly against Zverev. It also records recent inconsistency, citing a surprise defeat by Swiss world number 222 Jerome Kym in Basel last week as a reminder of the work Shelton still needs to find consistent form.

Ferrero is expected to work alongside Shelton’s father and current coach, Bryan, and the article suggests Ferrero will press for greater focus and clarity to help Shelton play smarter and calmer at key moments. Shelton is quoted saying, "Juan Carlos is one of the great minds in tennis," and adding, "His experience of winning at the highest level and developing champions will be a huge asset to our team."

The piece recalls Ferrero’s previous six-month spell coaching Alexander Zverev which ended after a third-round Australian Open exit in 2018, noting Zverev fired him after saying Ferrero was "disrespectful" to his team and that Ferrero later said Zverev lacked the professionalism he expected from a top player. It reports Ferrero held exploratory conversations with a mixture of top-20 stars and younger talents before agreeing terms only with Shelton.

Rick Macci is quoted assessing Shelton’s chances and technical profile: "Shelton can win a few Slams if things break his way," Macci said. "His backhand groundstroke and return can be technically unpredictable - at the top of the mountain the margins are razor thin. "Ferrero can help a lot in many areas because [Shelton's] backbone is better than his backhand, but getting to number one is a different landscape to mow."

Ferrero’s immediate involvement will include observing Shelton at the ATP Finals in Turin next week, with formal collaboration set to begin during the forthcoming off-season training block in the United States and a tournament schedule envisaged to include 10-12 events next season and all four Grand Slams.