Ferrero reportedly set to coach Ben Shelton from 2027

One of the most sought-after coaches in tennis appears to have found his next player. Juan Carlos Ferrero, who guided Carlos Alcaraz to six Grand Slam titles, will join the team of Ben Shelton from the 2027 season. The Times reported the news on Sunday.

According to the report by Tom Kershaw, the 46-year-old Spaniard will work alongside Bryan Shelton, the American's father, who has been his son's full-time coach since 2023. Neither Ferrero nor the Shelton camp had commented publicly by Sunday evening. Tennis Majors said it had contacted both Ferrero and Bryan Shelton and had not received a reply when it published its story.

Announcement brought forward

Ferrero said in September that he would return to coaching in 2027, and the question of where has been one of the running storylines of the autumn. He had told Eurosport Spain that he planned to reveal his decision on 9 November. According to Eurosport Spain, the leak has now pushed the official announcement forward to Monday, 2 November. Spanish media had previously linked Ferrero with other players, including the Spanish rising star Rafael Jódar.

Kershaw's track record suggests the report is well founded. In October he broke the news that Félix Auger-Aliassime had hired Ivan Ljubičić, and the Canadian confirmed it the next day.

From Alcaraz's corner to his rival's

The move adds an obvious twist to one of the sport's emerging rivalries. Ferrero's seven-year partnership with Alcaraz ended in December 2025. During that time the Spaniard won 24 titles, including six majors, and became the youngest year-end world No. 1 in ATP history.

Shelton has been one of Alcaraz's toughest opponents since then. At this year's US Open he beat the defending champion 6-7(5), 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6(10-7) in a quarter-final that finished at 3.34am, the latest finish in the tournament's history. It was Shelton's first win over a top-three player at the 18th attempt. He went on to reach the final in New York.

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The 24-year-old American is now world No. 4 and has already qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin. His recent form has been patchier, though. In his past two events he did not win back-to-back matches, and in Basel last week the top seed lost in the second round to world No. 222 Jérôme Kym.

What Ferrero brings

Ferrero, a former world No. 1 and the 2003 Roland-Garros champion, was a key figure in Alcaraz's rise from teenager to multiple Grand Slam winner. Punto de Break reports that Bryan Shelton supported bringing in an "external voice" to help his son keep improving and chase Grand Slam titles, a goal the American has come close to this season.

If Monday's announcement goes ahead as reported, the partnership will begin in the off-season. Its first big test would be the Australian Open, which starts on 11 January 2027.