Shelton reveals how the signing of Juan Carlos Ferrero was forged
The American tennis player has stated that at first he thought the former Spanish coach already had another player signed, but he has finally managed to get him to join his team.
Ben Shelton has spoken about the addition of Juan Carlos Ferrero to his team after his victory over Cameron Norrie in his debut at ATP Paris. The signing of the former coach of Carlos Alcaraz by the American is one of the hot topics in the tennis world, and Ben has explained how it all came together and what it can contribute to his development.
In an interview with 'Tennis Channel', Shelton stated that "obviously he is one of the best coaches in the world. What he did with Carlos was excellent. It is a unique situation, where I have a coach like my father who is willing and able to bring someone extra to the team, as he has no ego. We are both very eager to learn something from Juan Carlos. For us, it is the perfect storm, I’m happy to have him on the team, and super excited to work with him in the preseason."
Moreover, he revealed that initially he did not expect Ferrero to work with him, as he associated him with some emerging talent from Spain. "I also read the rumors online about Ferrero and I started to think he would go with one of the young Spanish players. I spoke to my agent one day, and I said, 'Hey, could you at least call him and see if he’s available, or if it’s already closed? In the end, he was available and we had some phone conversations, and that was it. I’m really excited, I think he’s a great guy, we look good together, and I hope we have a great year in 2027," he concluded.
Shelton talks about his improvement on indoor courts
Today, Shelton did not have an easy debut against a tough player like Cameron Norrie, but he was relentless on serve and very solid in all areas, allowing him to achieve a comfortable victory that will surely boost his confidence after a string of poor results since the US Open. In fact, he surprised many by calling this performance the best he has had on indoor courts.
"It was a pretty clinical match, aside from the break in the second set which disappointed me, but I was happy with the resilience, coming back and breaking in the next game. I hit the ball cleanly, returned well, and played as aggressively as I needed to. Commitment is important; you have to be able to balance, play with speed, taking your foot off the gas and managing the rhythm coming at you. For me, this is a type of match I am not so used to playing, but I feel more and more comfortable each year. It’s definitely the best match I’ve played indoors this year, and I’m very excited about each match before Turin," he concluded.
Shelton has this run in Paris and the ATP Finals in Turin before he starts working with Juan Carlos Ferrero, which will be an extra incentive for a team where Bryan Shelton has already left an indelible mark on his son. If they refine the backhand and some aspects of the American's baseline game, he will certainly be one to watch for next year to compete for everything.
This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Shelton desvela cómo se forjó el fichaje de Juan Carlos Ferrero