Could Ferrero be the new coach of Rafa Jódar?

Juan Carlos Ferrero put an end to months of speculation a couple of weeks ago by announcing who his next pupil would be. His choice dropped like a bombshell in the tennis world: it was Ben Shelton, the last man capable of defeating his former player, Carlos Alcaraz, in a Grand Slam, and a player of immense potential, a diamond still to be polished who seeks in the figure of the Ontinyent native someone to help him add new layers to his game and elevate it to the next dimension.

The news was so shocking that we didn’t stop to think about what could have been, about those players who, despite being candidates to be coached by Juanki, were left out of the equation after the announcement. Ferrero’s availability and his reasons for breaking with Alcaraz led the public to point in one direction, some even shouting for this association to become a reality. Could Juan Carlos Ferrero have coached Rafa Jódar?

Juan Carlos Ferrero reveals that he met with Rafa Jódar and his father, with the option of coaching him. 🗣️ “I spoke with the father, mainly about the boy, about how he plays... But in the end, they, at this moment, I believe, had planned to go in another direction, so I have no problem at all and I wish him the best” 🎙️ Diario Marca

— José Morón (@jmgmoron) November 9, 2026

Ferrero reveals that there were contacts with Jódar's team

For the first time, the former coach of Alcaraz spoke about the possibility of taking charge of the Madrid player, alongside his father, becoming that figure that both, it seems, have been looking for months. Was it something real or just a public fable? Were there contacts between them? Pay attention to Juan Carlos's response: "Yes, I spoke with his father, mainly about Rafa and how he plays. Ultimately, they had planned to go in another direction. I have no problem at all and I wish them all the best.", he stated.

Indeed, there were contacts and meetings between Rafa’s father and Ferrero to explore, perhaps, a possible collaboration that ultimately did not materialize. Neither was Jannik Sinner the chosen one, the other big name that was rumored a few months ago... and when asked about him, Juanki was even more cryptic. "I keep that to myself, I don’t think it’s vital to reveal who I had contacts with, although I did have important contacts that I will not disclose." There you go.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, ¿Pudo Ferrero ser el nuevo entrenador de Rafa Jódar?