Now that Carlos Alcaraz has split from longtime coach Juan Carlos Ferrero, Samuel Lopez will take on the role of world number 1 in 2026.
Lopez joined Ferrero on the team ahead of this season. Together they helped Alcaraz finish the year in first place after capturing two more Grand Slam titles at the French Open and US Open. They were all named Coach of the Year when the ATP announced the 2025 awards earlier this month.
“Everything was easy because the results came,” Lopez said in an interview with the ATP website. “I have known Juan Carlos since he was ten years old and Carlos since he took his first steps at the club [Ferrero Tennis] Academy. I was with Pablo [Carreno Busta] during that period, but we had shared many moments together. The working atmosphere is very relaxed because we have always known each other and understood what Carlos needed.
“Maybe I freshened things up, because Juan Carlos has been with him for seven years and I’m new. I know the team and we all contributed equally, but in different ways. Above all, we really insisted that the work should be fun.”
“Carlos has matured and realized how important it is to express his feelings. After Monte-Carlo he talked a lot more about how he was feeling and it really helped him to express himself better, in terms of any difficulties, fears and everything that comes with being there and dealing with the pressure of the tour.
“On a personal level, I won my first Grand Slam at Roland Garros by being part of a team as a coach, and what a victory! Then we knew at the end of the year that he had the chance to finish it as No. 1 and although no one in the team was obsessed with it at the time, it was also a very happy moment to do it in Turin.”
Heading into 2026, Lopez will lead the coaching team alongside Alcaraz’s older brother, Alvaro. Alcaraz’s first assignment will come soon at the Australian Open next month. It is the only major tournament he has never won.
“Our mission is to keep his ambition alive,” Lopez explains. “You can’t rest on your laurels with what he has achieved. From now on, that motivation must continue to grow, wanting more great things that are within the reach of so few and from there staying motivated and never settling for anything, always striving for more with the joy he is known for – which spills over to the rest of us.”
Interestingly, Lopez also coached Ferrero during Ferrero’s playing days. He also worked with fellow countryman Nicolas Almagro.
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