Shelton confirms Ferrero as new coach alongside father Bryan for 2027

Ben Shelton and Juan Carlos Ferrero have confirmed they will work together from the 2027 season, ending weeks of speculation over where Carlos Alcaraz's former coach would land next.

The partnership was announced in a joint statement released through Starwing Sports Management, which described Ferrero as 'one of the most accomplished figures in tennis'. Crucially, Ferrero will not replace Shelton's father and long-time coach Bryan Shelton, but join his team alongside him, according to Yahoo Sports.

Shelton said in the statement: "Juan Carlos is one of the great minds in tennis. His experience of winning at the highest level and developing champions will be a huge asset to our team. My dad has been such an important part of my journey, and I'm excited about what we can all achieve together as we look to the future."

Ferrero, who had also been linked with a role alongside Jannik Sinner, added: "Ben has extraordinary talent, power and character. I'm very happy to join Bryan and the team in this exciting new chapter. I'm looking forward to contributing my experience and working together with everyone to help Ben achieve his ambitions on the biggest stages."

Ferrero spent more than six years guiding Alcaraz, a relationship that began when the Spaniard was just 15 and produced six Grand Slam titles before the pair split last December. Alcaraz's initial reaction to the Shelton news was reported as disbelief, with the world number one saying he needed more proof before giving his view, but he later called Ferrero's move a 'great addition' once the partnership was confirmed.

Alcaraz has continued to win major honours without Ferrero this year, claiming his first Australian Open title alongside further titles in Tokyo and Vienna, where he beat Alexander Zverev to the trophy.

Not everyone is convinced Ferrero's arrival will transform Shelton's prospects. Rick Macci, the coach who previously worked with Serena and Venus Williams as well as Jennifer Capriati, wrote on X that the appointment will 'probably not move the needle' for the American.

Macci argued that Shelton's backhand is 'biomechanically... disconnected from the ground up', forcing him to generate racket speed from his arms too early, and said reworking a groundstroke carries different challenges to refining a serve because of ingrained muscle memory from childhood. He described Shelton's backhand off the ground and his return of serve as the 'microscopic but crucial flaw' in his game.

Macci did praise Bryan Shelton, a former top-60 player himself, for the incremental improvements he has made to his son's game, while suggesting that guiding Shelton to a Grand Slam title and the world number one ranking would represent an even greater achievement for Ferrero than his work with Alcaraz.

Shelton currently sits at number four in the world rankings and reached the US Open final this year, beating Alcaraz on the way, but his form has dropped away sharply since then, with Yahoo Sports noting a run of shock early defeats over the past month.

The American has the Paris Masters and the ATP Finals still to play before the season closes, offering a chance to arrest that slide ahead of his new coaching arrangement taking effect in 2027.