Carlos Alcaraz’s shock split from his coach Juan Carlos Ferrero has cast a degree of doubt over whether he can reach a fourth successive Grand Slam final, Tim Henman believes.
The world No. 1 announced in December that the pair had “decided to part ways”, having worked together since he was a teenager.
Alcaraz won six major tournaments while working with Ferrero, but will now be without him as he looks to become the youngest male player to complete the career Grand Slam at the 2026 Australian Open this month, live on TNT Sports discovery+.
The 22-year-old has reached the final of the last three Grand Slam tournaments, winning two of those, and he has faced world No. 2 Jannik Sinner on each occasion.
Henman believes that, aside from injury, Alcaraz’s coaching shake-up is the most likely obstacle to prevent another showdown between the sport’s dominant pair.
The former British No. 1 told TNT Sports: “If I were going to give two scenarios as to why Alcaraz and Sinner will not play in the Australian Open final, the first one is injury.
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“There’s no doubt that the first tournament of the year, any player can be vulnerable going into best-of-five-set matches.
“That is one element that both Alcaraz and Sinner have to overcome, and I hope they will.
“The second variable only applies to Alcaraz, and that is not having Juan Carlos Ferrero in his corner, and whether that will affect him psychologically, whether that will distract him with his concentration on the court.
“Only time will tell. I was very surprised that they finished their partnership. And I will be really interested to hear what Alcaraz actually says himself.”
Alcaraz, who is likely to be questioned on the matter in the coming days ahead of the Australian Open, has not yet announced a replacement for Ferrero.
Samuel Lopez is expected to remain with the Spaniard, and he has been part of his preparation team for the first Grand Slam tournament of the season.
Carlos Alcaraz and Juan Carlos Ferrero celebrate at the US Open in September
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Mats Wilander recently told TNT Sports that Alcaraz should do everything he can to make tennis great Roger Federer his next coach.
Henman said he is “fascinated” by the decision faced by Alcaraz, but does not think he will opt for the 20-time Grand Slam winner.
“I don’t think Federer is necessarily the right person or has the inclination to coach, but I think there’s been a lot of great Spanish players,” Henman said.
“I wonder whether he will look to work with a Spaniard, but he’s got to make the right choice. He doesn’t need to rush into it.
“He can obviously see who’s out there because any tennis coach is going to want to work with Carlos Alcaraz. He’s such an immense talent.
“But in the short term, the press conference and his performance at the Australian Open, it is under even more scrutiny just because of the decision he’s made. I can’t wait for it to get started.”
‘His game is incredible’ – Henman says challenge for Djokovic is ‘all physical’
Novak Djokovic will start the new season continuing in his hunt for a record 25th Grand Slam title, and while Henman remains confident in the Serbian’s game, he believes the physical demands of the major events may prove too great to get over the line.
Djokovic’s US Open victory in 2023 equalled Margaret Court’s record of 24 major singles titles, but the eight Grand Slam tournaments since have been split between Alcaraz and Sinner.
The 38-year-old came up against the world’s top two players in the semi-finals at three of the four majors last season, but struggled with injury and fatigue on each occasion, failing to win a set.
With Djokovic growing another year older, Henman believes these issues are “going to be even bigger” during the upcoming campaign.
He told TNT Sports: “I don’t have a question mark over his ability. His tennis game is incredible, and it really will always be incredible.
“But when you talk about the Grand Slam events, best of five sets, and you reflect on the way he played last year, to make four semi-finals was an unbelievable achievement.
“But did his tennis game let him down, or was it the physical demands? It was the physical demands, and as he’s now a year older. I just think that issue is going to be even bigger than it was in 2025.
“I’ll be interested to see his tennis level, to see whether it’s still at that height. But for me, the challenge is all physical. It’s not technical or mental.”
After losing to Alcaraz in the US Open semi-finals last season, Djokovic said: “They’re just too good, playing on a really high level.
“Best of five makes it very, very difficult for me to play them – particularly if it’s the end stages of the Grand Slam.”
Djokovic claimed victory in the last tournament he played in, but that tournament – in Athens – was over two months ago, and is the only competitive tennis Djokovic has played since early October 2025.
He started the new year by withdrawing from Adelaide, saying he was not “physically ready to compete”.
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