REVEALED: WHY MARION BARTOLI PREDICTS A DESPERATE CARLOS ALCARAZ-FERRERO REUNION BY JUNE 2026
Carlos Alcaraz splits with coach Juan Carlos Ferrero ahead of 2026. See why Marion Bartoli predicts a messy fallout.
Carlos Alcaraz is heading into a tricky part of his career.
Juan Carlos Ferrero isn't his coach anymore. Marion Bartoli hinted they might team up again soon!
After over seven years, Alcaraz won't have Juan Carlos Ferrero as his main coach. They split before 2026, ending a top-notch player-coach partnership in tennis.
Bartoli says the six-time major champ is entering a time of trying new things and getting used to changes, with people watching closely. She thinks the next six months will be about trial and error, which is new to him.
People will suggest different coaches, each one supposedly better than the last. Tennis fans will wonder who's the best fit to guide this super-talented player who could be the greatest of all time.
Lots of folks would jump at the chance to coach someone as good as Alcaraz. But it's not a given that they'll click, particularly at first.
Coaching a player this good is tough because there's little room for mistakes. Even a small problem can cause big trouble. But it gets even wilder!
Marion thinks Jannik Sinner could put Alcaraz under pressure if he wins the next two majors in Melbourne and Paris. The Italian wants to win his third Australian Open in a row in January.
Plus, he almost beat Alcaraz at this year's French Open final, missing three match points. So, it's possible he could win both titles and tie Carlos at six majors.
If that happens, things would change a lot, and the Spaniard might have to chase a rival who likes things steady. Then, he might go back to what he knows best, like a sure thing when things are tough.
Ferrero means familiarity, trust, and a system that worked, making Alcaraz the second-youngest player to win six major titles. If he came back as coach, it wouldn't mean failure, just being practical.
If the 22-year-old asks his old coach to come back, it would show that some partnerships are too good to ditch for good. Then, money wouldn't matter as much as it did recently.
Right now, Carlos is getting ready for the Australian Open with Samuel Lopez. As 2026 goes on, we'll see if the split was a smart move or just a break before they get back together.
For the next six months, it'll be about trying things out. People will talk about who might take the job.
Of course, coaching a genius like Carlos means you won't get turned down much. If things don't work out with his new coach, and Jannik wins the first two Majors of the year, which could happen, he'll have to call Juan Carlos back right away—that's pretty clear, Marion Bartoli said.
WHY DID 22 PLAYERS SUDDENLY WITHDRAW FROM THE 2026 ITALIAN OPEN MID-TOURNAMENT?
Discover the full list of injured stars, including Carlos Alcaraz and Emma Raducanu, forced out of the 2026 Italian Open.
At the 2026 Italian Open, the number of players who have withdrawn or retired during matches has climbed to 22, spanning both the ATP and WTA competitions.
By midweek, 17 players had already exited the combined ATP/WTA 1000 event in Rome. Since then, an additional three men and two women have followed suit.
Before the draws were even announced on Monday, prominent names like Carlos Alcaraz, Taylor Fritz, Jack Draper, and Marketa Vondrousova had pulled out. On the opening day of the women’s tournament, Tuesday, Marta Kostyuk and Emma Raducanu also withdrew.
Amanda Anisimova, ranked sixth in the WTA, stepped back before her first match on Thursday due to a left wrist injury. Meanwhile, Victoria Mboko, who is ninth in the world, withdrew before playing on Friday because of a gastrointestinal illness.
Valentin Vacherot, the 16th-ranked player on the ATP tour, pulled out shortly before his scheduled second-round match against Marin Cilic on Friday, citing a foot injury.
Tomas Machac, holding the 41st spot in the men's rankings, also withdrew ahead of his second-round encounter with Daniil Medvedev after an impactful win against Stefanos Tsitsipas in round one.
Arthur Fils, ranked 17th, retired during his opening match against Andrea Pellegrino on Saturday, trailing 0-4, due to hip pain.
Here’s a rundown of the withdrawals on the ATP side: Carlos Alcaraz (No. 2) was replaced by Sebastian Ofner; Taylor Fritz (No. 7) by Zachary Svajda; Valentin Vacherot (No. 16) by Martin Landaluce; Arthur Rinderknech (No. 24) by Aleksandar Kovacevic; Holger Rune (No. 40) by Damir Dzumhur; Gabriel Diallo (No. 46) by Alexander Blockx; Jack Draper (No. 50) by Hamad Medjedovic; Raphael Collignon (No. 68) by Alexandre Muller; Reilly Opelka (No. 74) by Aleksandar Vukic; Arthur Cazaux (No. 73) by Mattia Bellucci; Kamil Majchrzak (No. 76) by Roberto Bautista Agut; and Eliot Spizzirri (No. 92) by James Duckworth.
On the WTA side, Amanda Anisimova (No. 6) was replaced by Elena Gabriela Ruse from Romania; Victoria Mboko (No. 9) by Nikola Bartunkova; Marta Kostyuk (No. 15) by Ajla Tomljanovic; Emma Raducanu (No. 30) by Lilli Tagger; Marketa Vondrousova (No. 44) by Solana Sierra; Sonay Kartal (No. 56) by Zeynep Sonmez; Varvara Gracheva (No. 61) by Eva Lys; and Veronika Kudermetova (No. 70) by Petra Marcinko.
THE "REST OVER REPS" PLAN: WHY JANNIK SINNER IS SNUBBING HALLE FOR WIMBLEDON
After 23 consecutive wins, World No. 1 Jannik Sinner adjusts his schedule to target a Career Grand Slam and Wimbledon glory.
Jannik Sinner has already logged a heavy schedule this year, with deep runs in recent Masters 1000 tournaments keeping him on court against top-tier competition regularly. Given this demanding stretch, he’s taken a fresh look at his calendar and decided to skip the Halle Open, carving out a three-week break between Roland Garros and his Wimbledon title defence.
The 2024 Wimbledon champion won’t be heading to Germany for the grass-court event. That’s notable since Sinner claimed that Wimbledon crown in impressive fashion, overcoming two-time winner Carlos Alcaraz to secure his first major title away from hardcourts. That victory was his latest Grand Slam, following Alcaraz’s wins at the previous two majors.
After Roland Garros, where he seeks to complete the career Grand Slam, Sinner plans to recharge rather than pile on more tournaments before Wimbledon. Without Alcaraz in sight, he’s considered a favourite to maintain his remarkable run. His recent haul includes titles at Indian Wells, Miami, Monte-Carlo, and, most recently, Madrid. Now, he’s setting his sights on Rome, his home turf, where he’s never clinched a win but is eager to continue an ambitious streak of Masters 1000 victories, aiming for a sixth in a row.
Post-Rome, he’ll take a week off before the French Open begins. In total, Sinner has played 23 matches over the last two months without tasting defeat. If he wants to lift the Rome trophy, he’ll need to notch six more wins, then potentially battle through seven more rounds in Paris. This demanding schedule partly explains his choice to forgo Halle.
As for the 2026 Halle Open, fans might be disappointed not to see the world number one, but the field remains strong. Heading the draw is Alexander Zverev, a local favourite who has yet to claim a grass-court title or even one on home soil. With Sinner out, this could be a prime opportunity for Zverev to break through.
The American players are also well represented. The U.S. hasn’t seen a finalist here since Mardy Fish in 2004, but Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton might be poised to change that, especially Fritz, who has already shown grass prowess with titles in Stuttgart and Eastbourne last year.
Defending champion Alexander Bublik, who ousted Sinner on his way to victory and took down Daniil Medvedev in the final, will be back aiming to repeat. Alongside him, names like Andrey Rublev, Flavio Cobolli, and Frances Tiafoe are also set to compete. The tournament runs from June 15 to 21, promising plenty of exciting tennis.
