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.
JANNIK SINNER CHARGES TOWARD SUNSHINE DOUBLE WITH STRAIGHT SETS MIAMI OPEN VICTORY
Jannik Sinner cruises past Damir Dzumhur in Miami, chasing the Sunshine Double just days after his Indian Wells win.
Jannik Sinner, ranked number two in the world, got off to an easy start at the Miami Open on Saturday. Just six days after taking home the Indian Wells trophy, Sinner walked onto the court looking confident and picked up a straightforward 6-3, 6-3 win over Damir Dzumhur, who's ranked 76th.
“First-round matches are never easy,” Sinner admitted. He’s fresh off beating Daniil Medvedev for his first Indian Wells title, and now he's chasing the “Sunshine Double", hoping to sweep Indian Wells and Miami, something nobody’s pulled off since Federer did it in 2017.
Sinner grabbed the first set in just half an hour, broke Dzumhur early in the second, and finished the match with a sharp backhand. He stayed aggressive throughout, dropping only eight points on his serve even though he confessed he had little time to adjust after Indian Wells. “It’s very different here,” he said.
Medvedev, last year’s Miami runner-up, barely had time to settle in either but came back from a set down to beat Rei Sakamoto, an impressive 19-year-old wildcard from Japan, 6-7 (10/12), 6-3, 6-1.
Jakub Mensik, last year’s champion, had a rough start thanks to lingering illness and the pressure of defending his title. He lost the first set to Adam Walton but then turned it around and won 3-6, 6-2, 6-4. “The first set was horrible from my side,” Mensik said. He regrouped quickly, got an early break in set two, and held steady from there. “It was hard to get back in rhythm,” Mensik said. “I’m really happy mentally; I held tough and didn’t let the pressure get me.”
Alexander Zverev, seeded fourth, cruised through with a comfortable win over Martin Damm, 6-2, 6-4. But Ben Shelton, the eighth seed and the local favourite, was upset by Alexander Shevchenko from Kazakhstan, losing 6-7 (3/7), 7-6 (7/3), and 6-3.
On the women’s side, Coco Gauff, seeded fourth, fought back after dropping the first set and stormed past Alycia Parks 3-6, 6-0, 6-1.
Teen stars Mirra Andreeva and Victoria Mboko set up a fourth-round showdown, their third meeting this season. Andreeva, just 18, took out Marie Bouzkova 7-6 (7/4), 6-2. Mboko, 19, handled Anastasia Zakharova 6-1, 7-5. They’ve split their past two matches. Andreeva beat Mboko in January at Adelaide, but Mboko turned the tables in Doha, saving a match point and reaching the final.
Alexandra Eala, who made waves last year with her surprise run to the semifinals, powered into the last 16 with a 6-3, 7-6 (7/2) win over Magda Linette. Linette had knocked out Iga Swiatek, world number three, in the previous round.
As the rain finally let up and play caught up, Jessica Pegula, last year’s finalist, advanced easily; her opponent Francesca Jones retired while Pegula was leading 6-1, 3-0.
Australian qualifier Talia Gibson stayed hot. After her quarter-final run in Indian Wells, she stunned Naomi Osaka, beating the four-time Grand Slam champ 7-5, 6-4.
THE MIAMI CHAOS: WHY WORLD NO 1 ARYNA SABALENKA WAS SHOCKED BY TOURNAMENT SCHEDULING
Aryna Sabalenka admits she was "really shocked" after being moved off the main court during a chaotic Miami Open opener.
Aryna Sabalenka didn’t hide her surprise about how the Miami Open scheduled her first match this year. She admitted she was “really shocked” by it all.
Sabalenka, ranked No. 1 in the world, beat Ann Li, who’s ranked 39th, 7-6(5), 6-4, in her second-round match at the Hard Rock Stadium. But the start of the Miami Open was a mess; rainstorms washed out all the action on Wednesday, and several Friday matches slid into Saturday because the weather just wouldn’t let up.
Friday got hit with more delays. Sabalenka’s match ended up being moved off the main stadium court to the smaller Butch Buchholz court – definitely not what a top seed expects. At her press conference, Sabalenka explained that tournament organisers actually gave her a choice: play right then on another court or move to Saturday.
“Well, honestly, I was shocked they even thought about cancelling my match just because of the schedule,” Sabalenka said. “And they were giving me a couple stadium options, and I thought, why can’t Alcaraz and Fonseca start a little later? Last night, the night session didn’t even start until nine, and Mirra Andreeva was still playing.”
She kept circling back to how odd it felt. “The idea of cancelling? I just didn’t expect it. But I decided I’d rather play today. If I win, I get a day off to rest and get myself together.”
Sabalenka laughed a little at the whole thing. “Yeah, I was really shocked, but I’m glad I at least got to pick what worked best for me.”
When someone asked why it caught her so off guard, she was straightforward: “I’ve never dealt with anything like this before. I can’t remember anything similar. For me, it’s not a big deal to play and have the night session start a little later, but I guess the tournament has to think about tickets and what works for them.”
As for whether she always expects to play on the main court as the world no. 1, she shrugged it off. “It’s tricky, because Alcaraz was playing too, so you’ve got two No. 1s. What can you do? I’m just glad I had a choice.”
Next up, Sabalenka takes on the world. No 72 Caty McNally in the third round.
