Roger Federer tipped to be 'perfect coach' for Carlos Alcaraz by Mats Wilander after Juan Carlos Ferrero split

Carlos Alcaraz split with his long-time coach Juan Carlos Ferrero ahead of the 2026 season. The pair had worked together since Alcaraz was a teenager - with Ferrero helping him win six Grand Slam titles and rise to No. 1 in the world. Mats Wilander spoke to TNT Sports about Alcaraz's next move, and he thinks one of the sport's all-time great players should be approached about the position.

Mats Wilander says Carlos Alcaraz should do everything he can to make Roger Federer his next coach.

The world No.1 has split from Juan Carlos Ferrero - who he had been working with since his teenage years.

"Well, my first reaction was a complete surprise, because if I have ever seen two people work together better than Carlos and Juan Carlos, I don't know who those two people are because they seem to be perfect for one another," Wilander told TNT Sports about the pair going their separate ways.

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"They seem to be able to bring a smile to each other's face when Carlos is playing. They're obviously serious enough where Juan Carlos has helped Carlitos to calm down a little bit, to not play crazy tennis, but to play high percentage tennis. 

"So everything they have done so far has seemed to be the perfect evolution of a tennis player's career. And suddenly it's not happening anymore."

With Ferrero by his side, Alcaraz lifted the first six Grand Slam titles of his career. 

But, putting the silverware aside, Wilander thinks the work Alcaraz did with Ferrero to develop himself as a person will be just as important going forward.

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"I don't think it's going to make a big difference in the end because I think Carlos Alcaraz is too mature," Wilander said.

"He knows too much about the game that I don't think it's going to stop his development to not have Juan Carlos there."

Samuel Lopez is expected to remain with Alcaraz, and he has been part of his preparation team for the Australian Open, which starts on Saturday night and will be available to watch on TNT Sports and discovery+.

But Wilander thinks Alcaraz’s next move for a coach could be seismic, and he has urged the Spaniard to attempt to work with one of the game’s greatest ever players.

"Well, I think that it will be really important to have a Grand Slam winner in your ear, but he's already had Juan Carlos Ferrero," Wilander said.

"And I think that if you're going to have another Grand Slam voice in your ear, I think that voice should come from a player that plays a different game.

Alcaraz has previously been linked with working with former Wimbledon champion Andy Murray, but Wilander does not think that would be the right path to take.

"I think when you take Murray and you take Carlos Alcaraz, there is a similarity in the way they're playing. But if you take a John McEnroe and a Carlos Alcaraz, suddenly you see a big change. 

"Or if you take a Stefan Edberg and a Carlos Alcaraz, there's a big difference. Or let's put Roger Federer in there, for example. Now, you're talking about someone that could really help Carlos Alcaraz with the game that he's not that comfortable with. 

"And I think Roger Federer will be the perfect coach for Carlos Alcaraz."

Wilander tips Sinner and Alcaraz to be best of all time

Looking ahead to the new season, Wilander is excited to watch how Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner can continue to raise their levels of performance.

The pair have won the last eight major trophies, with four victories each.

Previewing the 2026 season, Wilander said: "I'm looking forward to the dominance of Sinner and Alcaraz, to be honest. It's hard to believe that in today's world of professional sports that you can be that dominant. 

"It's hard to believe after having three best players of all time together [Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic], that suddenly we have two guys that are most probably going to become two of the best players of all time. That's what's exciting. 

"It's exciting to see how much more Jannik and Carlitos have improved since we saw them last year. 

"Of course, everybody wants to see a calendar Grand Slam by Carlos Alcaraz or by Jannik Sinner, and they both have a chance to win the calendar Grand Slam this year, which to me is the most exciting story in tennis."

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Although Alcaraz arrives in Melbourne as world No. 1, defending champion Sinner is going for his third straight win in Australia.

Predicting the outcome of this year’s Grand Slam, Wilander said: "I think that Jannik Sinner is the favorite because I think there are less people in the draw that can beat Sinner. 

"I think there's a few more players that believe they have a chance against Carlos Alcaraz on a fast court with really fast conditions because of the temperatures in Australia.

"So I think Jannik Sinner will get to the round when he has to play Carlos Alcaraz, which obviously is the finals. I'm less sure that Carlos Alcaraz will get all the way to the finals."

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