"Carlos Alcaraz's camp is unbelievably money hungry" - Fans outraged by reports Juan Carlos Ferrero was offered major pay cut & 'classless' ultimatum

Following Carlos Alcaraz's unexpected split with longtime coach Juan Carlos Ferrero, several insiders have made bold claims about what really prompted the decision. A new report suggesting that the split was caused by unsuccessful contract negotiations between the World No. 1 and Ferrero has drawn strong reactions from tennis fans.

Alcaraz caused a major stir in the tennis community when he announced his decision to part ways with Ferrero ahead of the 2026 season. Amid claims of a "major disagreement" between Ferrero and the 22-year-old's father, Spanish publication Marca has reported that the partnership broke down because of a failure to finalize a new contract.

According to the report, Juan Carlos Ferrero was given a 48-hour period to accept or reject the proposed deal presented to him by Carlos Alcaraz and his team. However, the contract, which included a "significant salary reduction," contained multiple clauses that the former World No. 1 deemed "unacceptable." After Ferrero chose not to sign the contract within the given timeframe, their split was made made official.

Fans were appalled by the claims of Juan Carlos Ferrero being offered a major pay cut despite Carlos Alcaraz's extremely successful season, with one of them criticizing the 22-year-old's camp for being "unbelievably money hungry."

"Not surprised. Carlos’s team has been doing ridiculous things recently like building his own academy right down the road from Ferrero. His camp is unbelievably money hungry," one fan posted. "Why was his salary "significantly reduced" after what was deemed a successful season? His ego would've taken a hit, even if he didn't say so publicly," another fan chimed in. "Alcaraz (arguably) has had the best season yet and they wanted to CUT Ferrero's salary, instead of raising it? Make it make sense," said another.

Fans also called out the "classless" ultimatum given to Ferrero, questioning why the former World No. 1 was given only 48 hours to make the important decision.

"Notwithstanding the problematic conditions, giving a contract to the guy that navigated the rise of a youngster to #1 over 7-8 yrs with a 48 hour ultimatum is basically classless. Anyone with self worth would walk," one fan commented. "48 hours seems like an incredibly short window for such a long and close partnership, especially with a pay cut and apparently subjects that were known to be testy. And over the weekend too," another fan wrote. "Yeah 48 hours is ridiculous. That’s just saying "we made you an offer but don’t accept because we don’t actually want you,"" a user commented. "Starting to seem like the team wanted him to make the final call so they wouldn’t have to actually fire him. such a strange and weird situation all around," said yet another.

Despite all the speculation surrounding the reasons behind their shocking split, Carlos Alcaraz only had positive things to say about Juan Carlos Ferrero in his emotional farewell message on social media.

"Thank you for turning childhood dreams into realities" - Carlos Alcaraz pens farewell message for Juan Carlos Ferrero

Carlos Alcaraz and Juan Carlos Ferrero - Source: Getty

Carlos Alcaraz opened up about how "difficult" he found it to pen his farewell message for Juan Carlos Ferrero as their seven-year coaching partnership came to an end. The six-time Grand Slam champion expressed his heartfelt gratitude to Ferrero for helping him achieve his dreams and shared how he felt about them parting ways.

"Thank you for turning childhood dreams into realities. We started this journey when I was barely a kid, and throughout all this time you’ve accompanied me on an incredible journey, on and off the court. And I’ve enjoyed every step of it so much with you," Carlos Alcaraz wrote. "We’ve managed to reach the top, and I feel that if our sports paths had to part ways, it had to be from up there. From the place we always worked toward and always aspired to reach," he added.

Alcaraz also wished Ferrero the best for the future, saying that they had given their all for each other.

"I wish you all the best from the heart in everything that comes. I’m left with the peace of mind of knowing we didn’t hold anything back, that we gave everything we had for each other," he concluded.

Juan Carlos Ferrero also shared a heartfelt message for Carlos Alcaraz and generated a significant buzz by mentioning that he "wished he could have continued" in his role as the 22-year-old's coach.

Edited by Urvi Mehra