"Carlos Alcaraz will end up retiring" - Former Wimbledon champ makes concerning prediction for Spaniard's future after Juan Carlos Ferrero split

Carlos Alcaraz and Juan Carlos Ferrero's split has surprised the tennis world, given the relationship the duo shared over the last seven years. Ferrero was Alcaraz's coach since he was 15 and he was a fatherly figure for the star from Murcia.

The duo's relationship resulted in six Grand Slams and 24 ATP Tour singles titles. There's only one player in tennis history who has seen such success arrive so early as the Spaniard, who is only 22.

Following the split, former Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli shared a concerning prediction for the Spaniard if the 2026 campaign doesn't result in expected lines.

"I'm worried about how this breakup might affect Carlos, although I'm confident he can handle it with his enormous talent," Bartoli said via Puntodebreak.com. "However, he needs a solid structure, like all geniuses. If he doesn't have it, I fear he'll end up retiring from professional tennis very soon, like Borg did at 25, and nobody wants that because we're dealing with a true genius. There will be a few months of trial and error with other coaches, and it won't be easy to manage."

Former German tennis star Bjorn Borg retired at the age of just 26 years old in 1983. He cited lack of motivation, feeling burned out because of pressure, and deteriorating mental health as key reasons behind the surprisingly early retirement. He retired as World No. 1 and had already won 11 Grand Slams by then.

Marion Bartoli predicts Juan Carlos Ferrero's return as Carlos Alcaraz if this happened

While acknowledging Carlos Alcaraz's breakup announcement, Juan Carlos Ferrero said he wished he remained the coach of the Spaniard. This is important since Alcaraz hasn't played a tournament in a long time without the presence of Ferrero.

In her remarks, Marion Bartoli also predicted that if Alcaraz starts the 2026 year badly, which would be conceding the first two Grand Slams of the year to arch rival and Italian star Jannik Sinner, we might see Ferrero returning as Alcaraz's coach.

"If things don't work out at the start of the season and Sinner wins the first two Grand Slams of the year, it seems obvious to me that he'll bring Ferrero back as his coach," the former French tennis player said.

Alcaraz has already started preparations for the 2026 campaign, as he has promoted Samuel Lopez as his main coach.

Edited by Krutik Jain