Exclusive: ‘We need him’ – Juan Carlos Ferrero says Novak Djokovic presence crucial for Carlos Alcaraz development

Juan Carlos Ferrero believes Novak Djokovic’s presence at the world’s biggest tournaments is essential for the development of his charge Carlos Alcaraz, the Spanish coach told Eurosport this week.

Team Alcaraz is celebrating the conclusion of a phenomenal 2022 campaign that saw the 19-year-old phenom become the youngest ever player to summit the ATP rankings and secure the year-end No.1 spot.

Alcaraz won a maiden Grand Slam title at the US Open in September, in the absence of Djokovic, who had to miss two of the four majors this year for not being vaccinated.

Djokovic made the most of the remainder of the season however, triumphing at Wimbledon, Rome, Tel Aviv, Astana and closing out 2022 by clinching a record-equalling sixth ATP Finals crown in Turin.

With news emerging from Australia that Djokovic’s ban is being lifted and that he will be allowed to enter the country and compete in Melbourne in January, Ferrero says it will be a great opportunity for Alcaraz to potentially square off with the 21-time major champion Down Under.

“We need him,” said Ferrero, referring to Djokovic.

“I think for Carlos to improve his tennis he needs to play against one of the best in the history. Of course Rafa [Nadal] is there to play against him and Novak, we need him.

“In Madrid Carlos played against Novak and he increased his level to try to win the match, so that’s what we need, to play in the Slams against him, I think it’s very important for Carlos to improve.”

Djokovic won 18 of his last 19 matches of the season, including an undefeated run at the ATP Finals – something that has not surprised Ferrero one bit.

“I think after the US Open, which he couldn’t play, he was very focused to show himself that he is able to win almost everything that he played, we saw again that he’s able to do it,” said Ferrero of the Serb.

“He presented himself to all the players that he’s going to be there and that he has the possibility to play in Australia, I think he’s very happy about it and I think the rest of the players as well.

“Carlos and I were talking about that we’re happy to see Novak there because if you want to win the Australian Open you have to win against the best, and of course it’s good news. But of course it didn’t surprise me at all that he won in Turin.”

Alcaraz was forced to miss the action in Turin due to a muscle tear in the left side of his abdomen, which Ferrero says has been healing faster than expected.

The Murcia native started his preseason training in the gym on Monday and is expected to begin his on-court preparations by the end of this week.

His next appearance will be the Mubadala World Tennis Championship exhibition event in Abu Dhabi, where he opens his account against Andrey Rublev or Frances Tiafoe on Saturday December 17.

As of right now, Alcaraz is not signed up to play any warm-up events prior to the Australian Open, which begins on January 16.

Having risen from 32 in the world at the start of this year to No.1 within the span of nine months, Alcaraz might understandably need some time to adjust to his new status at the top of the game.

He had said in an interview with atptour.com earlier this year that the best advice Ferrero gave him at the beginning of 2022 was to realise he hadn’t won anything major yet and that he had to prove himself and not get carried away with the massive hype around him.

Now that Alcaraz has won a Grand Slam and two Masters 1000 crowns, what does Ferrero tell him heading into 2023?

“I tell him that now he has to work even harder because if now you want to stay at the top, you need to win Slams and Masters 1000s consistently,” said Ferrero, who is a former world No.1 himself.

“So it’s even more difficult than before when maybe winning a 500 and doing a great result in Masters 1000 you could get higher in the ranking, but now, if you want to stay in the top, you have to beat the best and you have to win the best tournaments, so it’s even more important to work the same or harder than before.”

Ferrero’s journey coaching Alcaraz began in late 2018 and the 42-year-old Spaniard has since forged a strong connection with his protégé.

They teamed up a few months after Ferrero had ended his partnership with Alexander Zverev – a coaching relationship that lasted less than a year and ended on a sour note due to irreconcilable differences.

Ferrero helped Alcaraz build a stable team around him and the 2003 Roland Garros champion admits it is a far more comfortable working arrangement compared to what he had with Zverev in the past.

“He’s like another son for me, the older one,” said Ferrero of Alcaraz.

“He’s my second player as a coach and I think I keep learning from him and he’s learning from me. We’re both together growing up at the same time. He’s a very nice guy and it’s very easy to work with him.

“What I know is I needed something like this because after working with Sascha [Zverev] that wasn’t that easy for me, it’s not the same culture, he understands a little bit differently [the meaning of] being professional, I needed to refresh a little bit and work with someone that was a little bit the same character as me and wanted the same things for the future and in Carlos I think I found it.”