"My question, time and again, was whether I was doing everything possible to help him (Alcaraz) improve. I kept asking myself how he could grow as a person and as a player. (...) You need to ask yourself that, because when you settle, progress stops," he said.
The long-term coach of 'Carlitos', who guided the Murcian from childhood until last December, Juan Carlos Ferrero, took part this Friday in the 'National Tennis Coaches Symposium', organised by the Portuguese Tennis Federation at the Jamor Complex in Oeiras, where he shared the secrets to 'Thinking, training, and competing like a champion'.
"The most important thing with Carlos was for him to grow as a person, to keep the values he brought from home," he said in a conversation in Spanish with Rui Machado, the Davis Cup captain.
A former world number one and Roland Garros champion in 2003, Ferrero shared some of the secrets behind his successful partnership with the winner of seven Grand Slams, six of them under his guidance, commenting that he "placed great importance" on keeping the player "fresh, motivated, and clear-minded," and pointed out without hesitation the toughest aspect.
"There’s so much interest and so many commitments with the media, sponsors, and fans that it’s hard to find quality time. You have to do your homework to manage all that well," he emphasised.
Sinner was always the focus
Ferrero revealed that "the serve was always the shot" Alcaraz worked hardest to improve - "year after year, we refined the technique" - and that, "with all due respect to other players," Jannik Sinner was always the main target of the specific work he did with the 22-year-old Murcian.
Retired since 2012, 'The Mosquito', as he was known, repeatedly stressed the importance of the team around the player, which needs to understand his personality, and highlighted as crucial for future tennis stars the "willingness to keep improving."
The Valencian, accompanied by his longtime coach Antonio Martinez Cascales, admitted he accepted to coach Alcaraz because he missed "living those moments, going from zero to the top."
"I enjoyed experiencing as a coach what I lived as a player," he concluded, saying he went as far as he could, never mentioning his bitter split from the ATP ranking leader.
The 46-year-old Spaniard also described his experience at his academy, where he focuses on a more personalised and "family-like" approach with future players.
"It’s very important that a coach doesn’t just do things his own way. You have to know the player and how to make the most of his personality," he said, arguing that technique is "important, especially when they’re young," and that ideally you want "an explosive, flexible, and fast player."
Asked to name the most common mistake made by aspiring tennis players at his academy, Ferrero pointed to what he calls "the invisible game."
"Most players don’t use the information from their shot to anticipate how the next ball will come. (...) Many young players wait to see how the ball comes and don’t react in time. (...) You have to explain it to the player; it’s like a chess game. I used this approach with Carlos in recent years," he revealed.
Feeling "at home" in Portugal, where he has travelled since childhood, the Spanish coach also spoke about the ups and downs of his career, choosing his first Davis Cup title, his victory at Roland Garros, and reaching world number one as his best moments as a player.
"Be patient with the kids, because a coach’s job covers several areas: coach, psychologist (...) and even a bit of a parent," he said in closing, addressing the Portuguese coaches who filled the stands at the Jamor Tennis High Performance Centre.