Ben Shelton has revealed how Carlos Alcaraz reacted when he learned that Shelton was hiring Juan Carlos Ferrero, the coach who guided Alcaraz to six Grand Slam titles. Shelton, speaking after reaching the Paris Masters final, said he contacted Alcaraz before the story became public and got a reply straight after Alcaraz won the Vienna title.
Shelton is ranked World No. 4 at the moment, with his best result coming at the US Open this season, where he finished runner-up. Ferrero, meanwhile, won the French Open in 2003 and reached No. 1 in the world, then coached Alcaraz for seven years, a partnership that brought 24 titles, including six Majors, before it ended in December 2025. He will join Shelton’s team for 2027 alongside the American’s father, Bryan. News of the appointment broke on 1 November, minutes after Alcaraz’s Vienna title.
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Shelton discussed the appointment on the Tennis Channel desk in Paris on Saturday, after beating Luca Van Assche 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 in the semifinals. He said he did not want Alcaraz to find out from a headline, stating:
“Obviously I reached out to him before the news dropped. I wanted to let him know because I know how long and successful their relationship has been. I don’t know that there’s a better guy on tour than Carlos Alcaraz.”
The World No. 4 then described the reply from Vienna, and what he believes it reveals about Alcaraz.
“He hit me back right away after winning Vienna. He told me he was so happy for me and how big the improvements in my game were gonna be working with Juan Carlos. I think that’s what makes him such a great graceful champion and someone that our sport really really needs.”
Alcaraz had already been asked about the reports in Vienna. He said he would wait for official confirmation, but added that if it were true it would be “a great addition to Ben Shelton’s team.”
Carlos Alcaraz and Ben Shelton’s head-to-head record heading into Paris Masters final
Sunday’s match in the final of the Paris Masters is the fifth meeting between Carlos Alcaraz and Ben Shelton. Currently, the former leads the head-to-head 3-1. He won their first three: on hard court at the 2023 Canadian Open in Toronto, indoors at the 2024 Laver Cup in Berlin (6-4, 6-4), and on clay in the fourth round at Roland Garros in 2025 (7-6(8), 6-3, 4-6, 6-4).
Shelton’s lone win came at the US Open in September, a 6-7(5), 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6(10-7) quarterfinal that ended at 3:33 a.m. and stopped Alcaraz’s title defense. It was also Shelton’s first career win over a top-three opponent. Shelton went on to reach the final, but ended up losing to Alexander Zverev.
Alcaraz arrives on an eight-match winning streak and is playing his 11th Masters 1000 final, chasing a first title in Paris and a fifth of the year. Shelton, in his third Masters final, has won the last two Canadian Opens and is looking for a third title at this level. Both are appearing in the Paris final for the first time.
Up next for both players is the ATP Finals. Neither Shelton nor Alcaraz has won the year-end championships. This time, defending champion Jannik Sinner has already announced that he is skipping the tournament, having ended his season early with an injury. Other competitors in Turin are: Alexander Zverev, Daniil Medvedev, Flavio Cobolli, Arthur Fils, Frances Tiafoe and Rafael Jodar.
Edited by Shyam Kamal
