Carlos Alcaraz adds coach Samuel Lopez to work alongside Juan Carlos Ferrero

Alcaraz ended this season at No. 3 and said his relationship with Ferrero remained strong, crediting the coach for turning him into the player and person he is now, and allowing him to gain more of a voice at their academy.

Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz reacts iuring the Davis Cup Finals match against the Netherlands. | Photo Credit: AFP

Carlos Alcaraz on Tuesday announced that Spaniad Samuel Lopez will join Juan Carlos Ferrero in his coaching team for the upcoming season.

“I think Samuel, for me, is one of the best coaches that we have on tour,” Alcaraz said, the day before a scheduled exhibition match against Ben Shelton at Madison Square Garden.

Alcaraz, 21, believes the pairing can help push him back to the top of the rankings. “They trust each other 100 percent and being able to travel with both, for me, it’s going to be great. I think I’m going to grow as a player thanks to them. I think we are going to work pretty hard and pretty good for the next season and the next years. Hopefully we are going to make good results together.”

Lopez has coached Ferrero, among other players. Lopez was a member of Spain’s Olympic team in 2000 and 2012. He had been working with Pablo Carreno Busta.

Alcaraz ended this season at No. 3 and said his relationship with Ferrero remained strong, crediting the coach for turning him into the player and person he is now, and allowing him to gain more of a voice at their academy.

“They’re listening to me much more than before,” Alcaraz said. “Obviously when I was 16 years old I had nothing to say. I was just mouth closed and ears open and did whatever he said. Right now I’m doing more things for myself, let’s say I’m taking more decisions, serious decisions.

“So I think (we) both are doing great work together as a person as well just to make sure this relationship is still pretty good and the love that we have for each other is huge. So I admire him as a professional but as a person as well.”