The ambitious American will aim high in 2027 with Juan Carlos Ferrero by his side, reports the London Times.
Chris OddoNovember 1, 20262 minute read
The mystery of Juan Carlos Ferrero’s next coaching assignment appears to have been solved. The former world No.1 and man who coached Carlos Alcaraz to his first six major titles will reportedly join forces with Ben Shelton and his father, according to The Times of London.
Shelton, this year’s US Open runner-up who currently sits at a career-high ranking of No.4, will reportedly begin working with the Spanish legend in December, while keeping his father alongside him.
Last week, after much speculation about Ferrero’s next job, the 2003 French Open champion told the world that he’d be announcing his next coaching gig on November 9. The Times beat him to it.
In an interview with Eurosport España on Wednesday, Ferrero confirmed he has signed a contract with a new player.
“For now, my goal for next year is to be back on the tour,” he said. “I can already tell you that I have reached an agreement with a player. The name will be revealed on November 9. But I can’t give any details yet about the player’s identity.”
With Jannik Sinner hiring Magnus Norman, that leaves former world No.3 and Roland Garros finalist David Ferrer as the big name who has yet to find a player to coach in 2027. Ferrer left his post as Spain’s Davis Cup captain, and there has been speculation that he might end up being the next coach of Spanish phenom Rafael Jodar.
For many weeks, it was Ferrero who was rumored to be in line to coach Jodar – more proof that things move fast on tennis’ coaching carousel, and the rumors don’t always lead to truth.
It will be interesting to see how Shelton incorporates Ferrero into his team, and what types of changes he will make to his game. What is certain is that the American is highly ambitious and wants to follow through on the promise he has shown thus far in his career, having cracked the Top 5 and reached a major final with a game that even he describes as not yet fully realized.
We can expect to hear more from Shelton on the subject early next week, as he’s slated to take his place in the Paris Masters draw as the No.3 seed. Perhaps Ferrero will even consider moving up his announcement date, as November 9 is more than a week away and the cat is already out of the proverbial bag.
