MADRID, 14 Dic. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Spanish tennis player Juan Carlos Ferrero received the ATP ‘Coach of the Year’ award this Wednesday for his contribution to the promotion to number one of his pupil, the Spanish Carlos Alcaraz, the record tennis player this 2022 on the Circuit.
Alcaraz became the first player under the age of 20 to close the year as world number one in the 50 editions of the ATP ranking, with 2022 in which he lifted the first ‘Grand Slam’ of his record, the US Open, and two Masters 1,000.
The Murcian also won titles in Rio de Janeiro and Barcelona, and finished the season with a record of 57-13. Under Ferrero’s tutelage, Alcaraz also starred in the biggest rise in history to number one at the end of the year, climbing from number 32 at the end of 2021.
“This year has been an incredible year. Fortunately, all the hard work has been rewarded with results and now with this incredible award. I am extremely happy to win the ATP Coach of the Year award. Thank you all for the support,” Ferrero said. after being selected by other coaches.
Ferrero first met Alcaraz at the Equelite Sports Academy when the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals champion was just 13 years old. He then watched the Murcian pick up his first ATP Tour point at just 14 years old, before officially starting to work together in 2018.
“I saw him when he was 13 years old. He came to the academy and we trained one day. He was very small, but everyone was talking about him. He had everything he has now, but in miniature. Officially, I saw him when he scored his first point with 14 years. Then you could already see how he competed. When he arrived at the academy at the age of 15, he was very thin. He was fast but had no muscles. Despite everything, we saw something very special,” he recalled.