Juan Carlos Ferrero to miss Australian Open after knee surgery

The Spaniard will be absent from Carlos Alcaraz’s box for the first Grand Slam of the year, meaning the world No 2 will begin the season without his head coach

Juan Carlos Ferrero, Miami 2023 | © Mike Frey for Tennis Majors

Jamie Malachy

December 17, 2023

Juan Carlos Ferrero, the coach of world No 2 Carlos Alcaraz, is set to miss the opening Grand Slam of the year next month as he recovers from undergoing an arthroscopy on his left knee.

The procedure will prevent Ferrero travelling to Australia in January for the season-opening hard-court swing, which includes the Australian Open and its build-up tournaments in the antipodes.

Ferrero is expected to be on crutches for the next couple of months as he recovers from the surgery, meaning that the next tournament he is rumoured to be in attendance for will be at Indian Wells in March.

An 18-year-old Carlos Alcaraz takes on Matteo Berrettini at the 2022 Australian Open

The opening Grand Slam of the new season gets underway in Melbourne on Sunday 14th January and will run until Sunday 28th January. The tournament will begin on a Sunday – a day earlier than it previously has – for the first time as tournament organisers seeks to mitigate against the detriment of late-night finishes for players.

Alcaraz missed the 2023 Australian Open due to a hamstring injury he sustained during last year’s off-season training block. The year prior, he reached the third round in Melbourne, going down in five sets to eventual semi-finalist Matteo Berrettini.

January will mark the first time the 20-year-old Spaniard is to compete at the Australian Open since becoming a Grand Slam champion. But he will have to do it without the guidance of his mentor and coach, with Samuel López set to replace Ferrero during his absence.

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