After parting ways with Carlos Alcaraz in late 2025, Juan Carlos Ferrero has now finally found a new player to coach. He will be joining Ben Shelton‘s team for the 2027 season. Rather than taking over as the sole coach, he will work alongside the American’s father and longtime coach, Bryan. However, Serena Williams’ former coach, Rick Macci, doesn’t believe that this move will do Shelton any good.

He highlighted Shelton’s weaknesses and remarked that hiring a biomechanist would have benefited him more. While the World No. 4 is strong on his serve, his return of serve and backhand are big areas of concern for Macci.

“Shelton hiring Ferrero will probably not move the needle,” he wrote on X. “Big Ben biomechanically on the backhand wing is disconnected from the ground up and has to manufacture racquet head speed from the arms too soon. Rewiring a groundstroke is a different animal than a serve because of the movement element and muscle memory baked in double crispy since he started playing as a kid.

“As a result, his backhand off the ground and return of serve is the microscopic but crucial flaw for the Florida Gator. Maybe a biomechanist with a brand new science based approach could put humpty dumpty back together with the body pulling the racquet thru not the racquet pulling body.”

Shelton has achieved many accolades on the Tour in the last few years. He has lifted a total of seven ATP titles, including the Masters 1000 events in Toronto and Montreal. But he hasn’t been able to go the distance in Grand Slams. The American came very close to winning his maiden major at the US Open, but was defeated by Alexander Zverev in the final.

A high-profile coach like Ferrero can help achieve much-needed success at Grand Slams. The Spaniard played a key role in shaping Alcaraz into the player he has become today and also helped him win six Grand Slam titles. Shelton is optimistic about accomplishing accolades under Ferrero and his father’s guidance.

“Juan Carlos is one of the great minds in tennis. His experience winning at the highest level and developing champions will be an enormous asset to our team,” he said in the statement reported by AS. “My dad has played a huge role in my journey, and I’m excited about what we can accomplish together moving forward.”

Not just Shelton, but Alcaraz also feels that Ferrero will be a great addition to the American’s team. Having worked together for seven years, the World No. 3 is confident that Ferrero will take Shelton’s game to the next level.

Carlos Alcaraz reacts to Juan Carlos Ferrero joining Ben Shelton’s coaching team

“I haven’t seen that. I heard about it. Not sure who said that,” he said during a press conference. “Until Ben (Shelton) or Juanki (Ferrero) say that, I’m not gonna believe that because we could hear a lot of people talking about me, who I’m gonna be coaching with. A lot of people are talking about things that they might think or know, and we will see. But if it is true, I think it’s going to be a great addition to Ben Shelton. And I think Juanki is gonna do great, and it’s gonna help him a lot to increase his level even more. So, I will be aware of him.”

Shelton hasn’t been at his best since reaching the US Open final. He was a part of the US team that got eliminated from the Davis Cup by Czechia. His Shanghai Masters campaign proved to be quite a disappointment as Arthur Gea defeated him 7-6, 7-6 in the Round of 32.

A similar story occurred at the Swiss Indoors as Shelton got knocked out by World No. 222 Jerome Kym in the Round of 16. Though the 24-year-old has already booked his spot in the ATP Finals, he will still be aiming to improve his form at the Paris Masters and end the season on a positive note. Shelton will begin his campaign from the Round of 32, but his opponent for the match is yet to be decided.