Juan Carlos Ferrero will begin working with Ben Shelton during the 2027 season, but former Serena Williams coach Rick Macci is not convinced the partnership will significantly change the American’s prospects.
Shelton and Ferrero confirmed their upcoming collaboration in joint statements on Sunday, ending months of speculation about the former French Open champion’s next coaching role. Ferrero previously worked with Carlos Alcaraz for more than six years, helping the Spaniard win six Grand Slam titles before their split last December.
Alcaraz described Ferrero as a “great addition” to Shelton’s team, which is currently led by the American’s father, Bryan Shelton. Macci, however, has identified areas of Shelton’s game that he believes will be difficult to rebuild, particularly the backhand and return of serve.
Writing on X, Macci said Shelton’s backhand was technically disconnected from the ground up and that the player had to generate racket-head speed with his arms too early. He described changing a groundstroke as fundamentally different from changing a serve because movement patterns and muscle memory have been established over many years.
Macci called Shelton’s backhand and return of serve a small but important weakness, despite the 24-year-old’s success. Shelton is currently ranked No. 4 in the world and reached the US Open final, defeating Alcaraz during his run.
The former coach also praised Bryan Shelton for making steady improvements to his son’s game. He described the father-and-son partnership as one of the best he had seen in a long time.
Macci believes Ferrero’s task will be particularly demanding because Shelton is not the same type of player as Alcaraz. He said that guiding Shelton to a Grand Slam title or the world No. 1 ranking would represent an even greater coaching achievement than helping Alcaraz develop into an all-time great.
Sources: Tennis365.