Andy Roddick shuts down calls for Carlos Alcaraz to fire coach Juan Carlos Ferrero with Pete Sampras comparison

Andy Roddick has shut down the suggestion that Carlos Alcaraz needs to make a drastic coaching change amid his middling results during the 2025 season. Following a less-than-ideal Sunshine Double, the Spaniard has made a strong start to his clay season at the Monte-Carlo Masters.

In his opening match at the ATP Masters 1000 event, Alcaraz battled back from a set down to claim a 3-6, 6-0, 6-1 victory over Francisco Cerundolo. Following the World No. 3's win, the discussion on the Tennis Channel turned to the debate about whether the Spaniard should part ways with his longtime coach Juan Carlos Ferrero, given that he has struggled to display his best form this season.

However, Andy Roddick expressed frustration with such calls, arguing that there was a need to reset expectations after Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic's era of dominance. The former World No. 1 silenced concerns about Carlos Alcaraz's inconsistent results by pointing that even Pete Sampras had often recorded shock exits at tournaments.

"Do you guys remember the crazy times before the Big Three when players didn't make the finals every week. Like honestly, we have to reset expectations and one of Annacone's former charges Pete Sampras, as great as he was, winner of 14 Majors, six year-end No. 1's, he would lose third round sometimes. He just would. He would win two Majors a year instead of three," Roddick said.

Roddick also emphasized that Alcaraz had already achieved an "absurd" level of success and firmly dismissed those who believed that the 21-year-old was in need of a coaching change.

"We have to reset expectations. Carlos Alcaraz already has more Majors than Andy Murray, he's halfway towards icons like Connors, Agassi. It's just absurd what he's done. We need to reset a little bit and anyone calling for a coaching change doesn't know anything about coaching," he added.

Despite all the speculation, a coaching change seems very unlikely since Carlos Alcaraz only recently credited Juan Carlos Ferrero for shaping him into the player he is today. The Spaniard shared that Ferrero had also taught him the important lesson about being a "good person" off the court.

"Carlos Alcaraz is going to have a little bit more volatility" - Roger Federer's ex-coach echoes Andy Roddick's sentiments

Carlos Alcaraz - Source: Getty

In the same Tennis Channel segment, Roger Federer's ex-coach Paul Annacone expressed similar sentiments to Andy Roddick and acknowledged the tendency to overreact when great players like Carlos Alcaraz had a dip in form.

Annacone also expressed his belief that the 21-year-old would always be a more volatile player because of the variety in his game and his bold personality.

"I think it's a little crazy but it wouldn't be the first time we've seen crazy in the tennis world. We all like to jump to big conclusions when great players have stumbling blocks and you forget how young he is," Annacone said.

"And we also forget the full dynamic of the makeup of who he is as a person, as a player. I think historically, he's going to have a little bit more volatility because he has so much variety in how he plays and also because of his personality," he added.

Following his win over Francisco Cerundolo, Carlos Alcaraz will take on Daniel Altmaier in the third round of the Monte-Carlo Masters. If the Spaniard beats Altmaier, he will meet Andrey Rublev or Arthur Fils in a blockbuster quarterfinal clash at the ATP Masters 1000 event.