"Carlos Alcaraz wouldn't be as good if on-court coaching wasn't allowed" - Fans react to Spaniard's coach "barking" instructions during Madrid QF loss

Tennis fans have provided mixed reactions to Carlos Alcaraz's coach Juan Carlos Ferrero constantly giving him instructions during his Madrid Open quarterfinal loss to Andrey Rublev.

Alcaraz looked in command against Rublev in Madrid after winning the first set 6-4. However, the Russian was far from done, and he roared back into the match with some brilliant serving and crushing forehands to clinch the second set 6-3.

Rublev's confidence grew even more in the third set, and in the end, he won it 6-2 to stop the ATP World No. 3's quest for a third-successive Madrid Open title.

Throughout the match, Juan Carlos Ferrero remained animated in Carlos Alcaraz's box, trying his best to help the latter find solutions. A video of one of those instances made its way onto X (formerly Twitter).

Tennis fans of the platform reacted to the footage of Ferrero coaching Alcaraz. One set of fans opined that the two-time Grand Slam winner would not be the player he is without Ferrero's guidance from his box.

"I hate how blatant it is that Carlos needs to be coached on every f***ing point," wrote one fan.

"Carlos, as much as he is a brilliant player, wouldn't be as good if on court coaching wasn't allowed. He needs that input in matches," another fan wrote.

"Not trying to hate on Carlos but if Ferrero wasn’t barking from his box every minute during his matches, Carlos wouldn’t have achieved half of what he has already achieved… AGAIN, not trying to hate, just stating what I think," a user commented.

"Carlitos with no coaching is no carlitos," one fan tweeted.

Another set of fans criticized Ferrero for constantly trying to dictate Alcaraz's moves on court.

"I am a huge fan of Carlos Alcaraz but I hate Ferrero rumbling all the time," one fan commented.

"I believe Alcaraz would be even better right now if he had just about anybody as a coach other than Ferrero," another fan wrote.

"Can he just lay off the kid? This is ridiculous. Let him play his game," another fan chimed in.

Yet another set of fans reminisced about the days when on-court coaching was not allowed.

One more set of fans wrote that coaching in tennis is only considered a problem when Stefanos Tsitsipas' father Apostolos does it.

"Feels like it’s only a problem when Tsitsipas dad does this," one fan wrote.

"Coaching is only a problem if it's Apostolos," another fan chimed in.

---

Carlos Alcaraz opens up on reasons behind lackluster display during Madrid Open quarterfinal loss

Carlos Alcaraz (L) and Andrey Rublev (R) shake hands at the net after the conclusion of their 2024 Madrid Open quarterfinal

After the match, Carlos Alcaraz opened up to the press on his poor display against Rublev, especially in the second and third sets.

According to the two-time Grand Slam winner, his match against Jan-Lennard Struff in the previous round, which nearly lasted three hours, took a lot out of him. The Spaniard added that he played against Rublev with a cold and also lamented his weak mentality during the contest.

"The long and intense match against Struff took its toll on me because it had been a while since I had competed at that level, and today I woke up with soreness all over my body and my forearm there. I also have a cold," Alcaraz said.

The 20-year-old will be hoping to bounce back quickly and give a good account of himself at the Italian Open, which starts on May 6. The event in Rome is the last big clay court event before the 2024 French Open.