The match took place on the court where Alcaraz trained with Ben Shelton, who is now the coach of American Ferrero. Alcaraz approached Ferrero and the team members standing near the net, shared a few warm, smiling seconds with them, then returned to his bag.
“I want to give him a big hug”
Alcaraz did not hide what he was waiting for. “I’m not going to lie, it’s going to be a bit weird,” he said in Turin. “I really want to see him here, talk to him, say hello and, above all, hug him. I think he’s going to do great things with Ben.”
Ferrero had said the same. “I want to see him and be able to have a quiet chat with him and the whole team,” he said. according to Eurosport.
The reunion closes, at least publicly, a chapter that has preoccupied the Spanish press all fall. Ferrero reopened the split in an interview with El Mundo, admitting he “wasn’t too strict” before confirming he would coach Shelton, whom Alcaraz beat in the Paris Masters final this month.