Juan Carlos Ferrero has indicated that a coaching comeback may be near, although he is not saying which player will be the beneficiary.

The former French Open champion split from Carlos Alcaraz last December, ending a partnership that lasted seven years and produced six Grand Slam titles. Ferrero later made clear that he would have preferred to keep working with the 23-year-old, whom he once called his “fourth child”.

In 2026, Samuel Lopez has been Alcaraz’s main coach. The season has already brought major highs and lengthy disruption, with Alcaraz completing the career Grand Slam in Australia before a wrist injury kept him out for more than four months.

Ferrero had already said in June that he would be open to coaching world No 1 Jannik Sinner one day. Now he appears set to return to the tour, but the identity of the player involved is still being kept private.

Speaking about life away from the circuit, Ferrero said he has enjoyed time with family and expects to be back in a coaching box at some stage. He told Movistar+, “ This year I’m very calm, enjoying my family and preparing for what’s coming next year. I think I’m going to return to the tennis circuit, but I can’t say with whom.”

That has naturally led to speculation. Rafael Jodar has been mentioned, with the young Spaniard currently coached by his father, Rafael Jodar Senior. Alex de Minaur is another name in the conversation after a difficult 2026, though he still works with Adolfo Gutierrez. Daniil Medvedev also made a recent coaching change, beginning a trial with Andrey Golubev in mid-August. Félix Auger-Aliassime, meanwhile, has not yet named a replacement for Frédéric Fontang.

Ferrero also revisited his time with Alcaraz, saying they have not spoken much since the split. He admitted he would alter some methods in hindsight, but not the overall approach. “In hindsight, I’d change a few small things, but not the essence. I imposed tough training and discipline on Carlos right from the start. I pushed him to the limit many times. I kept him grounded. That’s my way of doing things, and the work paid off.

“We don’t talk much. I wrote to him when he won in Australia and in Doha. I spoke to him when he got injured. Nothing more. We both needed space to start over.”

Jannik Sinner remains the official world No 1 despite missing the US Open, but Alexander Zverev has narrowed the gap in the closing stretch of the 2026 season after his New York title.

Sinner’s injury absence has allowed Zverev to chip away at a lead that once looked substantial. The German’s US Open triumph is the latest result to alter the shape of the men’s rankings race, even if the official ATP list still reflects a 52-week system rather than current form.

That is where the ATP Race offers a different view. Built around results from this calendar year, it also decides qualification for the ATP Finals in Turin. In that year-to-date picture, Zverev has moved ahead of Sinner and now stands as No 1.

His season has been underlined by a semi-final appearance at the Australian Open, a place in the Wimbledon final, and victories at the French Open and US Open. Those results have made him the standout performer in 2026 by the race standings.

Ben Shelton’s run to the US Open final has lifted him to No 3 in the ATP Race, with Carlos Alcaraz at No 4 and Flavio Cobolli at No 5.

The UTR Rating presents another variation of the men’s game, and it is not flattering for Novak Djokovic. After his first-round exit at the US Open, he sits at No 15 in that system. He is No 12 in both the ATP Rankings and ATP Race.

UTR MEN’S RATING
1. Jannik Sinner
2. Carlos Alcaraz
3. Alexander Zverev
4. Arthur Fils
5. Rafael Jodar
6. Ben Shelton
7. Taylor Fritz
8. Felix Auger-Aliassime
9. Frances Tiafoe
10. Sebastian Korda

In the women’s game, Elena Rybakina has climbed to world No 1 after beating Aryna Sabalenka in the US Open final, and she also leads the WTA Race for 2026. She is more than 1,000 points clear of Sabalenka in the year-to-date standings.

Rybakina also heads the UTR list, where Sabalenka has dropped to No 6. Alex Eala leads that ranking, with Coco Gauff second and Elina Svitolina third. Eala is listed at No 15, three places higher than her official WTA ranking.

UTR WOMEN’S RATING
1. Elena Rybakina
2. Coco Gauff
3. Elina Svitolina
4. Iga Swiatek
5. Marta Kostyuk
6. Aryna Sabalenka1
7. Mirra Andreeva
8. Linda Noskova
9. Karolina Muchova1
10. Jessica Pegula

In tennis, footwear can shape everything from balance to confidence, and ASICS continues to sit at the forefront of that conversation.

The brand has spent years establishing itself as a leader in the trainer battle, with more and more players choosing its shoes for match play. That presence is reinforced by some of the sport’s biggest names. Novak Djokovic, Taylor Fritz and Jack Draper may be aligned with other clothing companies, but they still step onto court in ASICS shoes when it matters most.

Djokovic’s long-running success in his custom-made ASICS footwear has become a major reference point for the brand. Speaking at an event Tennis365 attended at Wimbledon, he outlined how much work goes into getting every detail right.

“I spend a lot of time with the designers saying what we want until we get the perfect shoe,” said Djokovic.

He added further detail about the process behind his trusted setup:

“We went back and forward and I know I was not easy on the ASICS guys because there was more than a few times that I came up with different models and I didn’t like the small details.

“Everything matters about how you feel on a tennis court. Rackets and shoes are the two most important things we have on a tennis court and I’m really pleased with what we have come up with.

“Speaking to other players who are also using this shoe, they say it is the best they have played in so I am grateful to Rene and the team for being patient and getting us to this point.”

Rene Zandbergen, Senior Manager CPS Footwear and Innovation at ASICS Europe, described the challenge of turning player demands into practical solutions.

“What I always find really interesting is the passion and the desire they all have to get the best shoe when they go onto the court,” said Zandbergen.

The latest ASICS collections were also showcased for the US Open, with Lorenzo Musetti and Arthur Fery among those wearing the brand’s clothes and trainers. In the women’s game, Belinda Bencic and Jasmine Paolini are brand ambassadors.

Taylor Fritz wore the ASICS ‘Night Energy’ collection in New York and praised the support it gave him during night sessions.

Sporting footwear has increasingly become a technical craft, and ASICS remains one of the clearest examples of that shift.