Ben Shelton has hired Carlos Alcaraz’s former coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero.

The former world number one will join Shelton’s team for the 2027 season, as the American looks to challenge the likes of Alcaraz for the biggest titles in tennis, including Grand Slams.

Many have praised Shelton for hiring Ferrero, but what must they work on ahead of next year? Serena Williams’ coach, Rennae Stubbs, has now identified the area of Shelton’s game that Ferrero must focus on improving.

Rennae Stubbs tells Juan Carlos Ferrero to work on Ben Shelton’s backhand slice

How do you think Ben Shelton will perform next season after hiring Juan Carlos Ferrero? 💭

Will he win a Grand Slam title? 🏆

“I do think it’s a great add. I think whenever you bring someone on to your team that has won Grand Slams not only as a player but as a coach, that is a really good way for you to learn how to do that with a bit of help.

“Ben has been in a final now and has had that experience, but winning one is a whole different story. So I think this is a terrific add. It will be interesting to see how he works with Bryan and how much is he going to travel going forward. We will see how it goes. But it’s a great hire.”

Ben Shelton’s record in finals (7-3)

Stubbs continued, outlining further areas of Shelton’s game that must be improved for him to challenge the very best players in men’s tennis.

“Point structure and shot selection is probably the number one thing. But you also have to realise that the backhand is much weaker, so how do I get the ball more on my forehand and what shots should I play to get it on the forehand more? What do I need to do on my weaker side to be able to manipulate a point to get the ball back on my forehand? I think that’s something Juan Carlos will figure out for him a bit easier. He will work him really hard to be able to do that,” she said.

“I also think where to serve. Juan Carlos never had a big serve. Carlos didn’t have a massive serve. [Alexander] Zverev did have a pretty big serve, but it was also a bit unpredictable at times, he would double fault and went through a period of time not serving well.”

Finally, Stubbs commented on the discipline that Ferrero will bring to Shelton’s team. The Spaniard is known for keeping his pupils in check, and reportedly grew frustrated with Alexander Zverev’s work ethic during their time together.

“The easiest thing is just work ethic and being able to practice how you want to play. Juan Carlos will be so disciplined with him not doing dumb s—- in practice, that will transfer straight away into match play,” she said.

“You will see the discipline factor will definitely be a part of this. Because as much as his Dad was probably very militant as well, it was about practice and he understands the importance of how you practice is how you play.

“But Juan Carlos is not going to let him get away with anything on the practice court, whereas you can with your Dad. You can be like, ‘Dad, I don’t want to hear it today’. If you say that to Juan Carlos, he will say, ‘I don’t need this job, goodbye’.”

Juan Carlos Ferrero said Alexander Zverev had a lack of respect for his team members

“They have too many distractions off the court. Phone calls, social networks, friends who suddenly appear; I watch them fooling around on Instagram and not thinking about tennis as it was in our time,” said Ferrero (translated from Spanish).

“[Alexander] Zverev was, for example, three hours on the court, but he could not perform quality training for an hour and a half. At the time, we collided due to his lack of punctuality and lack of respect for the team members.”

If Shelton displays any of those same traits or behaviours, his relationship with Ferrero could deteriorate fast. Only time will tell how they will fare together, but it will certainly be interesting to see.