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Sporting Life

Carlos Alcaraz fires his coach – a silly mistake or an inevitable gamble?

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In seven years coach Juan Carlos Ferrero took Carlos Alcaraz to six Grand Slam titles and the No. 1 ranking.

PHOTO: EPA

Welcome to the planet of tennis divorce. Match-made-in-heaven is the fiction of soppy movies. In the real, unforgiving life of sport, players swear by coaches, make vows to chase greatness together, sing their praises on court after victory and then sack them with a phone call.

An issue of salary? A question of independence? In sport, it’s always the small things. But please don’t get emotional: Like bodies, tennis balls and form, even this has a use-by date.