The champion of Roland Garros 2025 and new star of Spanish tennis, Carlos Alcaraz, resides in the Valencian Community. Specifically, he does so for large periods of the year at the facilities of the Ferrero Tennis Academy (formerly Equelite), where both he and Pablo Carreño train with their team of personal trainers, including Juan Carlos Ferrero, former world No. 1.
Alcaraz, originally from El Palmar, Murcia, moved to the academy in 2019. In its early days, and until after the pandemic (including the period of confinement by COVID-19), he stayed in one of the academy’s hotel-style rooms, of approximately 25 m² and wooden construction.
These rooms are part of the ten or so units that make up the residence for younger players, as can be seen in this report from El País.
This is Alcaraz’s current 90m2 house at the academy.
However, after his entry into the top 100, Alcaraz’s residence changed. It now occupies a prefabricated apartment of about 90 m², with two bathrooms, living room-kitchen and a guest room, as confirmed to this medium by the academy itself. This space, larger and more comfortable, is located in the same area as the hotel-type rooms.
Curiously, this apartment was initially built for Juan Carlos Ferrero to live in during his professional career. Like Alcaraz, Ferrero resided in a smaller area of the academy in his early days, even sharing a room.
When he reached professionalism, it was felt that he needed a more comfortable space for rest and recuperation from travel.
After his retirement from the circuit, Juan Carlos Ferrero built a much larger house on another piece of land at the academy, where he currently resides with his family.
The apartment he vacated became used by families who came to train and by other professional players. Before Alcaraz, tennis players such as Guillermo García López, Nicolás Almagro and Pablo Carreño also lived in this same house.
This modular apartment offers all the comforts and privacy needed to recover from intense training sessions.
Where is the Ferrero Tennis Academy
Although the Alcaraz residence has all the comforts, it is not over-the-top luxury. The sports center’s own facilities, covering 120,000 m², are the real highlight.
There are 25 tennis courts, a complete gymnasium, restaurant, swimming pool, study room, school and large green areas. In recognition of its most illustrious student, the central hard court has been renamed “Carlos Alcaraz”.
The Juan Carlos Ferrero Tennis Academy was founded in 1990 by Antonio Martínez Cascales, Ferrero’s coach during his ATP career. It is located on the outskirts of Villena, in Paraje Casas de Menor, 44, just 5 minutes from the city and a 30-minute drive from the beach and Alicante airport, making it a strategically located venue for high-level training.