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NEED TO KNOW
Carlos Alcaraz was raised by his parents, mom Virginia Garfia Escandon and dad Carlos Alcaraz González, in Spain
The tennis star has said his family has "sport in our blood," as his dad was also a professional athlete
He gave his parents a shout-out during his French Open victory speech in June 2024
Carlos Alcarazhas become a star in the professional tennis world — and his parents are proud to watch him live out his dreams.
The Spanish tennis player was raised by his parents, mom Virginia Garfia Escandon and dad Carlos Alcaraz González, in his hometown of El Palmar, Spain. While he's made headlines in recent years securing multiple championships, the Alcaraz clan has been a tennis family for generations: His grandfather helped convert a hunting club in their hometown of El Palmar, Spain, into a tennis and swimming club, and his father has been the tennis director there for decades after his own brief professional career.
"In my family, I think we have the sport in our blood," Alcaraz toldThe New York Timesin September 2021 about his family's history with tennis. "We all played from the time we were young."
As Alcaraz has experienced his meteoric rise in the tennis world, he credits his success to those around him — including his family.
"My family, my friends are nice [people]," he toldTennis Channel Internationalin July 2023. "For me, it's really, really important. As I said, doing great in tennis because of the people that I have around."
Here's everything to know about Carlos Alcaraz's parents.
His father was also a professional tennis player
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Alcaraz toldVoguein February 2023 that he was born "with tennis in my blood" — and that is thanks to his father, Alcaraz González.
According toThe New York Times, Alcaraz González was a nationally-ranked tennis player in Spain as a teenager. He broke into the global standings in 1990 when he was ranked 963rd in the world, per theAssociation of Tennis Professionals.
But while Alcaraz's career is just getting started, his father stopped playing professionally when he couldn't afford to continue.
His father was the tennis director at their local club — which was built by Alcaraz's grandfather
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About four decades ago, Alcaraz's grandfather (who is also named Carlos) built tennis courts and a swimming pool in the village of El Palmar in Spain, according toTheNew York Times. The duo decided to put red clay courts in the development (though hardcourts would have been cheaper), and the club became known for having the best clay courts in the region.
Alcaraz González became the tennis director at the club after giving up his professional career,Voguereported. Alcaraz picked up his first racket at the age of 4 and trained at the club as a child.
"I loved tennis since the beginning," Alcaraz toldSports Illustratedin September 2022. "I mean my father brought me my first racket and the first time that I played tennis I fell in love."
One of Alcaraz's early coaches, Kiko Navarro, spotted his talent from a young age at the club in El Palmar.
"He began to play with his dad, and one day [his father] asked me to watch him. This kid, at four, five years old, was spectacular," Navarro toldThe Guardianin May 2023. "I knew from very young that he was incredible."
His mother previously worked at IKEA
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According toVogue, Alcaraz's mother, Virginia, worked as a shop assistant at IKEA.
She's also made appearances at some of Alcaraz's biggest competitions. She was seencelebrating in the standswhen he won the semifinals at Wimbledon in 2023, alongside Alcaraz's father and younger brother.
After winning the 2023 Madrid Open, Alcaraz wrote a sweet message for his mother on the camera: "Por ti, Mama" (or "For you, Mom"). He explained his message in an on-court interview following the winning match — which fell on the same weekend as Mother's Day in Spain.
"I couldn't buy a gift for her, so I hope she enjoyed the words," Alcaraz said. "I'm gonna give her a really big hug after ... She's always supporting me at home. For me it's really nice to see her here and enjoying her support."
He gave his parents a shout-out at the French Open
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Alcaraz defeatedAlexander Zverevat the French Open in June 2024. During his victory speech, he paid tribute to his parents who were sitting in the audience.
"For me, it's amazing to have you here supporting me," Alcaraz said. "Since I was a little kid, as I said many times, I was running from school to put the TV on to watch this tournament on the TV, now I am lifting the trophy in front of all of you."
Alcaraz's family appeared in his Netflix docuseries
Carlos Alcaraz/Instagram
Carlos Alcaraz: My Way, a three-episode docuseries forNetflix, premiered in April 2025. The show gave fans an intimate look at the tennis star's modest lifestyle, revealing that he still lives at home with his parents in Spain and sleeps in a twin-size bed next to a display of his many trophies.
Cameras captured several sweet moments between Alcaraz and his family, including meals cooked by his mother.
"There's no food like my mother's anywhere in the world. That's for sure," he said as Virginia laughed.
Read the original article onPeople
