All about Virginia and Carlos Sr. Alcaraz

Carlos Alcaraz has become a star in professional tennis. His parents are proud to see him achieve his dreams.

The Spanish tennis player was raised in his hometown of El Palmar, Spain by his parents, mother Virginia Gulfia Escandon and father Carlos Alcaraz González. Although he has made headlines in recent years for winning multiple championships, the Alcaraz family has been a tennis family for generations. His grandfather helped turn a hunting club in his 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.

“I think sports runs in my family,” Alcaraz told The New York Times in September 2021 about his family’s tennis history. “We’ve all been playing since we were little.”

Alcaraz has experienced a meteoric rise in the tennis world and credits his success to those around him, including his family.

In July 2023, he told Tennis Channel International, “My family, my friends, (people) are good people.” “For me, that’s really, really important. Like I said, I owe my success in tennis to the people around me.”

Here’s everything you need to know about Carlos Alcaraz’s parents.

His father was also a professional tennis player.

Alcaraz told Vogue in February 2023 that she was born with “tennis in her blood,” thanks to her father, Alcaraz González.

As a teenager, Alcaraz González was Spain’s top-ranked tennis player, according to the New York Times. He rose to the world rankings in 1990, ranking 963rd in the world, according to the Association of Tennis Professionals.

However, while Alcaraz’s career was just beginning, his father stopped playing professionally because he could no longer afford to continue playing professionally.

His father was the tennis director of a local club founded by Alcaraz’s grandfather.

According to the New York Times, Alcaraz’s grandfather (also known as Carlos) built a tennis court and swimming pool in the Spanish village of El Palmar about 40 years ago. The pair decided to introduce red clay courts into the development (although hard courts were cheaper) and the club became known for having the best clay courts in the area.

Alcaraz González has been appointed as the club’s tennis director after giving up his professional career, Vogue reported. Alcaraz first picked up a racket at the age of four and trained with clubs as a child.

“I loved tennis from the beginning,” Alcaraz told Sports Illustrated in September 2022. “So the first time my dad brought me a racket and I played tennis for the first time, I fell in love.”

Kiko Navarro, one of Alcaraz’s early coaches, noticed his talent at an early age at the club El Palmar.

“He started playing with his father and one day[his father]asked me to watch him. This kid was four or five years old and was great,” Navarro told the Guardian in May 2023. “I knew from an early age that he was great.”

His mother used to work at IKEA

According to Vogue, Alcaraz’s mother, Virginia, worked as a clerk at IKEA.

She has also appeared in some of Alcaraz’s biggest competitions. When Alcaraz won in the semifinals at Wimbledon in 2023, she was seen celebrating in the stands with Alcaraz’s father and brother.

After winning the 2023 Madrid Open, Alcaraz wrote a sweet message to the camera for his mother: “Por ti, mama” (or “For you, mama”). He explained his message in an on-court interview after the win. The match was on the same weekend as Mother’s Day in Spain.

“I wasn’t able to buy her a present, so I hope she was happy to hear that,” Alcaraz said. “I’m going to give her a really big hug after that… She always supports me at home. For me, it’s really nice to see her here and enjoy her support.”

He sent a shout out to his parents at the French Open

Alcaraz defeated Alexander Zverev at 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 great that you’re here supporting me,” Alcaraz said. “I’ve said it many times before, since I was a kid I would run from school and turn on the TV to watch this tournament on TV, and now I’m holding the trophy in front of you all.”

Alcaraz family appears in Netflix documentary series

Netflix’s three-part documentary Carlos Alcaraz: My Way premiered in April 2025. The show gave fans an intimate look into the tennis star’s modest lifestyle, revealing that he still lives at home with his parents in Spain and sleeps in a twin-sized bed adorned with 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.