6 Things to Know About Tennis Superstar Carlos Alcaraz
Carlos Alcaraz Garfia, a prodigious 20-year-old talent hailing from Spain, has taken the tennis world by storm with his exceptional skills and remarkable achievements.
Ranked as world No. 1 in men’s singles by the ATP, Alcaraz boasts twelve ATP Tour-level singles titles, featuring two major championships (2022 US Open, 2023 Wimbledon) and four Masters 1000 titles. His victory at the 2022 US Open made him the youngest male and first teenager in the Open Era to claim the top singles ranking at just 19 years, four months, and six days old.
Now he’s back to defend his title and thrill fans at this year’s U.S. Open, starting Monday, August 28 in Flushing, New York. For full TV schedules, look here.
During 2023, Alcaraz clinched victory over Novak Djokovic in a five-set showdown, halting Djokovic’s impressive 34-match winning streak at Wimbledon and solidifying his hold on the top rank. This remarkable triumph also marked Alcaraz as the second player, following Andy Murray, to overcome Djokovic in a Wimbledon final. Moreover, he etched his name as the first player outside the “Big 4” to secure Wimbledon glory since Lleyton Hewitt’s triumph in 2002.
Here are six things to know about the superstar’s personal life, including info about his parents, love life, tattoos, and more.
How it started… How it’s going 👀 pic.twitter.com/4iVp7EebWa
— Carlos Alcaraz (@carlosalcaraz) July 17, 2023
His Early Life
Born on May 5, 2003, in El Palmar, Spain, Alcaraz grew up in a modest two-floor apartment. The second floor served as his father’s office and space for Alcaraz’s growing collection of sports equipment. He started playing tennis at the age of four at the Real Sociedad Club de Campo de Murcia (Royal Society Murciashire Club), where his father was the tennis academy director.
During his younger years, Alcaraz adorned his wall with a poster of his idol, Roger Federer. He inherited his grandfather’s talent for chess. His grandfather, also named Carlos, taught all his grandchildren chess, contributing to Alcaraz’s tactical thinking during his matches.
Beyond the court, Alcaraz is an ardent supporter of the Real Madrid soccer team. He has even exchanged texts with their player, Vinicius Jnr, and attended live matches. Furthermore, he demonstrates a charitable side, running a foundation to support individuals with Down Syndrome. Notably, he auctioned the tennis shoes he wore when winning the US Open to raise funds for the Assido charity.
Luke Walker/Getty Images for LTA
His Parents
Born to devoted parents Carlos Alcaraz González and Virginia Garfia Escandon, Alcaraz is the second of four sporty boys (Álvaro, Sergio, and Jaime). Virginia, who used to work as a shop assistant at IKEA, and Carlos created a home for their family.
Meanwhile, his father used to run a real estate office. He served as tennis academy director for the Real Sociedad Club de Campo de Murcia and currently manages his son’s accounts.
Tennis runs through the veins of the Alcaraz family across generations. Alcaraz’s grandfather played a pivotal role in transforming a hunting club in their hometown of El Palmar, Spain, into a thriving tennis and swimming facility. Following his own short-lived professional tennis career, Alcaraz’s father has dedicated decades to the same club, serving as its tennis director.
According to The New York Times, Alcaraz González achieved national tennis rankings in Spain during his teens. In 1990, he made his mark on the international scene by securing a global ranking of 963rd globally, per the Association of Tennis Professionals.
His Ex-Girlfriends
The online world has become frenzied, tirelessly seeking every possible detail about the young talent, including his love life.
While Carlos seems to be unattached at the moment, several sources suggest that he maintains an intermittent romantic connection with tennis player Maria Gonzalez Gimenez. They have been spotted together, and the prominent sports figure has even posted pictures capturing their affectionate moments on Instagram, sharing these sweet experiences with his followers. Gimenez is also a tennis player with the Murcia Club de Tenis, located in Spain, the same tennis club Alcaraz plays for. Lastly, the 23-year-old is an aspiring TikToker (aren’t we all?)
According to the magazine Hello!, Alcaraz and pop star Ana Mena were also in a relationship for approximately two months in Spring 2022. During Carlos’s victory at the Madrid Open, the singer was also observed at the event.
His Tattoo
2022 was a year of personal triumph for the rising tennis player, as symbolized by his first and only tattoo, the Three C’s on his wrist.
The ‘Three Cs’—representing “Head” (Cabeza), “Heart” (Corazon), and “Balls” (Cojones) in Spanish—hold great significance for Alcaraz, instilled by his grateful grandfather. This phrase encapsulates the tennis prodigy’s passion, bravery, and mental strength in life and sport.
During the 2022 ATP Masters 1000, the first win of his career, Alcaraz proclaimed, “My grandfather always told me to focus on the Three Cs: head, heart, and balls.
His Net Worth
Carlos Alcaraz’s net worth in 2023 is $14 million. By winning his first major championship in the 2022 U.S. Open, Alcaraz raked in $2.6 million from the tournament alone, according to Forbes. He also won £2.35 million in the 2023 Wimbledon (which roughly translates to $2.9 million.)
His Favorite Movie
In a post-match press conference following a three-set victory over Tommy Paul at the Cincinnati Open, Alcaraz said that he likes to watch Hollywood movie clips to keep himself pumped up, particularly the movie Rocky.
“I was with my team, you know, making jokes. We were talking, Juan Carlos and me, that I have to start very well, very aggressive, you know, really, really focused in the warmup, in the three or four minutes that they gave us to warm up. Of course, helps a lot to watch videos about Rocky that I did, so it helps a lot as well. But you have to realize that it can happen, and, you know, try to be as good as you can.”
It should go without saying, but Rocky is the Sylvester Stallone underdog classic that features a club fighter getting a shot at the heavyweight champ. And, of course, the film that gave us the unofficial athlete’s anthem, “Eye of the Tiger.”
