Carlos Alcaraz's father gets emotional lamenting financial reasons that crushed his tennis dreams

Carlos Alcaraz's father, Carlos Alcaraz Gonzalez, revisited his own unfulfilled tennis dream in the recently-released documentary series that revolves around the mercurial rise of his son in the sport. According to Gonzalez, he is living his dream through 21-year-old Alcaraz, who has already established himself as one of the dominant forces in contemporary men's tennis.

In the second episode of Netflix's Carlos Alcaraz: My Way, Gonzalez cast his mind back to his childhood and how he grew up playing tennis.

"Today, I'm living my dream through Carlos. I grew up in a working-class neighborhood with hardworking people. Tennis was my passion. My dream was to be a professional. I got my first wins on a regional level, then at the national level," Gonzalez said.

However, he went on to recall the financial limitations of his family, which ultimately proved decisive in him veering away from tennis as a profession. Gonzalez also mentioned that for his son Carlos Alcaraz, efforts were made early on to ensure there were enough funds to keep his tennis journey going.

"But my parents didn't have sufficient financial resources, so by the time I was 19 or 20, it was obvious I wasn't going to be a professional player. When Carlos really started to stand out, we looked for financial support because the costs are high," Gonzalez added.

Earlier this year, Alcaraz explained the significant role his father played in nurturing his passion for tennis.

"My father's passion, his life, is tennis" - Carlos Alcaraz

Carlos Alcaraz (Source: Getty)

In the third episode from the second season of Louis Vuitton's Extended, Alcaraz credited his father with teaching him about pursuing and playing tennis passionately. Alcaraz, a former World No. 1 and a four-time Major champion, often wears his heart on his sleeve on the court.

"My father, who used to play tennis when he was young—his passion, his life, is tennis. That's what he taught me. Playing tennis with passion, with love—like it should be my life if I choose. You know, tennis is my life, so do it with passion. I think that's a pretty good lesson that I learned from him," Alcaraz said.

Currently third on the ATP Tour's singles rankings, Alcaraz recently withdrew from the 2025 Madrid Open on the back of two injuries he sustained during this year's Barcelona Open final, which the Spaniard lost to Holger Rune.

Only time will tell if Alcaraz is fit in time for the Italian Open, the next big tournament before the start of the 2025 French Open.