Alycia Parks is gearing up to take Wimbledon by storm! She’s had a mixed season so far. She reached the semifinals at the 2025 ASB Classic—her first WTA semifinal since winning the Lyon title in 2023. However, she faced early exits in several tournaments, including the Australian Open (first round singles and doubles), French Open (second round singles, first round doubles), and events in London, Birmingham, Parma, Rome, Madrid, Rouen, and Bogotá.

It’s been a tough ride for the American. But tennis remains her passion. As she once said, “When I picked up a racket, I always wanted to play professionally, so my parents were like—obviously they saw the potential, and they sacrificed a lot.” She’s certainly not one to give up, and neither is her coach! But who is he?

A look at Alysia’s tennis journey with her father

Parks picked up a tennis racquet at age 7, and by 10, she and her older sister had moved to Florida for better training. Her father, Michael Parks, has been her coach since childhood. After graduating from high school in 2019, Alycia turned down several scholarship offers to chase her pro tennis dreams.

In a Tennis.com Podcast interview, Michael shared a charming story: “They made As and Bs (in school), and so my wife took them to the toy store. And Alycia, of course, it takes her forever to find out what she wants. So when she made good grades, my wife went there and bought tennis racquets.” He added how surprised he was watching her play: “She (Parks’ wife) called me and said, ‘Mike, you gotta see her play tennis.’ I said, ‘These kids can’t play tennis.’ So when I went out there, they were rallying 150 balls back and forth and I was amazed.”

Coaching his daughters wasn’t easy for Michael since he hadn’t played professionally. He sought expert help but found it challenging, so he took matters into his own hands. “I then started looking up certain things with Venus and Serena and trying to learn the technique and things on my own. I started reading at that time, me and wife,” he explained. “When we did that, being an athlete from North Carolina was kinda easy, because there it’s all about technique.” His dedication paid off as Alycia developed into a rising star.

Alycia made her pro debut in 2017 and won her first title at Lyon in 2023, reaching a career-high ranking of No. 40 that year. But the journey hasn’t been smooth. At one point, Michael stepped away from coaching, a move Alycia later admitted “wasn’t the right decision.” Despite the bumps, the Parks family remains tightly knit, fueling Alycia’s passion and progress on the court.

Alycia Parks opens up about her coach

Alycia faced a tough 2024 despite a bright start. She reached the third round of the Australian Open—her best Grand Slam showing—before hitting a brutal 12-match losing streak. Often missing main draws, her season felt like a rollercoaster. She briefly bounced back by winning a WTA 125K title in Angers, but inconsistency kept her from building momentum.

On November 5th, in an interview with CLAY Magazine, Alycia opened up about her struggles: “I’d say it was a bit rocky because I tried to change what was helping me win, which was obviously the wrong decision. I found the wrong answers, so I had to return to the basics and try to get back on my winning streak.” Missing her dad as her coach only made things harder.

She explained, “I did well in Australia 2024 (lost in the third round against Coco Gauff), but then I went on a losing streak—mainly due to distractions. I had to get back to what I was doing before, keeping it simple, going back to my dad for coaching advice, having him closer to me, and things like that.” But he’s not the only one who’s been on her team!

Alycia Parks has worked with some well-known coaches

Alycia has worked with big names like Sascha Bajin, former coach to Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka, and Jérémy Chardy, who coached Ugo Humbert; it seems her father remains her true anchor. Their reunion for the 2025 season has brought renewed hope and focus.

Last year, Chardy made a surprise appearance at the WTA 125 tournament in Angers that week. He was spotted in the box supporting Alycia Parks (world No. 80) during her first-round match. Although the partnership wasn’t officially announced, Alycia’s agent confirmed the Frenchman as her new coach: “She asked me to find her a coach. I offered her several options. Jérémy Chardy was the best, according to Alycia.” Their collaboration showed promise, with Parks advancing to the quarterfinals in Angers.

Before him, Alycia had a “get-to-know-you session” with Jarmere Jenkins in March 2023. Jenkins, known as Serena Williams’ longtime hitting partner, was part of her coaching exploration. But it seemed the Frenchman became the right fit for Parks as she prepared for bigger challenges ahead.

Now, as Wimbledon kicks off, Alycia is set to face former World No. 4 Belinda Bencic in the opening round. Their head-to-head stands at 1-0 in Bencic’s favor after their clash at the 2023 Canadian Open. Will Alycia even the score on this grand stage? Only time will tell. Meanwhile, keep up with every thrilling moment on our minute-by-minute Wimbledon updates!