Tennis demands sacrifice, often stealing precious moments players might otherwise spend with loved ones, and when loss strikes, the grind feels heavier. Earlier this year, Iga Swiatek endured such heartbreak, competing at the 2025 Madrid Open while mourning her grandfather, a loss confirmed by her PR manager, Daria Sulgostowska, who revealed she had attended the funeral just before the tournament began. Now, tragedy has touched the sport again, this time for rising American star Alycia Parks. As she dives into the unforgiving Cincinnati Open grind, she does so carrying the weight of personal grief alongside the demands of elite competition.

Just hours ago, 24-year-old American tennis ace Alycia Parks took to her Instagram stories to share heartbreaking news: the passing of her grandmother. In a raw and emotional message, she wrote, “I love you. R.I.P grandma when I hear ppl saying enjoy every moment I understand never would’ve thought it would’ve been this soon.” The words carried the weight of sudden loss, a poignant reminder of how fleeting time can be. 

For Parks, the moment was not just a farewell, but a deeply personal reckoning with love, memory, and the cruel alacrity with which life can change forever.

The hard-court swing in North America has been unforgiving. After a R16 exit in Prague, the American’s form took a dip, testing her grit and patience.

In Montreal, she fell in the opening round to compatriot Caty McNally, a loss that stung. Cincinnati offered a chance at redemption, yet fate repeated itself — another first-round exit, this time in a bruising three-set battle against Barbora Krejcikova. The Czech now holds a 2-0 edge in their growing rivalry.

Now, with the US Open on the horizon, the mission sharpens. She must dig deep, summon every ounce of fight, and carry her country’s pride into the cauldron of New York’s grandest stage. The road is hard, but the fire still burns.

Alycia Parks opens up about rehiring her father

Alycia Parks began last season with the kind of start every player dreams about. The 23-year-old surged into the third round of the Australian Open, her best Grand Slam performance to date. But the high didn’t last. Almost overnight, her momentum crumbled, and she found herself spiraling into a brutal losing streak. In just four months, she endured 12 consecutive defeats, often falling in the qualifying rounds before even tasting the main draw. It was a nightmare stretch, and each loss seemed to drag her deeper into doubt.

But Parks is no stranger to clawing her way out of the dark. Before her ranking could tumble out of the top 100, she dug deep, reset, and struck gold at the WTA 125K in Angers, an indoor tournament she had conquered before. That victory marked her third title of the season, following triumphs in Gaiba and Warsaw. The season wasn’t entirely lost, but the question lingered like a shadow: what had gone wrong during those punishing months?

She didn’t dodge the answer. Speaking to CLAY Magazine on November 5th, 2024, Parks admitted, “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.” It was more than just a tactical misstep; it was the absence of something, or rather, someone.

Her sister, Mikayla, had long been away from the court, but her father had always been her anchor. He wasn’t just a coach; he was the voice she trusted since childhood, the compass that kept her game on course. Without him in her corner, she felt adrift. “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,” she revealed.

Now, with her father back by her side, the fire is rekindled. The partnership isn’t just about comfort, it’s a return to her roots, where instinct and discipline merge. Parks knows the formula that works for her, and she’s not straying again.