Alycia Parks shares the advice she received from Serena Williams ahead of the Madrid Open
Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images Alycia Parks started her Madrid Open campaign with a strong performance, taking down Elisabetta Cocciaretto in straight sets. It’s another positive result in what’s been a promising start to 2026 for the American. Having already beaten Alexandra Eala, Maria Sakkari and Diana Schnaider this year, Parks has climbed back into the top 100 of the WTA rankings.
She also made it to the round of 16 in Stuttgart and now has a chance to put together another good run on clay in Madrid. While she’s not always felt at home on the surface, she shared some advice she got from Serena Williams that helped her adjust. Serena Williams has passed down clay court wisdom to Alycia Parks Photo by Joe Buglewicz/Getty Images for International Tennis Hall of Fame Parks has spent some time training with Serena Williams in the US, which has only fuelled more speculation about a possible return for the 23-time Grand Slam winner.
During their sessions, Williams passed along some advice on how to handle clay courts, something Parks said she’s been working into her game. Speaking after her win over Cocciaretto, Parks shared: “She told me that you just can’t hit everything flat on clay, so that’s what I’ve learned and what I’m putting into my matches now. “So she’s definitely helping me a lot out there!
It’s coming together. You just have to build the point. I have to tell myself that it’s not going to be serve plus one all the time.
“I just tell myself to relax out there, that it’s not going to be three shots. That’s not how you’re going to play on clay, so that’s what I’ve been working on. ” Parks lost in the first round in Linz but picked up three wins in Stuttgart including those from qualifying matches.