Carlos Alcaraz may have stormed into the second round of the US Open, but it was not just his tennis that caught attention at Flushing Meadows.
The Spanish player revealed a new cropped hairstyle, the result of a haircut gone wrong at the hands of his brother just days before the match.
The second seed looked sharp on court, defeating American Reilly Opelka 6-4, 7-5, 6-4. Yet much of the chatter was about his buzz cut rather than his dominating performance. The Spaniard later unveiled the reason behind the unexpected trim.
“I felt like my hair was really long already, and before the tournament I just really wanted to get a haircut,” the 22-year-old explained. “Suddenly just my brother just — he misunderstood with the machine. He just cut it. Then, the only way to fix it was just to shave it off. To be honest, it’s not that bad, I guess.”
The French Open champion is no stranger to paying close attention to his look. Earlier this year, he even flew his barber Victor Martinez from Spain to Paris to ensure he got a stylish fade cut midway through Roland Garros. But with New York proving too far for a similar luxury, he relied on family assistance — with unintended consequences.
The new hairstyle has drawn mixed reactions from fans and fellow players alike, but Alcaraz has taken the banter in stride. “Some people like it, some people don’t like it,” he said. “To be honest, I’m just laughing about the reaction of the people. It is what it is. I can’t do anything else right now, so I’m just laughing about everything they are saying about my haircut.”
When asked whether the buzz cut made him faster on court, Alcaraz dismissed the idea with a smile, noting his hair grows back quickly anyway. “Every time that I get a haircut, in two or three days it’s gone,” he said. “In three days you’re going to see another hair(style).”
Among those quick to comment on the look was American world number 17 Frances Tiafoe. Known for his own cropped style, Tiafoe jokingly labeled Alcaraz’s haircut “horrendous.” The Spaniard, however, brushed aside the jibe with good humour.
“Frances is lying. Frances is lying,” Alcaraz said with a laugh. “No, come on? He showed up here saying that it is terrible? I know he’s lying. I know he likes the haircut. He likes it. He told me.”
Whether loved or loathed, Alcaraz’s new look has ensured he is grabbing headlines both for his tennis and his off-court style. With the US Open still in its early days, the Spaniard will be hoping that attention soon shifts back to his racquet, where he remains one of the tournament favourites.
