Carlos Alcaraz has left his fans and fellow tennis players stunned after he debuted a new haircut before his US Open first-round match.
Right before beginning the campaign for the sixth Grand Slam of his career, the Spanish tennis star shaved his head, sparking mixed reactions from fans and players.
According to ESPN, the 22-year-old on Monday, August 25, at the Arthur Ashe Stadium to begin his campaign for the last major tournament of the 2025 season against Reily Opelka in a close-cropped buzz cut.
As per Feliciano López, the reigning French Open champion experienced a haircut fail after which he asked his brother Alvaro to rescue him. Alcaraz was reportedly planning to dye his hair blonde.
The Spaniard said, “I got a haircut that didn't turn out very well, and I had to shave it all off.”
In a video shared by the US Open on social media, golf star Rory McIlroy could be seen asking the tennis star about his haircut, to which he replied, “Just got a haircut that I struggled with. I mean, I had to start fresh."
The five-time major winner called the new cut a “good look,” but American tennis star Frances Tiafoe believes that the haircut is “horrible” and “terrible.”
Tiafoe joked, “It's terrible. It's definitely terrible. That's my guy, though. Funny, I looked at him, and I was like, 'I guess you're aerodynamic.'"
Netizens react to Carlos Alcaraz's new haircut:
Alcaraz’s new look quickly went viral on the internet, sparking social media buzz.
An X user wrote, “In the matter of Carlos Alcaraz Garfia vs. his own hair, the court rules guilty. Punishment: life in prison, no parole, no scissors, no mercy.”
“Carlos Alcaraz looks like he'd have 99 shot power on PES 6,” another gushed.
US Tennis Open wrote, “Welcome back, 2000 David Beckham.”
Furthermore, Alcaraz won his first match to face Italian tennis player Mattia Bellucci in the second round on Tuesday, August 26, 2025.
