Carlos Alcaraz just showed up at the US Open with a shockingly short haircut. It’s got everyone talking, and not just in the tennis world. Even golf superstar Rory McIlroy had something to say about it. This bold new look is definitely the buzz of the tournament.
McIlroy, who is 36, caught up with Alcaraz, 22, at the practice courts. This happened on Monday, August 25, at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York. The two athletes shared a moment before Alcaraz’s first match. McIlroy actually rubbed Alcaraz’s newly shaven head. He asked the young tennis star simply, “Why?”
Alcaraz quickly explained, “I just got a haircut that went wrong.” He added, “I mean, I had to start all over.” McIlroy, who recently shaved his own head, gave his approval. “I like it,” he said. “It’s fine. It suits him.” McIlroy, a Masters 2025 champion, clearly knows a thing or two about sporting a fresh cut.
Later that day, McIlroy was in the stands at Arthur Ashe Stadium. He watched Alcaraz easily beat American player Reilly Opelka. The scores were 6-4, 7-5, 6-4. After his win, Alcaraz spilled the beans on his eyebrow-raising new hairstyle. He told reporters exactly how the controversial look came to be.
“My hair felt really long,” Alcaraz said. “I really wanted to cut it before the tournament.” Then came the twist. “Suddenly, my brother didn’t know how to use the clippers.” He just cut it, and the only way to fix it was to shave it all off.” Alcaraz seemed to take it in stride. “Honestly, it’s not that bad,” he concluded.
But not everyone agreed with Alcaraz’s laid-back view. American tennis player Frances Tiafoe gave his honest opinion when asked. Tiafoe, 27, spoke to Tennis Channel on Monday. He didn’t hold back. “Yeah, it’s horrible,” Tiafoe stated. “It’s terrible.”
Tiafoe went on. “I don’t know who told him it was okay. I don’t know who told him to do that.” He called it “awful,” especially coming from him. “I cut my hair every week and I’m proud of my good cuts,” Tiafoe explained. “Still, Carlos is my friend. But yeah, he needs to come with me for a proper cut.”
Even with his strong dislike, Tiafoe found some humor in it. He joked that Alcaraz’s shave would make him “more aerodynamic.” Tiafoe also shared a comment from Alcaraz’s coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero. Ferrero claimed the haircut already made Alcaraz better. “[Ferrero] said, ‘Yes, he is even faster than before’,” Tiafoe recalled. “And I thought, ‘Well, that is a problem’.”
Tiafoe also won his first match at the US Open on Monday. He defeated Yoshihito Nishioka with scores of 6-3, 7-6, 6-3. This win sets him up for an all-American clash. He will face Martin Damm Jr. in the second round on Wednesday, August 27. Alcaraz, with his new buzz cut, will play against Italy’s Matteo Bellucci. Their second-round match is also on Wednesday.