Carlos Alcaraz has admitted that his shocking new haircut wasn’t exactly planned; it was the result of a little mishap with his brother’s clippers.
The Spanish tennis sensation sported the bold new look after his 6-4, 7-5, 6-4 first-round victory over American giant Reilly Opelka on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The 22-year-old, who has never lost his opening match at a Grand Slam, hopes there won’t be any more close shaves when he faces Italy’s Mattia Bellucci in the second round.
Before the match, Alcaraz had chopped off all his thick black locks, unveiling a daring haircut that didn’t sit well with his friend Frances Tiafoe, who called it “horrible.”
Golf superstar Rory McIlroy, however, seems to be a fan of the skinhead style, spending a second day in a row at Flushing Meadows.
Carlos Alcaraz makes haircut confession
Alcaraz, who is in contention to overtake Jannik Sinner as world No.1 this fortnight, revealed that the haircut happened by accident in the absence of his regular Spain-based barber, Victor Martínez.
“I felt like my hair was really long already, and before the tournament I just really wanted to get a haircut,” Alcaraz explained, as quoted by the Sun.
“Suddenly, just my brother… he misunderstood with the machine. He just cut it. Then, you know, the only way to fix it is to shave it off. It’s just what he did, this haircut.”
“To be honest, it’s not that bad. I needed a fresh look. New York is too far away for Victor. I’m not really into hair at all. Hair grows, and in a few days it’s going to be okay, I guess. Some people like it. Some people don’t like it. To be honest, I’m just laughing about the reaction of the people. It is what it is. So I can’t do anything else right now. I’m just laughing about everything that they are talking about my haircut.”
“When I saw myself on the screen with the haircut, I mean it was super white. So it’s like weird for me to see myself that white in the hair. Frances is lying. He showed up here saying that it’s terrible. I know he likes the haircut. He likes it. He told me.”
The French Open champion celebrated his win against Opelka, which concluded just minutes before midnight, with a playful golf swing, albeit using his tennis racquet.
Who is Carlos Alcaraz’s next opponent?
Having already won five grand slams at 22, the current French Open champion returns to the site of his maiden grand slam, will take on Italy’s Mattia Bellucci in the second round of the singles tournament.
According to Sporting News, the match is scheduled to start at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, August 27, at the Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York.