Carlos Alcaraz surprised fans when he showed up at the US Open this week with a shaved head. Now we know how he ended up with that look — and here’s the kicker: it was not premeditated.
The Spaniard, who is the No. 2 seed in the men’s singles tournament, beat Reilly Opelka 6-4, 7-5, 6-4 in their first-round match at Flushing Meadows in New York on Monday night. He was asked by the media after the match about his hair.
Alcaraz explained that his brother was giving him a haircut, messed up, and the only way to fix it was to buzz it all off.
“I felt like my hair was really long already. Before the tournament, I just really wanted to get a haircut. Suddenly, my brother misunderstood with the machine. He just cut it, and the only way to fix it was to shave it off. … To be honest, it’s not that bad, I guess,” Alcaraz said.
Alcaraz was asked what happened to his usual barber — Victor — and said that New York was too far for him to travel, which left his brother to conduct the haircut. Alcaraz isn’t too worried about how things turned out.
“I’m not really into the hair at all. I’m the guy who thinks like, ‘the hair grows.’ In a few days, it’s going to be OK I guess. It just happened, and that’s it.”
Alcaraz: “My brother misunderstood with the machine he cut it & the only way to fix it is to shave it off. tbh it’s not that good its not that bad I guess.”
— alcaraz archive (@alcarchive) August 26, 2025
im the guy who thinks like, ‘ok hair grows’ & in a few days it’s gonna be okay.”
oh Carlos you’re a better person than me pic.twitter.com/FsGkOY7AYP
Alcaraz has been roasted over his haircut, but he is not bothered. Either that, or he has no idea what the public reaction really has been like.
The 22-year-old has won five career majors and is hoping to capture the US Open for the second time in his career. Novak Djokovic, Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton are among the higher-seeded players in his half of the draw.
