Spanish tennis star Carlos Alcaraz is making waves for his new haircut, and he even drew praise from the fans during his practice session at Indian Wells. The Spaniard, who remains unbeaten in 2026, enters the season’s first Masters 1000 event in red-hot form.
Carlos Alcaraz Garners Praise From Spectators Over New Look at Indian Wells
Carlos Alcaraz has already secured two titles this season, the Australian Open and the Qatar Open, and, as noted earlier, he appears in commanding form as he targets a third crown at the Indian Wells Masters.
Before shifting his focus to the Sunshine Double, the world No. 1 enjoyed a brief break in Murcia and recently shared a photo dump from his time there on Instagram. However, beyond the snapshots from his downtime, his fresh taper fade haircut also drew attention.
Moreover, he was even complimented for it during his recent practice session at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. While keeping his towel by the court, Alcaraz heard a fan saying, ‘I like the new haircut Carlos.’ Alcaraz responded, ‘You like it?’ The fan subsequently responded, “Yeah, I like it, it’s good.”
The world No. 1’s candid reaction was later captured in a clip that quickly made waves online.
never seen someone get so flustered over a group of grown men complimenting a haircut until i saw carlos alcaraz pic.twitter.com/wQWuRgul7A
— ✦ (@lecdoll) March 2, 2026
Despite entering as a strong favorite, Alcaraz will need to navigate a stacked draw featuring the likes of Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev, Taylor Fritz, and Ben Shelton.
However, the 22-year-old returns to the BNP Paribas Open with strong credentials, having lifted the trophy in 2023 and 2024, and will look to lean on that experience during its 2026 edition.
A Look at Alcaraz’s Recent Performances Ahead Indian Wells Campaign
Carlos Alcaraz has been consistent in 2026 after winning a whopping eight tour titles, including two Majors last season.
At the Australian Open, he overcame Yannick Hanfmann, Corentin Moutet, and Tommy Paul before eliminating Alex de Minaur in the quarterfinals to move closer to the title.
Alcaraz then edged past Alexander Zverev in a grueling five-set semifinal before defeating Novak Djokovic in four sets to secure the crown.
MORE: Carlos Alcaraz Unveils New Hairstyle As He Wraps Up Relaxing Break Before Heading to Indian Wells
The 22-year-old carried his momentum into the Qatar Open and produced another commanding run. He got past Arthur Rinderknech, Valentin Royer, and Karen Khachanov before seeing off Andrey Rublev in the semifinals to book his place in the final.
France’s Arthur Fils offered little resistance as he went down 2-6, 1-6 to the Spaniard, who sealed his second title of the season.
Alcaraz received a direct entry into the second round of the BNP Paribas Open on the virtue of being the top seed. He will face the winner of Grigor Dimitrov and Terence Atmane in the second round.
