Carlos Alcaraz walked into his first-round press conference at the 2025 US Open with a surprise that had nothing to do with tennis: a dramatically different haircut that caught everyone off guard. The World No. 2’s fresh look wasn’t the result of a new stylist or pre-tournament makeover, but rather a family mishap that went hilariously wrong.
How Did Carlos Alcaraz’s Brother Create This Unexpected New Look?
The Spaniard entered the 2025 US Open as the No. 2 seed and one of the tournament favorites. In his opening match on August 26, Alcaraz dispatched American Reilly Opelka in straight sets, 6-4, 7-5, 6-4. The 2025 French Open champion arrived in New York fresh off his Cincinnati Open victory, where he clinched the title after Sinner retired at 5-0.
During his round one press conference at the US Open, Alcaraz revealed the amusing story behind his drastically altered appearance. The haircut came courtesy of his brother Alvaro, who made a critical error with the trimming machine.
“Yeah, I felt like my hair was really long already, and before the tournament I just really wanted to get a haircut, and suddenly my brother misunderstood the machine, he just cut it, and then the only way to fix it is just shave it all, and [that’s] why it came this haircut. But to be honest, it’s not that good, it’s not that bad, I guess,” he explained.
When asked why he didn’t seek professional help to fix the situation, Alcaraz’s response showed his laid-back attitude about the whole ordeal.
“I mean, New York is too far away for Victor. It’s just okay, I’m not really into the hair at all. So, I’m the guy who thinks like, okay, the hair grows, and in a few days it’s going to be already okay, I guess. So, it just happened and that’s it.”
Why Does Alcaraz Always Return to His Barber Victor Despite Fan Criticism?
This latest haircut incident continues a pattern that tennis fans have noticed throughout Alcaraz’s career. His regular barber, Victor, has faced ongoing criticism from fans for his pre-tournament styling choices with the five-time Grand Slam champion.
However, Victor Martinez maintains that Alcaraz genuinely enjoys their sessions together, regardless of public opinion.
“Whenever he travels to Murcia, he always visits me at the barbershop. He always comes to get a cut. Sometimes it’s every month, other times, when he’s away longer, it might be two months. But whenever he’s in Murcia, he gets his hair cut,” Martinez said in an interview with Ben Rothenberg in May this year.
Despite the mixed reactions from fans about his appearance, Alcaraz remained completely unbothered by the attention his new look generated. When asked additional questions about the haircut, he dismissed the topic with a simple “that’s it” response, clearly more focused on his tennis than his grooming choices.
The incident perfectly captures Alcaraz’s relaxed personality off the court, who will now face Mattia Bellucci in the second round on August 26.
