With the UP Open 2025 underway, Spanish star Carlos Alcaraz stunned the sporting arena with his new buzz-cut, making his almost unrecognisable.
Though a few are supportive of 5-time Grand Slam winner’s new look, his friend Frances Tiafoe has made it clear that he is not a fan.
Last week when Alcaraz landed in New York following his Cincinnati haul for the mixed doubles alongside Emma Raducanu, he had a full head of hair. It also remained the same across his previous two training sessions at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Centre in preparation for the tournament.
But on the day of his first-round match, when he ran into Rory McIlroy during his training, the golf star reached out his hand to rub the scalp’s stubble.
When McIlroy asked, “Why this?”, Alcaraz replied, “Just got a haircut that I struggled with. I mean, I had to start fresh. I like it… It’s good.”
In the meantime, Tiafoe, who had lost to Alcaraz in the US Open semifinal in 2022, said, “It’s horrible. It’s terrible. It’s definitely terrible. That’s my guy, though. Funny, I looked and him, and I was like, ‘I guess you’re aerodynamic.'”
Tiafoe’s critique wasn’t finished there.
“I don’t know who told him to do that, but it’s terrible. From a guy who gets haircuts week in, week out, who prides himself on good haircuts, it’s horrendous. But at the end of the day, it’s Carlos, and that’s my guy,” Tiafoe said.
Carlos in US Open 2025:
The Spaniard, aiming for his sixth career Grand Slam and second in New York, began his campaign gets underway on Monday against Reilly Opelka.
This will be his first singles outing in the Big Apple since the shock second-round exit last year against Botic van de Zandschulp.
This year, the rivalry between Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz has become a major attraction at Grand Slams, as Alcaraz defeated Sinner in the French Open final, while Sinner took revenge at the Wimbledon final.
Experts are expecting a third major final between the two is one of the main storylines at the US Open.
“It’s going to be really difficult playing Opelka for the first time. We all know his game style… I have to be ready for that, have to be focused on the return,” India Today quoted Alcaraz as saying on Saturday.
“Trying to get good rhythm in the match… let’s see. The confidence is high right now.”
