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Carlos Alcaraz’s Brother is Main Culprit Behind His ‘Weird’ Haircut for US Open

Originally posted on FirstSportz | By Gouri Das | Last updated Aug 26, 2025 9:17 AM ET

No, Carlos Alcaraz’s personal hairstylist, Victor Martinez, did not give him the new makeover. The reason behind Alcaraz’s buzzcut, which he himself called “weird,” was his brother, Alvaro Alcaraz.

Alcaraz has been laughing at how people are reacting to his new look. At the press conference after knocking out Reilly Opelka in the first round of the US Open on Monday (August 25), the Spaniard revealed his haircut was a result of an accident, and shaving his head was the only solution.

Quite different, I guess. I felt like my hair was really long already. And before the tournament, I said that I really want to get a haircut. Suddenly, my brother just misunderstood with the machine. He just cut it, and the only way to fix it is just to shave it off. To be honest, it’s not that good… It’s not that bad, I guess.

Alcaraz is right. While Frances Tiafoe and John McEnroe mocked him, the fans on Arthur Ashe Stadium, as well as Maria Sharapova, liked it. It’s not the first time that Alcaraz got a haircut in the midst of a Grand Slam tournament. His barber, Martinez, traveled with him to Paris to give him a fresh look for the French Open this year.

New York is too far away for Victor. I’m not really into hair at all. I’m the guy who thinks like, ‘okay hair grows,’ and in a few days it’s gonna be okay, I guess. It just happened, and that’s it.
Carlos Alcaraz added

Alcaraz will next be locking horns with Italy’s Mattia Bellucci for the first time in his career. A win will pit him against another Italian ace, Luciano Darderi, or America’s Eliot Spizzirri. But the tennis world is eagerly waiting for Alcaraz’s clash with another Italian player.

It’s defending champion Jannik Sinner who will face Vit Kopriva in the first round and is projected to play Alcaraz in the final. Sinner’s No.1 ranking is in danger because if he doesn’t have a better campaign than the five-time Grand Slam champion, he will be dethroned on the rankings table.

Ben Shelton’s dad on what he should learn from Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz

Ben Shelton is another contender for the 2025 US Open title. The American ace reached the semifinal of his home Grand Slam event in 2023, losing the match to eventual champion Novak Djokovic.

It was the first time he reached a Major semifinal, but his second appearance in the last four came in this year at the Australian Open, where once again he was defeated by the eventual champion. It was Jannik Sinner who overcame a shaky start to knock out Shelton in straight sets.

Shelton has won just his first meeting against Sinner so far (at the 2023 Shanghai Masters). In the next six matches, Sinner prevailed, including in their clash at the Australian Open and Wimbledon quarterfinal this year. Against Carlos Alcaraz, Shelton trails 0-3, which included their clash in this year’s Roland Garros fourth round.

Shelton’s dad, Bryan Shelton, is also his coach. Bryan, during the Tennis Insider Club podcast, said he wants his son to learn how to anticipate on the court just like Alcaraz and Sinner.

They read it and they see it. I think Alcaraz and Sinner, and these guys as well, at the top, they see the game, they’re very fast, and they move well, but they also anticipate extremely well.

Shelton breezed past Ignacio Buse in the first round to schedule the second-round clash with Spain’s Pablo Carreno Busta, who knocked out compatriot Pablo Llamas Ruiz in the previous round. Last year in New York, Shelton’s run was ended by fellow American Frances Tiafoe in the third round.

This article first appeared on FirstSportz and was syndicated with permission.

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