'Misunderstood the machine and just cut it': Brother to blame for Carlos Alcaraz shaven head

Carlos Alcaraz won in straight sets in his first round US Open match-up against Reilly Opelka, but the media's focus was on his new look haircut in a sort of David Beckham 2009 look for the Spaniard.

The 22-year-old Spaniard had just beaten Reilly Opelka in the first round of the US Open, a match that was far trickier than the score suggested. Opelka’s thunderous serve allowed very little rhythm, leaving Alcaraz scrambling for ways to impose his game. But if there was tension during the match, it didn’t follow him into the interview room. He sat down smiling, ready to talk not just about tennis, but about his rival Jannik Sinner, his admiration for Rory McIlroy, and unexpectedly his brother’s skills, or lack of, with a hair clipper.

The first question was the serious one. Did he feel, by winning his first-round match a day before Sinner’s, that he had put pressure on his Italian rival in the ongoing battle for world number one? Alcaraz’s answer was calm, matter-of-fact. “No, I don’t think I’m putting pressure on him,” he said. “I’m pretty sure he’s just thinking about the first round, trying to win the first round, as much as I did today.” It was classic Alcaraz: grounded, competitive but not obsessed, unwilling to let outside narratives cloud the present.

Then came a softer question, and his eyes lit up. Earlier in the day, he had bumped into Rory McIlroy. For Alcaraz, a lifelong golf enthusiast, it was a moment he won’t forget. “It was such an honour,” he said, leaning back as if reliving it. He confessed to watching the Masters earlier this year on his phone, cheering for McIlroy just hours after lifting the Monte Carlo trophy himself. Meeting him in person, talking for a little while, was, in Alcaraz’s words, “unbelievable.” He spoke warmly about McIlroy’s personality, “a really good guy, really close”, and raved about his golf. “His swing, his golf, it’s just amazing to watch.” It was a reminder that even the best in one sport can still fanboy over the greats in another.

But if McIlroy brought admiration, the next line of questioning brought laughter. Reporters couldn’t ignore the obvious: Alcaraz’s hair was gone. The trademark thick, dark mop had been replaced by a stark, shaved look. What happened? He grinned sheepishly. “My hair was really long already, and before the tournament I just really wanted a haircut. Suddenly my brother misunderstood the machine and just cut it. The only way to fix it was to shave it all off.”

Why let his brother play barber in the first place? Alcaraz laughed again. "New York is too far away, for Victory (Barber). Hair grows back you know."

If he thought the haircut would go unnoticed, he was wrong. Everyone, he admitted, had been talking about it, fans, players, friends. “Some people like it, some people don’t like it. To be honest I'm just laughing." Frances Tiafoe, never one to shy away from a joke, had even called it terrible. Alcaraz’s eyes twinkled as he protested. “Frances is lying. He told me he likes it!”

When a reporter jokingly asked if it affected his game, Alcaraz didn’t miss a beat. “I think it made me faster,” he quipped, before admitting it just felt strange to see himself on the giant video screens with such a different look. “It was super weird for me.”