"I'm not into hair at all" - Carlos Alcaraz shows no worry about 'weird' new haircut at US Open, shrugs off people laughing about it

Carlos Alcaraz explained to Ben Rothenberg that he doesn't really bother about his hair since it grows back. This conversation stemmed from the Spaniard catching global attention for the buzz cut his brother accidentally gave him in his barber's absence at the 2025 US Open.

Alcaraz, the World No. 2 and a heavy favorite to win the New York Major, is one of the faces of tennis, with brands spending millions on the Spaniard’s likeness and image. His decision to get rid of his hair while being in the top 5 of the rankings seemed bizarre to some.

Journalist and insider Ben Rothenberg was curious why Alcaraz’s brother was cutting his hair, given that the job is usually done by Víctor. The Spaniard explained that the distance was too much for his barber to travel and added that he doesn’t worry much about his hair anyway.

"Yeah. It's just-OK, I'm not really into the hair at all. So I'm the guy who thinks, OK, the hair grows, and in a few days it's going to be already OK, I guess. So it just happened, and that's it." (via Jose Morgado on X)

Carlos Alcaraz played Reilly Opelka in the opening round, trouncing him in straight sets 6-4, 7-5, 6-4. He will next face Italian Mattia Bellucci on August 27.

Carlos Alcaraz revealed how people reacted to his haircut and also made him feel while playing

Alcaraz at the HSBC Championships - Day Seven - (Source: Getty)

Carlos Alcaraz hasn't had many style slips during his career. At the 2022 US Open, he sported a similar short hairstyle, but it didn't attract as much media focus. In a press conference at the US Open, the 22-year-old shared that he has been taking people's reactions lightheartedly now that he can't do anything about it.

"I mean, since I just show the people my haircut, I didn't see anything else in talking about my haircut. Some people like it. Some people don't like it. To be honest, I'm just laughing about the reaction of the people. It is what it is. So I can't do anything else right now, so I'm just laughing about everything that they are talking about my haircut," he said. (via The Tennis Letter on X)

The five-time Grand Slam champion also admitted feeling weird to see himself in the buzz cut on the screen.

The last time Alcaraz played the US Open with short hair, he won the title. He’ll now look to add another laurel to his résumé.

About the author

Agnijeeta is a US Olympics journalist at Sportskeeda. She holds a Master’s degree in English and has worked as a school teacher, a blogger, a content writer and a sports writer over the past 5 years. A lover of high-adrenaline track and field events, she was also a sprinter during her school days.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone happens to be her favorite Olympian, and the athlete’s feat of breaking four records within 13 months inspires her, apart from the American's body language on and off the track. Grant Hackett swimming with a partially dysfunctional lung and winning gold in Athens is her all-time favorite Olympic moment.

Agnijeeta believes that deriving of unique angles from podcasts and interviews carried out by Olympics.com, along with hype-building of potential Olympic events on social media can help fill the coverage gap during the off season.

When not at her work desk, Agnijeeta likes to sing and paint. She also plays string instruments like guitar and ukulele and is an avid player of word puzzles.

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Edited by Luke Koshi