NEW YORK: Carlos Alcaraz has revealed his new cropped hairstyle at the US Open resulted from his brother mishandling clippers during a pre-tournament trim.
The buzz cut became a major talking point at Flushing Meadows during the championship’s second day.
“I felt like my hair was really long already, and before the tournament I just really wanted to get a haircut,“ the 22-year-old told reporters.
“Suddenly just my brother just — he misunderstood with the machine.”
Alcaraz explained that the only solution was to shave it all off after the accidental cut.
“To be honest, it’s not that bad, I guess,“ he added.
The second-seeded Spaniard comfortably defeated Reilly Opelka 6-4 7-5 6-4 to advance to the second round despite the hair mishap.
Alcaraz had previously flown his barber Victor Martinez from Spain to Paris during the French Open for a fashionable fade cut.
He noted that New York was too distant for a similar emergency intervention this time.
The new style has generated divided opinions among fans and fellow players.
“Some people like it, some people don’t like it,“ he said.
“To be honest, I’m just laughing about the reaction of the people.”
American world number 17 Frances Tiafoe described Alcaraz’s new haircut as “horrendous” despite sporting a similar style himself.
“Frances is lying. Frances is lying,“ laughed Alcaraz in response.
“I know he’s lying. I know he likes the haircut. He likes it. He told me.”
Alcaraz remains amused by the attention his accidental buzz cut has received throughout the tournament.
“It is what it is. I can’t do anything else right now, so I’m just laughing about everything they are saying about my haircut.”
He remains uncertain whether his streamlined style improves his on-court speed.
“Every time that I get a haircut, in two or three days it’s gone,“ Alcaraz noted.
“In three days you’re going to see another hair(style).” – Reuters