‘Horrible!’ Carlos Alcaraz's US Open haircut mocked as Tiafoe’s stunned locker-room reaction follows; Spaniard explains

Former champion Carlos Alcaraz showed up on day 2 of the US Open on Monday for his first-round match against Reilly Opelka in Arthur Ashe Stadium with a new look—a shaved head. And it created quite a buzz, with Frances Tiafoe calling it "horrible." The Spaniard later revealed the truth. Carlos Alcaraz's new haircut for US Open

When Alcaraz landed in New York last week after his Cincinnati haul for the mixed doubles alongside Emma Raducanu, he had a full head of hair. And it remained the same across his previous two training sessions at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Centre in preparation for the tournament.

However, 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. McIlroy could not help but ask, "Why this?" The No. 2 seed responded, saying, "Just got a haircut that I struggled with. I mean, I had to start fresh." The 36-year-old added: “I like it... It's good.”

However, Tiafoe, who had lost to Alcaraz in the US Open semifinal in 2022, did not think the haircut was a cut above. In fact, the American had a priceless reaction when he spotted Alcaraz in the locker room on Monday.

"It's horrible. It's terrible. It's definitely terrible. That's my guy, though," Tiafoe said when asked about Alcaraz's haircut. "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," Tiafoe said. “But at the end of the day, it's Carlos, and that's my guy.”

Alcaraz will be aiming to claim his sixth career Grand Slam and second in New York, when his campaign gets underway on Monday. This will be his first singles outing in the Big Apple since the shock second-round exit last year against Botic van de Zandschulp.

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