Carlos Alcaraz turned heads when he arrive at Flushing Meadows for his opening clash of the US Open on Monday.
The former champion has not had a hairstyle change since his rise to superstardom began a few years back.
And when the 22-year-old appeared in New York City for a pre-tournament practice session on Saturday, he sported his usual flowing locks.
But just two days later, Alcaraz, one of the best tennis players in the world, debuted a buzz cut ahead of his first-round matchup at the US Open on Monday night.
Alcaraz was first spotted with his new tight trim when warming up hours before his match against American Reilly Opelka.
The Spaniard quickly had company during his warmup, as Rory McIlroy, himself one of the most recognizable athletes in the world, met Alcaraz on the Queens court.
Carlos Alcaraz has debuted a new haircut ahead of his first-round match at the US Open
The former US Open champion was spotted with his flowing locks just two days earlier
McIlroy himself debuted a new haircut in July ahead of the Scottish Open, trading out his normal short curls for a crew cut, which showed more of his grey hairs. Within seconds of the interaction starting between the men, the Northern Irishman pointed out Alcaraz’s hair.
‘Why this?’ McIlroy said, pointing at Alcaraz’s head.
‘Just got a haircut that I struggled with. I mean I had to start fresh,’ Alcaraz responded.
‘Yeah, good. I like it. It’s a good look,’ McIlroy added.
Then both men gushed over each other, with the five-time major winner saying he was a big fan of the 36-year-old McIlroy.
McIlroy continued by saying the duo should golf together sometime, with Alcaraz happy to hear he could get a lesson from one of the best in the world, as he couldn’t recreate his swing.
The Northern Irishman returned the compliment by saying he could not perform Alcaraz’s signature backhand.
Alcaraz is among the favorites to win the men’s singles title at tennis’ final major of the year, as he has appeared in the championship match of the last two, splitting a pair of results with world No 1 Jannik Sinner.
