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Frances Tiafoe Had Hilariously Honest Take on Carlos Alcaraz's New Haircut

Tiafoe wants to take Alcaraz to his barber.
Blake Silverman|
Frances Tiafoe reacted to Carlos Alcaraz's new haircut after his first-round match at the U.S. Open Monday.
Frances Tiafoe reacted to Carlos Alcaraz's new haircut after his first-round match at the U.S. Open Monday. | Screengrab via the U.S. Open (@usopen) on X/Twitter

Carlos Alcaraz debuted a bold new haircut ahead of his first-round U.S. Open match against Reilly Opelka Monday night.

The Spaniard and ATP world No. 2 buzzed his head, which drew mixed reactions from fans, as well as world No. 17 Frances Tiafoe after he won his own first-round match in straight sets against Yoshihito Nishioka Monday. The American ran into Alcaraz after his match and had extremely wide eyes upon first look in what was a hilarious moment:

Tiafoe was asked about the bold move ahead of the final major of the year and he gave his unfiltered thoughts.

"Yeah, it's horrible," he said to reporters Monday via the U.S. Open. "I mean, it's definitely terrible. That's my guy though. It's funny, I looked at him and I was like, 'I guess you're aerodynamic.' ... I don't know who told him that it's good, I don't know who told him to do that, but it's terrible. From a guy who gets haircuts week in and week out and prides myself on good haircuts, it's horrendous.

"But I mean at the end of the day it's Carlos and that's my guy. But yeah, he needs to get with me. He needs to get with me for sure."

Alcaraz had his own thoughts on the comments, responding to the U.S. Open's post on Instagram:

It's worth noting that a short-haired Alcaraz won the U.S. Open (and even beat Tiafoe in his semifinal match) in 2022, but this is a much more drastic cut. As the second seed, his path to the final begins Monday night under the lights at Arthur Ashe Stadium against American and world No. 67 Opelka.

Last year at Flushing Meadows, Alcaraz suffered a disappointing second-round defeat to Botic van de Zandschulp, who lost to Holger Rune in the first round Monday. At this year's tournament, it appears the Spaniard is doing whatever it takes to make a run back to the final in hopes of his sixth major win.

Fans are hoping for a rematch of the French Open and Wimbledon final between Alcaraz and world No. 1 Jannik Sinner. Alcaraz won an unforgettable final at Roland Garros, while Sinner repaid the favor at the All England Club. Whether he makes a run to the final or not, we'll see a new-look Alcaraz at the U.S. Open.

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Blake Silverman
BLAKE SILVERMAN

Blake Silverman is a writer at Sports Illustrated, primarily covering the NBA and WNBA. Before joining SI in November 2024 as a breaking/trending news writer, he covered the WNBA, NBA, G League and college basketball for numerous sites, including Winsidr, SB Nation and A10Talk. He’s an alum of both Michigan State and St. Bonaventure University, receiving a master’s degree from the Bonnies’ sports journalism program. Outside of work, he’s a husband, father, yogi and fairly mediocre tennis player who’s open to any tips on how to play defense in EA Sports College Football.

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