Carlos Alcaraz has been playing his usual great tennis at this year’s US Open, but he’s looked differently while doing so.
Alcaraz will be looking for his second Grand Slam win of 2025 and second career US Open title when he takes on rival Jannik Sinner in the men’s singles final of the 2025 US Open Sunday afternoon.
Alcaraz, the No. 2 player in the world, is 9-5 all-time against Sinner, the top-ranked men’s singles competitor. This year, the 22-year-old Spaniard beat Sinner in the final at the French, Italian and Cincinnati Opens, while Sinner got the best of Alcaraz in the final at Wimbledon.
“It’s a very special day,” Sinner said about today’s meeting. “It’s a very amazing final again.”
While we’re expecting both players to be at their vintage best this afternoon, anyone tuning in to the match who hasn’t watched any of the US Open to this point might be a little surprised at Alcaraz’s appearance.
When he showed up in Queens for the tournament last month, Alcaraz was sporting his usual longer hair. However, the five-time Grand Slam champion turned up for a practice session sporting a very short buzzcut.
What’s the buzz?
As for why Alcaraz opted to radically change his look, he told reporters it wasn’t done intentionally.
“Quite different I guess,” Alcaraz explained. “I felt like my hair was really long. Before the tournament I just said I really wanted to get a haircut. My brother just misunderstood with the machine. He just cut it and the only way to fix it is just to shave it off. To be honest, it’s not that bad.”
That last sentence is in the eye of the beholder. The new ‘do brought in lots of feedback, and a good portion of it was negative.
Still, it’s been working for Alcaraz on the court, so no harm no foul.
Alcaraz-Sinner renew their rivalry
Today marks the third time these tennis titans have squared off in one of the sport’s major tournaments in the last three months and the fifth time this year overall.
Unfortunately, fans were deprived of one of their classic matches at the Cincinnati Open last month, as Sinner had to retire due to illness in the middle of the first set.
“I’m super, super sorry to disappoint you,” Sinner told the crowd during the trophy presentation. “From yesterday I didn’t feel great. I thought that I would improve during the night but it came up worse. So I tried to come out, trying to make it at least a small match but I couldn’t handle more, so I’m very, very sorry for all of you.”
