Carlos Alcaraz’s ‘Tragic’ Makeover Ahead of Wimbledon Doesn’t Sit Right With Tennis Fans

A new era of Carlos Alcaraz’s hairstyle just dropped! Carlos Alcaraz isn’t just known for his lightning-fast strokes and awe-inspiring athleticism. His signature haircut, often likened to a schoolboy’s first-day trim, has become as iconic as his ferocious forehand. By now, that cropped hairdo is as recognizable as the roar of the crowd every time he hits one of those physics-defying shots. But this latest iteration of ‘time for a chop’ seems to have struck a sour note with fans. And it’s not the first time.

Things that are certain in life: “Death, taxes & Carlos Alcaraz’s barber committing crimes before every Slam.” This was a fan’s reaction after the World No.2 unveiled a new haircut just a week before the French Open. To be fair, equating Alcaraz’s trusted barber Victor’s work to “committing crimes” might be taking it a bit too far. Especially since the fade has become Alcaraz’s go-to cut whenever he returns home to Murcia, Spain.

When the Spaniard burst into the scene, he used to sport a crew cut, one that made him look like the teenager he was. But as he’s grown and started finding his own style, it seems like he’s realized that the fade suits him best. But that’s not what his fans think. When Victor posted Carlitos’ cut before Roland Garros, most fans weren’t happy. In fact, some even suggested that – considering his last Grand Slam title came at Wimbledon – the Spaniard wouldn’t win another Slam unless he went back to his ‘caveman’ style.

At the 2023 Wimbledon Championships, the then-20-year-old stopped Novak Djokovic’s unbeaten run at SW19 in a five-set thriller in the final. And during the tournament, Carlos Alcaraz grew his hair out and even had the beginnings of a beard. But proving that claim wrong, the Spaniard won his third Grand Slam title at the French Open last weekend. So maybe the fade cut did work out after all, and perhaps that’s why he has gone with it once again before the grass swing of 2024.

His barber, Victor, shared the French Open champion’s cut on their official Instagram page. “The current Roland-Garros champion 🎾🏆🎾 Thank you very much again for the trust and the visit, bro,” the caption read. Alcaraz looked more than pleased as he posed for a few takes, but much like what happened before the French Open, Carlitos’ fans weren’t as delighted. Contrarily, following Wimbledon last year – when he had the ‘caveman’ look – his followers wanted him to get a trim, and when he sported the fade right before the Hopman Cup, they were all beyond happy that he listened to their pleas.

A video of his post-Wimbledon look went viral, and many took to social media to express how the new cut was a “winner,” suggesting Alcaraz might have been “sitting on a good thing” with the shorter style. But now that he’s stuck to it and does it consistently, it’s become evident that he can’t please everyone. But as long as he likes it – which he seems to – who are we to say otherwise? The World No.2 has already debuted the pre-Wimbledon cut at the Queens Club Championships, enjoying the British summertime during his practice sessions.

However, as he gears up for his title defense in London in a couple of weeks’ time, fans took to X to share their disappointment with Alcaraz’s look. It likely won’t stay for long, but there is no pleasing the sad fans as he sets his sight on the grass swing before. 

Tennis fans believe Carlos Alcaraz needs to look for “the right barber” 

When his barber posted the 21-year-old’s look, fans were taken aback by this massive change from the French Open final. Horrified by the look, one fan asked Carlos what went through his mind before styling his hair the way he did. They wrote, “Carlitos baby wyd (what you doing), Pls come look at this 😭” Ahead of the clay season kickoff at the Monte-Carlo Masters in April, Alcaraz unveiled a similar haircut with a grin on his face. Victor, once again, posted a picture of the World No.2, writing, “Ready to Monte-Carlo @carlitosalcarazz.”

While the idea of changing his barber has been widely entertained, fans came up with suggestions for the right person for the job. Hence, to make his hairstyle meet their expectations, a fan tweeted, “I need him to take the next step and get hooked up with the right barber 😂” Referring to his pre-French Open cut, which had buzzed cuts on the sides, followers made comparisons to life’s certainties.

Walk down any street in Upper Manhattan, and you’ll likely find a barber shop catering to different styles and budgets. From classic fades to trendy cuts, there’s something for everyone. Therefore, a fan begged, “Somebody bring this boy uptown, I beg 😩” However, this wasn’t all. One fan found it so unpleasant that they refused to believe the timeline of the haircut. Seeing as Carlos Alcaraz has reverted to this yet-to-be-trusted hairstyle multiple times in the past, they couldn’t believe the 21-year-old went with it again. “This vid is not from today. I can’t believe I know this.”

After all the bashing, Alcaraz’s new hairstyle found some support from the fandom. Considering he won the French Open after the same cut, an optimistic fan commented, “We have to have a tragic cut before playing again…we don’t want to mess up our juju 🤭 we winning wimby.” Athletes are known to be rather superstitious, which could be why Alcaraz decided to repeat the style. 

Despite expressing disappointment about his hairdo, tennis fans are certainly wishing for Carlos Alcaraz to continue his winning streak by defending his Wimbledon title. What are your thoughts about his new look? Let us know in the comments!