Carlos Alcaraz’s Look Goes Viral, and Jannik Sinner’s Fans Issue a Challenge

Not a spectacular shot or a headline-grabbing victory, but a mustache. Carlos Alcaraz has gone viral in the last few hours thanks to the new look he sported in Shanghai during his second-round match, which he won in two sets against Juan Manuel Cerundolo: a choice that immediately caught fans’ attention and sparked hundreds of comments on social media.

The Murcia-born champion himself revealed the reason behind this curious transformation after his match against the Argentine. “It’s a bet; it’ll last for this week,” Alcaraz explained. “I liked the idea of stepping onto the court with this mustache, so I told my staff, ‘If I win in Tokyo, I’ll do it.’ And it happened.” The result is a decidedly vintage look that surprised even many of his own supporters. Amid jokes, memes, and photo montages, Alcaraz’s mustache quickly became one of the most talked-about topics among tennis fans.

Jannik Sinner’s numerous fans also found it particularly amusing. Social media was flooded with lighthearted messages directed at the friend-and-rival of the star player from Sesto Pusteria, with several users issuing another challenge, urging him not to shave off the mustache until his next match against Sinner.

That possibility, however, might not arise until 2027. After a 2025 season packed with head-to-head matches (six in all, all in finals), the two have faced off only once this year—in the Monte Carlo final, which Sinner won 7-6(5), 6-3. This lighthearted challenge to Alcaraz reflects Sinner’s fans’ desire to see the two face off on the court again, with the hope that the physical issues that plagued both players in 2026 are now definitively behind them.