Carlos Alcaraz: Jannik Sinner’s rival’s new look is sparking debate among fans. Many are giving it a thumbs-down

Carlos Alcaraz is raring to go ahead of his return to the court. The seven-time Grand Slam champion has posted several videos of himself training at full speed: his wrist injury now seems like a distant memory, and the former world No. 1 can’t wait to return to the court in Cincinnati and then at the US Open to face Jannik Sinner.

But what’s also setting social media ablaze is Carlos Alcaraz’s new look—he’s debuted a new hairstyle, a series of small braids that immediately became the talk of the town. Most of the comments are negative: “I feared the worst, and it happened,” “I think Jannik Sinner will stay number one for a long time,” “Tennis clearly isn’t his priority,” “It’s ridiculous,” “Another episode of ‘tamarreide’,” “He’s not a serious person,” “He looks like an NBA player,” “Can’t he have a normal hairstyle?”, “It’s terrible—it’s not very classy behavior for the sport he represents, but he’ll mature over time,” “What a horror. I hope he gets back together with Ferrero soon. Or with Toni Nadal—but someone needs to take charge of the situation.”

The US Open stage is thus shaping up to be the grand theater for the showdown between Alcaraz and Sinner. The player from Murcia will arrive in New York eager for redemption after months of forced inactivity, while the Italian will aim for his sixth career Grand Slam title after choosing to sacrifice his Masters 1000 record in order to maintain his physical freshness. It’s a showdown that the tennis world is eagerly awaiting after months without competition.

Sinner chose to skip the Montreal Masters 1000 to be in peak form for the US Open, thus giving up on his dream of winning all nine Masters 1000 tournaments in a calendar year.