Arguably one of the biggest stories at Day 2 of the US Open came from outside the hard court. Carlos Alcaraz got a fresh haircut before his first-round match, and the reviews are mixed.
Alcaraz sported his usual haircut during US Open previews as recently as Saturday. But when he arrived at the practice courts on Monday, his full head of hair was missing, replaced with a buzz cut.
The look quickly went viral and caught the attention of golf star Rory McIlroy, who immediately touched Alcaraz's head to feel the cut while visiting with the Spaniard. McIlroy then asked: "Why this?"
"Just got a haircut that I struggled with," Alcaraz explained to McIlroy. "I mean I had to start fresh."
The five-time major winner told Alcaraz that he liked it, calling it a "good look." American tennis star Frances Tiafoe thought otherwise -- and didn't hide his opinion about his close friend's buzz cut.
Tiafoe approached Alcaraz after winning his own first-round match over Yoshihito Nishioka and stared at Alcaraz's look in disbelief. He then called the haircut "horrible."
"It's terrible. It's definitely terrible. That's my guy, though," Tiafoe joked. "Funny, I looked at him, and I was like, 'I guess you're aerodynamic.'"
"I don't know who told him to do that, but it's terrible. From a guy who gets haircuts week in, week out, who prides himself on good haircuts, it's horrendous," Tiafoe added. "But 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."
The No. 2-seeded Alcaraz faces American Reilly Opelka in the first round on Monday, and if Tiafoe's assessment is correct, Alcaraz might be faster than ever on the court.