Carlos Alcaraz 'won't do it again' as star sparks frenzy at US Open

When Carlos Alcaraz stepped onto the US Open practice courts ahead of his opening match last Monday, he broke the internet. At least, the tennis corner of the internet. The world No. 2 was sporting a brand new buzzcut, his dark hair completely shaved off.

It became a major talking point. From Jannik Sinner to Emma Raducanu, players were asked to give their verdict on Alcaraz's new look. Even retired former champion Andy Murray weighed in from afar. But Alcaraz's usual barber, Victor Martinez, has now had his say, suggesting the Spaniard would never get a buzzcut again.

Fans have become familiar with Martinez's work. He documents Alcaraz's visits to the barber shop on his Victor Barber Instagram account, and he's even flown out to tournaments like Roland Garros to cut the five-time Major winner's hair.

But it wasn't Martinez who was responsible for Alcaraz's latest look. Instead, it was Alcaraz's brother, Alvaro.

"Suddenly, just my brother just - he misunderstood with the machine. He just cut it. Then, you know, the only way to fix it is just shave it off," the No. 2 seed said after his first-round match.

Martinez has now spoken out on the hairdo that's sparked a frenzy in Flushing Meadows, and he told CNN Sports that it was a little "strange".

The barber explained: "I asked Carlos about what had happened, and he told me the culprit was his brother Alvaro. I have to speak to Alvaro about what he has done!"

One of the first players to see Alcaraz's new look was Frances Tiafoe, who later told reporters that it was "terrible", though he joked that it would make the Spaniard even faster on the court.

Martinez added: "I've seen the video and I laughed because I said the same thing, 'Now, he's going to be faster!'"

Alcaraz's hair has already grown considerably since his brother shaved it off a little over a week ago. But his barber doesn't think he'll go back to the buzzcut in future. "He's not going to do this again!" he quipped.

When Martinez is the one cutting his hair, the five-time Major winner usually opts for a fade, leaving it longer on the top. But Alcaraz's hair grows longer than most, and last week, he jokingly admitted it "angered" him.

"Yeah, yeah, absolutely. Every time that I get haircut, in two or three days it's gone. Yeah, I feeling angry sometimes, because I just feel like I cannot enjoy my haircut that much time," he smiled.

"I think it is not a bad thing truly. It's just, yeah, in three days you're going to see another hair."

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