After Carlos Alcaraz’s divisive new haircut, Jim Courier proposes Novak Djokovic do the same and ‘race’ against Spaniard after US Open

Carlos Alcaraz’s new haircut at the 2025 US Open has divided opinion, and recently, American former ATP stalwart Jim Courier playfully spoke up about a competition he has envisioned involving the Spaniard and Novak Djokovic. According to Courier, the Serb should get the same haircut and the two rivals should then see whose hair grows faster.

Alcaraz stepped out on to the Arthur Ashe Stadium court for his men’s singles first round match against home hope Reilly Opelka on Monday, August 25, sporting the new haircut, which is an extreme version of the buzz cut. Among fans, the haircut’s reception has been mixed, and among players, Frances Tiafoe has most notably come out criticizing it.

Recently, former No. 1 and four-time singles Major champion Jim Courier laid bare his idea for an off-season competition between Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic. During an appearance on Tennis Channel, Courier said:

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"Here's a competition I'd like to see at some point, maybe an off-season competition. I'd like to see Djokovic and I'd like to see Alcaraz shave their heads just like that, give it a week, see whose hair grows faster. That would be a big race." (from 0:43)

Carlos Alcaraz explained hilarious reality behind divisive haircut at US Open

Following his straight-set victory against Reilly Opelka in the first round of the 2025 US Open, Carlos Alcaraz revealed that he wanted a haircut before kickstarting his men's singles campaign at the hardcourt Major. The Spaniard claimed that Victor Martinez, his usual barber, couldn't make it to New York, and this led to his brother taking up the hair-cutting duties.

Unfortunately, according to Alcaraz, the original haircut his brother gave him was not a good one. Subsequently, the siblings decided the best way to fix the situation was to cut off as much of the World No. 2's hair as possible, resulting in the extreme buzz cut.

"I felt like my hair was really long already, and before the tournament I just really wanted to get a haircut. Suddenly just my brother just – he misunderstood with the machine. He just cut it. Then, the only way to fix it was just to shave it off. To be honest, it’s not that bad, I guess," Alcaraz explained.

The five-time Slam winner isn't likely to be bothered with what people are saying about his haircut as long as he keeps notching up wins at the US Open. His next challenge at Flushing Meadows is a second-round encounter against Mattia Bellucci.

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Sudipto Pati

Sudipto is a Tennis journalist at Sportskeeda holding a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication. He has an experience of 3+ years across the market research, travel, health, lifestyle and sports sectors.

Sudipto has followed Tennis since the early 2000s and stays up-to-date with the sport by following both active and former Tennis players, and seasoned journalists. He also follows ATP and WTA updates, watches documentaries and interviews of professionals, and only reads esteemed publications. He sources all information for his articles only from credible publications stays away from unsubstantiated claims. In just a matter of 3 months, he has gained a readership of almost 2 million at Sportskeeda!

Sudipto admires Rafael Nadal for his fiercely competitive on-court nature and his ability to make memorable comebacks after injury layoffs. The Spaniard may be the GOAT for him, but he also respects the accomplishments of Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer.

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