Tennis icon Carlos Alcaraz shocked his supporters when he debuted a brand new hairstyle ahead of the Indian Wells Open in California. The 22-year-old stepped out to train on Monday and showcased his mullet-style fade as he prepared for the upcoming competition, and later gave fans a closer look in a photo posted to Instagram.
"Replica Luxury Handbag was fun – off to IW!" he shared on the social media platform, alongside a snap of himself winking at the camera with a fresh new fade. His supporters took to the comment section to share their opinion on Carlos' new haircut, with one writing: "Sunshine double with the mullet," while another added: "Looking sharp with the new fade."
Other fans speculated that he had a "wolf cut" or a "warrior cut", while another chimed in: "Did you cut your hair yourself?" and a sixth quipped: "Carlos, you scare me whenever you go near [scissors]."
© InstagramThis is certainly not the first time the Spanish champion has experimented with his hair; in fact, he has sported everything from a buzzcut to bleached blonde locks in recent years. The buzzcut came about ahead of the US Open in August 2025, when his brother had a mishap with the clippers.
During a press conference for the tournament, Carlos said: "My hair was really long already, and for the tournament, I really wanted to get a haircut."
"Suddenly, my brother misunderstood the machine – he just cut it, and then the only way to fix it [was] just shave it off." Just days after winning the competition, he decided to dye the buzzcut bleach blond.
© Getty Images"It's the time to do something different," he told journalists. "I'm not going to experiment [with my hair] when I'm 30 or 35." Carlos has made a celebrity out of his favorite barber, Víctor Martínez, who is located in the athlete's hometown of El Palmar in Southern Spain.
See one of Carlos' career highlights below...
Carlos' haircuts occasionally cause a stir, with some critics sending negative comments his way. "Carlos and I laugh about the bad comments. Carlos keeps coming to me to cut his hair because it's good, because he likes it," Víctor told CNN Sports. "When we're together, we look at the comments, and we laugh."
"At the end of the day, the bad comments are also good because they create publicity," he continued. "It's incredible because people in another part of the world are talking about you and your work. So it makes you happy, it makes you feel good because people know you in many different parts of the world, thanks to Carlos."
© Getty ImagesThe barber added that Carlos was as down-to-earth as they come. "When he arrives at the shop, he's just another guy," he said.
"It's true that I have to give him a bit of privilege. We often work with the doors closed. We try to choose times where no one is going to come to the shop. Often, I go to his house to cut his hair in the comfort of his home. We always try to be just us two in the shop, but there have been many times where it's coincided with another client, so he chats with the other customers in the shop."
