Carlos Alcaraz never seems to run out of ideas when it comes to changing his appearance. He has had short, bleached, and shaved hair. So, the pattern suggested that the next experiment would involve his hair again. This time, however, Alcaraz changed things up with facial hair rather than another haircut.
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Alcaraz showed up for practice at the Shanghai Masters on Saturday with a moustache. Fans loved it, and clips from the session quickly made their way onto social media. He was not alone in the experiment either; his brother Alvaro, coach Samuel Lopez and agent Albert Molina all appeared with moustaches too.
The idea appears to have taken shape during the celebrations in Tokyo. According to Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo, as Alcaraz and his team gathered to celebrate his October 6 Japan Open triumph over Jiri Lehecka, physiotherapist Juanjo Moreno shouted, “Moustaches! Moustaches for everyone!”
So what began as a spontaneous suggestion became a team-wide promise, which they carried out days later in Shanghai, ahead of Alcaraz’s opening match against Juan Manuel Cerundolo on October 10. Alcaraz also revealed that the change came as a result of his Tokyo title, his first since February.
“It’s going to stay for the week,” said the Spaniard, per The Independent. “I always wanted to step on the court with a moustache.
“Before Tokyo it was like, ‘All right, if I win the tournament, we all have to have the moustache and play Shanghai with a moustache’. It’s going to be fun, we’re laughing around, just having fun with it.”
The 23-year-old had gotten a buzz cut during last year’s US Open, and then went on to win the title. While that was a result of a mishap as his brother cut too much off, two days after winning that title on 7 September, he dyed his hair platinum blonde. This year, he even tried a hairdo of cornrow braids in early August. He changed it again before the Cincinnati Masters. As the month ended, Alcaraz was describing his haircut as “longer than last year”.
“I just wanted to let it grow and try something different. Right now I like having it a little longer and using the headband when I play. We’ll see how long it lasts,” he added, per Elle.
Every look of his has sparked a lot of discussion, and the moustache brought out the same energy. Some fans saw swagger in the look straight away. “He is looking like the OG tennis gangstaa,” one wrote.
The Queen frontman’s famously bold moustache also gave followers an easy reference point, and plenty of fans were happy to run with it. “Looking like a young Freddie Mercury,” another fan posted.
“This man is so stylish,” a third user wrote. “Looks like Pablo Escobar…” was one fan’s blunt take.
A few users were less convinced and wanted the experiment to end quickly. “Shave that moustache immediately, Carlitos,” one fan joked. Well, nobody knows for how long the moustache is here to stay.
Alcaraz is still in the early weeks of his comeback from a wrist injury that kept him out for about five months. He retained his Japan Open title with a 7-6, 6-4 win over Jiri Lehecka, his first title in eight months, and became the first player to win back-to-back titles in Tokyo since Pete Sampras in 1993 and 1994. Shanghai, though, has been less kind to him. He has competed in the event just twice, and his highest finish has been a quarterfinal in 2024.
He has overcome his first obstacle, Juan Manuel Cerundolo, in straight sets, the player who eliminated Jannik Sinner in the second round of the French Open this year. It was their first meeting on the main tour, with their only previous match coming at the 2021 Next Gen Finals, which Alcaraz had won in four sets. After the win, the second seed signed the camera with a message: “Moustache Team! :)”