Carlos Alcaraz and Andre Agasi (pictures of Vitty) Carlos Alcaraz entered the open 2025 US Open with a shaved head and won his opener against Reilly Opelka 6-4, 7–5, 6–4. Then he explained that the home lining went wrong when his brother flew too much, so he shaved it all. Usually flies their barber for big, but not this time. Frances Tiafoe joked that the appearance was terrible, and Alcaraz laughed. Rory McILroy also asked about a new style during a chat with a light court. In court, the new appearance did not slow down. Alcaraz served the large, returned well and closed in straight sets. The reports of the matches note that he faced the turns of the turns, but they saved them all. He joked that buzzing would even make him feel faster.
Why Alcaraz did it
Carlos Alcaraz from Spain returns a shot by Reilly Opelka from the United States during the first round of the US Open Tennis Championship, Monday, August 25, 2025 in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
The explanation of Alcaraz was simple. A bad cut forced a full shave. Spanish and British reports repeated that his brother managed Clippers and that he briefly considered a different style than to start fresh.
Agassi shaved his head before the Australian Open 1995 and won the title, a shift that coincided with a deeper competitive reset under the coach Brad Gilbert (compulsory credit: Clive Brunskill/Allsport)
Agassi reference: the same conversation, a very different story
The Bald era Andre Agassi was not overnight. There was years of anxiety from hair loss, which was hiding long, stained hair and hairpiece, which he feared that the 1990 French Open would fall. Agassi later wrote that he prayed that the wig would stay during the match. He shaved his head in front of the Australian Open 1995 and won the title, a shift that coincided with a deeper competitive reset under the coach Brad Gilbert. He scored the then girlfriend Brooke Shields with the consulting of this change. The first marketing image that overshadowed him, including the Canon Rebel insurgents built around the “Image line”, makes it all more important.
Then now vs: four quick contrasts
- Trigger: Alcaraz shaved to repair crop. Agassi shaved to end the long, public hair saga.
- Timing and Age: Alcaraz did it at the age of 22 on the eve of a hard court. Agassi went bald in time for January 1995 and won Melbourne.
- Immediate results: Alcaraz passed the first wheel and see if the appearance turns into a happy charm. Agassi’s first bald slash ended the trophies.
- Importance: Alcaraz’s shaving is a viral moment attached to the elite performance. Agassi’s shave symbolized a break from the personality and the beginning of the second act.
Does he have a comparison?
The Hair of Andre Agassi is shaving in front of him in 1995 (compulsory credit: Clive Brunskill/Allsport)
Only partially. The visual rhyme is obvious. The story is not. Alcaraz corrects hairstyle. Agassi deprived the image that defined him. If Alcaraz Stacks wins, Buzz will be mythologized as an entertaining tournament mark. If they fail, it will remain a story of one week. Either way, the hair did not affect the baseline of his game in the first round.
