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Carlos Alcaraz’s bold new haircut has caused a stir at the 2025 US Open, and John McEnroe and Maria Sharapova have weighed in.

The Spanish star surprised observers by appearing for a practice session at Flushing Meadows on Monday with a buzz cut.

The five-time Grand Slam champion’s new style drew further attention later that day as he opened his US Open campaign with an impressive 6-4, 7-5, 6-4 win over Reilly Opelka.

Alcaraz has explained he was forced to go for a very short shave due to his brother Alvaro making a mistake when cutting his hair in New York.

The 22-year-old has previously flown in his barber Victor Martinez for haircuts during tournaments in Europe.

While the role was handed to Alcaraz’s brother this time, McEnroe suggested the world No 2 should have visited a barber in New York.

“First of all his haircut… did he get the buzz cut from his hair stylist in Spain? He brought him in at Wimbledon,” the seven-time major singles champion told ESPN.

“I’m wondering, because you can get that for 20 bucks in the city.”

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Sharapova, who was with McEnroe in the commentary box, could not look past Alcaraz’s new style when asked about the Spaniard’s rise in the sport.

“I haven’t gotten to the tennis. I’m still stuck at the buzz cut. It’s so low maintenance. And he just did it. That’s a good effort,” said the five-time Grand Slam winner.

“I’d be so superstitious. But that’s what you have to love about him is just his ability to be so free and so confident and have this particular aura about him that transcends the game.”

In his press conference, Alcaraz was asked about the response he has had to his haircut.

“I mean, since I just show the people my haircut, I didn’t see anything else in talking about my haircut,” said the 2022 US Open champion.

“Some people like it. Some people don’t like it. To be honest, I’m just laughing about the reaction of the people.

“It is what it is. So I can’t do anything else right now, so I’m just laughing about everything that they are talking about my haircut.”

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The post What John McEnroe and Maria Sharapova said about Carlos Alcaraz’s new US Open haircut appeared first on Tennis365.

Coco Gauff’s US Open campaign gets underway on Tuesday night, and the build-up to her round-one match has been dominated by one huge talking point.

It was confirmed last week that Gauff had split with coach Matt Daly after an 11-month partnership, the pair parting ways with just a week until the final major tournament of 2025.

Changing coaches just days before a Grand Slam is not a move that many would even consider, but past coaching alterations have worked for the 21-year-old in the past.

And, with new coach Gavin MacMillan having previously fixed Aryna Sabalenka’s serving struggles, she may have found the right person to banish her own service woes once and for all.

Gauff’s partnership with Daly, which began after the US Open last year, should ultimately be considered a success.

The American won her second Grand Slam singles title at the French Open this spring, and triumphed at the China Open and WTA Finals at the tail end of 2024.

However, when you dig further into her service numbers, the reason for Gauff’s sudden decision becomes more than clear.

Alarming statistics

No woman served more double faults than Gauff on the WTA Tour last year, and the American looks set to top that unfortunate list once again in 2025.

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The American has hit a staggering 320 double faults in 2025, heading into the start of her US Open campaign, an average of 6.8 double faults across her 47 matches so far this season.

While that may not sound too alarming on paper, it stands out significantly across the rest of the WTA field.

Gauff has served 95 more double faults than Alycia Parks (225), who sits in second place in the double fault standings this season.

In third place, Ekaterina Alexandrova (215) is 105 behind, with Jelena Ostapenko (211) 109 double faults behind in fourth.

In contrast to Gauff, world No 1 Sabalenka has served just 122 double faults across 61 matches this year, an average of just two double faults per match.

Meanwhile, world No 2 Iga Swiatek has served 175 double faults ahead of action in New York, an average of 2.87 per match this season.

Sabalenka has an impressive 217 aces compared to her 122 double faults, while Swiatek’s 180 aces are just ahead of her 175 double faults.

However, Gauff has served only 138 aces this year, giving her a -182 differential in aces to double faults this season.

Compared to her two main rivals, Gauff’s first serve and first serve points win percentage are pretty level at the top of the game.

The American has landed 60% of first serves in play this season, and has won 69.5% of those points.

Sabalenka has a 62.4% first-serve percentage for 2025, and her 68% of points won is slightly less than Gauff, with Swiatek holding a 62% first-serve percentage and a 69.3% points won record for 2025.

However, while she is narrowly ahead of both Sabalenka and Swiatek in terms of first serve points won, her second-serve stats are alarming.

The world No 3 has won just 42.7% points on her second serve in 2025, compared to 50.5% for Sabalenka and 50.3% for Swiatek.

Gauff has also held in 68.7% of her service games, which puts her considerably behind Sabalenka on 76.6% and Swiatek on an impressive 78.1%.

The fact that Gauff has been able to win as much as she has in recent months and remain high in the WTA Rankings is a testament to how strong other areas in her game are.

However, there can be no denying that a huge improvement is needed in regards to serving, with this proving an obvious weakness in her game.

If the 21-year-old can fix her service struggles, you would think she could achieve even greater success than she already has.

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Frances Tiafoe called it “horrible”, but Carlos Alcaraz has explained that he was forced to shave his hair off following a misunderstanding with his barber brother.

A day before his first-round match at the 2025 US Open, Alcaraz had his usual long hair with a stubble beard, but then on the morning of his clash against Reilly Opelka, he arrived with a fresh cut at the practice grounds at Flushing Meadows.

It set the tongues wagging on social media while a video of Tiafoe and Alcaraz joking in the locker room gym also made the roundsd on the internet.

After his win over Yoshito Nishioka, the American was asked about the Spaniard’s haircut and replied: “Yeah, it’s horrible. It’s terrible.

“I mean, it’s definitely terrible. He’s my guy though. It’s funny. I looked at him and I was like, I guess you’re aerodynamic.

“[Alcaraz’s coach] Juan Carlos “Mosquito” was laughing. He was like, ‘Yeah, he’s faster than he already was.’ I was like, ‘Well, that’s a problem.’

“Yeah, I don’t know who told him that it’s good. I don’t know who told him to do that, but it’s terrible. From a guy who gets haircuts week in, week out, and prides myself on good haircuts, it’s horrendous.

“At the end of the day, it’s Carlos, and that’s my guy. But yeah, he needs to get with me. He needs to get with me for sure.”

Alcaraz went on to win his match against Opelka as he claimed a 6-4, 7-5, 6-4 victory for his 19th consecutive first-round win at Grand Slams, joining greats Bjorn Borg and Rafael Nadal on the list of players to start their major careers with a 19-0 record.

But after the match, all the focus was on Alcaraz’s haircut and he was asked about Tiafoe’s comments and said: “Frances is lying. No, come on. Yeah, I saw the video. He showed up here saying that it is terrible.

“I know he’s lying. I know he likes the haircut. He likes it. He told me. So no, not hear anything about coming from his mouth.”

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But he then went on to explain exactly what went wrong as his brother Alvaro got things horribly wrong.

“Quite different I guess. I felt like my hair was really long already,” the five-time Grand Slam winner said. “And before the tournament I said that I really want to get a haircut.

“Suddenly my brother just misunderstood with the machine. He just cut it and the only way to fix it is just to shave it off. To be honest it’s not that good… it’s not that bad I guess.”

Alcaraz has in the past flown in his barter Victor Martinez – who goes as “Victor Barber” on social media – for tournaments in Europe, but it wasn’t possible for the tournament in the United States.

“New York is too far away for Victor. I’m not really into hair at all. I’m the guy who thinks like, ‘okay hair grows,’ and in a few days it’s gonna be okay I guess. It just happened and that’s it.”

The post Carlos Alcaraz explains reason for ‘horrible’ haircut after making it 19-0 in Grand Slam first-round matches appeared first on Tennis365.

Jack Draper has arrived at the US Open looking fit and hungry after his grass court season fell flat and he has revealed he has been hitting the gym with relish as he aims to lift a first Grand Slam title.

Draper has enjoyed a fine 2025, after winning his first Masters 1000 title at Indian Wells in March and storming into the top five of the ATP Rankings.

Now he is targeting ending the domination of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz at the top of the men’s game, with his appetite for hard work building as he sets his sights on the biggest prizes in the game.

Draper’s new clothing deal with Vuori has seen him wearing sleeveless shirts since his arrival at Flushing Meadows, with his bulging arm muscles in evidence during his run to the semi-finals of the revamped mixed doubles event alongside America’s Jessica Pegula.

The British No 1 has struggled with his physical conditioning on court at the start of his career, especially in hot conditions and it seems he is doing all he can to address that issue.

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“I have worked incredibly hard to improve my physicality on the court,” said Draper told the BBC.

“I think part of it is my genetics and growing into a bit more of a man’s body. I think that took me a long time.”

“I’ve been leaving no stone unturned. I’ve been doing a lot of leg strength, a lot of cardio work and a lot of versa-climber.

“Ultimately, I’m doing stuff where you’re shocking your body all the time and working it as hard as possible to get the best gains.

“I have started to really enjoy improving in the [gym] aspect.

“Before I didn’t really want to push myself. I didn’t really want to feel strong almost, but I feel great in myself now and I understand the benefits it has on the match court and on these big stages, as well.”

Draper told Tennis365 last year that he is keen to mount a sustained challenge to world No 1 Sinner and his big rival Alcaraz, yet he has come up short in that daunting mission as the dominant players in the men’s game have shared the last seven Grand Slam titles between them.

Now Draper has reiterated his eagerness to take on Sinner and Alcaraz, as the No 5 seed suggested the time has come to end their run of success.

“I don’t want to feel like we are just letting them win titles,” he added. “I want to keep going after them, keep on improving, and hopefully soon be competing with them.

“I feel good. I love being here in New York. In these tournaments, I’m never thinking at the start of the week what I’m going to be doing at the end of the tournament.

“I’m just focusing match by match. Obviousl,y I play on Monday, haven’t played for a while, so I’m looking forward to just ultimately getting out there for my first round, competing hard and then go from there.”

The post Jack Draper opens up on his body transformation after revealing fitness secrets appeared first on Tennis365.

Emma Raducanu has opened up on the information she is has been given by new coach Francisco Roig, after getting her US Open campaign off to a flying start.

The British No 1 was in clinical form on Louis Armstrong Stadium as she beat Japanese qualifier Ena Shibahara 6-1 6-2.

She then sat down with Sky Sports to assess the impact made by her latest coach Francisco Roig, who has been part of her team since he time with Mark Petchey came to an end after Wimbledon.

Rafael Nadal’s former coach Roig was vocal and animated as he watched her win against Shibahara and Raducanu gave a positive update on the early phase of their partnership, as he suggest the message that has really hit a chord is the suggestion that she does not need to play perfect tennis in every match.

“I’m really enjoying working with Francis. He’s a great person to have on and off the court,” Raducanu told Sky Sports Tennis.

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“He is chatty and great fun off the court, we have a lot of laughs which definitely helps. He’s great at having that calm and composure about him, reassuring me that all the work we’re doing off the court doesn’t need to pay off straight away but I know we are working towards something and building day by day.

“I can be pretty tough on myself sometimes. He just helps a lot with trying not to be such a perfectionist.”

“I think the biggest milestones are I put a lot of trust in what I’m doing with Francisco on the practice court,” said Raducanu.

“I think we’re just working really well, doing the right stuff on the practice court, and I just feel like I’m improving. To take confidence from what I’m doing behind the scenes and not just because I have won these matches on the tour. I’m doing a lot day to day. It’s going well, and I’m enjoying it.

“I’m enjoying getting better, and the process of feeling like at the end of the day I’m satisfied I got a little bit better, and just repeating it. I think that’s probably the biggest success and reason to why I feel the way I do right now.”

She was also asked about the words of encouragement provided by Roig, as she insisted it is hard to hear too much when she is in the heat of battle.

“I really don’t hear much at all. It’s really difficult unless you’re at the box and you’re speaking very close and looking, it’s so hard to hear,” she added.

“I probably don’t take in much of what he’s saying, but I think, when I feel like I really need it, then I will go and look and will understand.

“But for the most part, especially when you’re in a match like Sunday, I felt like I had most things kind of under control on my side of the court. I just want to stay in my zone and keep going with what I’m doing.”

The post Emma Raducanu reveals big message given to her by new coach Francisco Roig appeared first on Tennis365.

Benjamin Bonzi’s coach admits he would “prefer not to talk” about Daniil Medvedev’s behaviour after their hugely controversial US Open clash.

After beating former world No 1 Medvedev in the opening round of Wimbledon, Bonzi again saw off the Russian in US Open round one action on Monday.

However, the manner of the world No 51’s 6-3, 7-5, 6-7(5), 0-6, 6-4 triumph was anything but straightforward, and loaded with controversy.

Serving for the match and holding a match point in the third set, Bonzi missed a first serve, only for a photographer to then enter the court in an attempt to leave the match.

Umpire Greg Allensworth ruled that the disruption was significant enough to allow Bonzi to have his first serve back, drawing the ire of 2021 US Open champion Medvedev.

A six-minute delay saw Medvedev and Allensworth clash, with the former world No 1 riling up the crowd to the point where some were booing Bonzi when play eventually resumed.

The incident looked as if it had completely turned the tide of the match, with Medvedev saving a match point and breaking Bonzi, before winning the third-set breaker and running away with the fourth set.

However, the match took a stunning final turn late on, with Bonzi rallying from a break down in the final set to seal an extraordinary victory.

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After his third straight round-one defeat at a Grand Slam, Medvedev obliterated his racket by smashing it into the side of his chair, and took a notable amount of time to leave the court.

The controversy was the most talked-about incident of the opening day in New York, and drew a strong reaction from Bonzi’s coach, doubles great Nicolas Mahut.

Speaking to L’Equipe, the five-time Grand Slam champion and former world No 1 slammed Medvedev, and compared the Russian’s behaviour to Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.

“It’s an incredible incident,” said Mahut. “In any case, incidents like that always happen in very important moments.

“I think the referee didn’t necessarily handle the situation well and I prefer not to talk about Daniil’s behaviour in the heat of the moment, because I don’t want to say things that I might regret, but I can’t imagine Alcaraz or Sinner acting like that for a second.”

While Medvedev finds himself reckoning with his latest Grand Slam early exit, holding a 1-4 record at majors this year, Bonzi finds himself in the second round of a major for the third time in 2025.

Speaking in the aftermath of the dramatic match, the 29-year-old admitted it had been difficult to remain focused.

“I never experienced something like that I don’t know. Maybe we waited five minutes before the match point,” said the Frenchman.

“Then it was so difficult to play. So noisy. All the time during the points, between the points… it was a very wild atmosphere.

“I tried to stay calm, stay in the match. It was not easy. At the end, I gave all my heart on the court and I have the win today.”

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Emma Raducanu has been handed a huge US Open boost, after No 24 seed Veronika Kudermetova was beaten in a major first-round shock at the season-ending Grand Slam.

Raducanu was due to face Kudermetova after she beat Ena Shibahara 6-1, 6-2 in a polished opening-round performance at Flushing Meadows, but there was a big shock as Janice Tjen beat her seeded rival 6-4, 4-6, 6-4.

The British No 1 would have fancied her chances of beating Kudermetova after she got the better of the 28-year-old Russian on a clay court in Rome last May.

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Now she will be a strong favourite to get through against Tjen, who became the first Indonesian player since Angelique Widjaja at the 2004 US Open to play in a Grand Slam as she came through qualifying.

Now she has won her maiden main draw match in a major, with her joyous reaction to the victory highlighting what a significant moment this was for the 23-year-old, who is currently sitting at a career-high No 149 in the WTA Rankings, having started the year at No 411.

Tjen is a trailblazer in women’s tennis in Indonesia, with her exploits on the WTA Tour creating waves back in her homeland.

Her qualifying success at the US Open resulted in plenty of media coverage and that is now set to go to the next level when she takes on Raducanu on what is likely to be one of the show courts at Flushing Meadows.

Tjen has won an impressive 13 titles on the ITF World Tennis Tour over the last couple of years, making her one of the more prolific performers on the circuit that provides a stage for players ranked outside the top 50 of the WTA Tour.

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Making the step up to play an in-form Raducanu will be a major challenge for Tjen, with former British No 1 Tim Henman suggesting the performance of the 2021 US Open champion was flawless in her win against Shibahara.

“If you were going to write that script before you go out for the first round of a Grand Slam of how you want that match to go, that was ideal,” Henman told Sky Sports.

“There were a few tight games that Raducanu was able to come through.

“She stamped her authority so well at the beginning of the first and second set. She gave her opponent no time to settle in. Raducanu was a class apart.

“A Sunday start is not easy, so the nerves would have been there but Raducanu dealt with it extremely well.”

Raducanu will now have at least one day off and will play her second round match against Tjen on Wednesday.

The post Who is Emma Raducanu’s next opponent? Meet qualifier who secured a shock US Open win appeared first on Tennis365.

Novak Djokovic secured a straight-set first-round win over Learner Tien at the US Open to extend his Arthur Ashe record, but he was the first to admit that there were a lot of question marks over his performance.

Making his 19th main draw appearance at Flushing Meadows, Djokovic was quick out of the blocks before he started to struggle and then eventually found his rhythm again to wrap up a 6-1, 7-6 (7-3), 6-2 victory over the American.

In the process, he recorded his 80th win on the famous Arthur Ashe Stadium – the most by a man – with former rivals Roger Federer second on 77 and Rafael Nadal on 64, respectively.

But Djokovic acknowledged that it was a messy performance as he received a second time violation during the second-set tie-breaker, resulting in him losing his first serve, and he went on to lose the point after his second serve.

His first time violation came early in the match and he had an argument with the chair umpire asking, “Did you really have to do that?”

At the end of the set, he required treatment and revealed after the match that he wasn’t quite sure what was wrong.

“Well, I started great. Just over 20 minutes, first set, I felt really good. Then some long games to start the second set, and then I start to feel really – I don’t know why. I really was surprised how bad I was feeling in the second physically,” the 24-time Grand Slam winner said.

“Yeah, we had long exchanges, but also, I kind of dropped my level and made a lot of unforced errors and kind of got him back into the match. I’m glad that I kind of reset myself after second set. And the third one was – the third set was okay to finish up the match.

“There are positive aspects, but also things I hope don’t happen, like, for example, how I felt physically in the second set. I hope that doesn’t happen again, because then my life on the court will be much more difficult.”

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Despite the hiccups, he is safely into the second round with a record-extending 75th consecutive Grand Slam first-round win in his 80th Grand Slam appearance.

He will continue his campaign for a fifth US Open trophy in the second round against another American after Zachary Svajda defeated fellow qualifier Zsombor Piros earlier in the day, 6-4, 6-2, 7-5.

Aged 38, Djokovic is happy to have a longer recovery period as he needs to put in some extra work on the court following his decision to skip both the Canadian Open and Cincinnati Open ahead of the season-ending Grand Slam.

“Luckily, I have two days off, but yes, it’s a bit concerning. I don’t know,” he said. “I don’t have any injury or anything. It was just very hard for me to stay in long rallies and recover after points.

“In my case, I haven’t played an official match in six weeks. In crucial moments, I simply put one more ball in the court than he did.”

The post Novak Djokovic ‘surprised’ after physical struggles, time warning and unforced errors during US Open win appeared first on Tennis365.

A rampant Emma Raducanu finally ended her four-year wait for a match win at the US Open with a convincing opening-round win at Flushing Meadows.

World No 35 Raducanu faced little trouble against qualifier Ena Shibahara in the opening match of the tournament on Court Louis Armstrong, breezing towards a 6-1, 6-2 victory.

Raducanu had not won a match in New York since her stunning 2021 triumph at the tournament, becoming the first qualifier to ever win a Grand Slam title.

The Brit was beaten by Alize Cornet in the opening round in 2022, making her just the fourth defending US Open champion to lose in round one, and was absent due to injury in 2023.

She then fell to fellow Grand Slam champion Sofia Kenin in 2024, though was handed a golden chance to end her disappointing run against world No 130 Shibahara on Sunday.

The Japanese had come through qualifying to reach the main draw and had made the second round at this event in 2024, though she struggled to settle from the outset.

Raducanu took advantage of her opponent’s shaky start and faced little trouble in racing to a 5-0 lead, eventually closing out the opener in just 26 minutes after Shibahara held to avoid a bagel set.

She quickly moved into a 4-0 lead in the second set and overcame a late surge from her opponent to prevail in just 62 minutes, becoming the first match winner of this year’s US Open.

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“Of course, I’m very, very pleased to have won that match,” said Raducanu. “It’s my first win here since 2021, so it’s extra special.

“First rounds are always difficult, especially at a Slam, there are nerves, and I’m just so happy with the way I came through that.

“Playing Ena, she’s really tricky, she hit so many balls on the baseline that I was not expecting to just dip. She obviously came through qualifying, and it’s always you know, you [a qualifier]feel like you have a bit of an advantage, you’re playing on the surface and know what it feels like.

“I’m just very pleased with how I managed myself, managed my game through that match.”

Ranked 35th in the world heading into the tournament, Raducanu just missed out on a seeding in the main draw.

However, with limited points to defend in New York this summer, as well as the rest of the season, the 22-year-old is well-placed to crack the top 30 by the end of the season.

The Brit is provisionally up to world No 33 in the live rankings after her opening-round win, though most of her ranking rivals are still yet to take to court for their opening matches in New York.

Raducanu will return to action on Wednesday, against either 24th seed Veronika Kudermetova or qualifier Janice Tjen.

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