This Is the Coolest Carlos Alcaraz Has Ever Looked

Less than a week after earning an elusive spot on GQ’s list of the most stylish men’s tennis players of all time, Carlos Alcaraz is already reaffirming our belief in his sartorial prowess. This afternoon, the seven-time Grand Slam champion returned to competitive play for the first time following a wrist injury he sustained in April, suiting up alongside the GOAT Serena Williams during the opening round of the US Open’s mixed doubles tournament. And boy, did he ever look adorable out there.

For starters, we gotta talk about that hair. Alcaraz is no stranger to causing a stir with his dome, from a surprise buzzcut at last year’s US Open to an icy blonde dye job a month later to some ill-advised cornrows a few weeks back (forgiven, forgotten). Now the young Spaniard has landed on arguably his most flattering ‘do yet: long, loose, boy-band-ish locks, all held in place by a slim polka-dot Nike hairband. The accessory, a favorite of dashing Italian soccer stars and your tween niece alike, lends Alcaraz’s mane an extra dose of bouncy charm as he slides and leaps across the hardcourt. The type of headband he’s wearing is available for a pittance on Amazon and well worth a shot for anyone with a flowier mop. But be warned that they are a little trickier to pull off than they look—I know from experience, after trying and failing to wear one to keep my pandemic hair growth in check way back when. (Texture is the key factor here: Alcaraz’s curlier tresses work nicely with a band, whereas my dead-straight hair wound up sticking out in every direction like a hay bale that fell off a truck.)

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