This Is the Coolest Carlos Alcaraz Has Ever Looked

The seven-time Grand Slam champ is finally back after a long injury—and he’s armed with flowing locks and a hoops-adjacent kit.Carlos Alcaraz and Serena Williams during the mixed doubles tournament at the 2026 US Open.Sarah Stier/Getty ImagesLess 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.)Sarah Stier/Getty ImagesAlcaraz’s gear was also especially righteous. Much like his countryman Rafa Nadal before him, the 23-year-old has long been a proponent of sleeveless shirts on the court, but the Nike kit he debuted today was something entirely new for him: from the striped trim to the mesh body to the notched hem on the shorts, the whole thing felt more like a basketball uniform than a tennis ensemble. Hoops-adjacent tennis outfits are a territory that the erstwhile Aussie star Nick Kyrgios (who was recently suspended for a substance violation) has mined for some time now, but it felt especially literal—and looked exceptionally sick—on Alcaraz. Just look at that purple-and-orange palette! Between the shaggy hair and the Phoenix Suns-esque jersey, somewhere Steve Nash is smiling.As of press time, Alcaraz and Williams had cruised to victory in their first-round matchup, and had begun their second-round battle against Belinda Bencic and Fabio Cobolli. We’ll have to wait and see if Alcaraz pulls out new variations of this look once the tournament’s main draw begins on Sunday, but so far he’s proven without a shadow of a doubt his ability to bring new, surprising, ever-handsome dimensions to what’s already the best-dressed sport on the planet.Sign up for Show Notes to get news on the latest runway shows, parties, and insider events on the international fashion circuit.Yang-Yi Goh is GQ’s Senior Style Editor. Since joining the magazine in 2019, he has interviewed pro athletes, profiled movie stars, received hate mail for his opinions on sneakers, and written approximately fifty gazillion lists of the best suits, shirts, socks, pants, jewelry, sunglasses, hoodies…you get the idea. Prior to ... Read More