"The haircut doesn't look so bad anymore!": Martina Navratilova jokes and praises Carlos Alcaraz after US Open victory

Carlos Alcaraz’s 2025 US Open triumph not only marked his return to the top of men’s tennis but also highlighted a rivalry that promises to define the next era of the sport. Speaking in the post-final discussion, tennis legends Tim Henman, Martina Navratilova, and Gigi Salmon reflected on the rising stars, praising both Alcaraz and his opponent Jannik Sinner for their talent, maturity, and sportsmanship.

Henman set the tone when asked about the future of tennis after Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic eventually leave the scene. "You know, we are privileged to have had so many great rivals in the past, both in the men's and the women's game. And we've certainly got another brilliant rivalry. And what I like about it is still the unpredictability, because, you know, I felt that Alcaraz was the favourite at Wimbledon. Sinner won that match on hard courts.".

His analysis continued as he stated, "I think Sinner has been raising the bar, but Alcaraz has come up with a level of tennis that I haven't seen from him today. That was that aggression on the serve. I mean, he was serving rockets on the forehand side. He was going with so much pace, but so much consistency, bullying Sinner from the back of the court. And you can see, you know what it means to him. It really was a statement performance and a statement win from Alcaraz.".

The 18 time Grand Slam champion Martina Navratilova also was astounded by the level saying, "It’s crazy. I didn’t win my first time until I was 21, and he’s already at six at 22. And he still hasn’t reached his peak. He came out of the box ready to compete against everybody. Both of these guys are raising the bar,".

Former British star Henman also noted Alcaraz’s evolution as a player, stating: "One of the things that Juan Carlos Ferreiro said earlier on in the tournament, well, a few days ago, was he felt that Alcaraz had actually matured. And the one area that we've perhaps questioned in the past is shot selection. But when you go through the match today, the first, third and fourth sets, he was absolutely faultless. He was going for his shots, hitting his spots on serve.".

"And when they got into the baseline exchanges, playing with that power, control, aggression, moving forward. I mean, he really did dominate Sinner in his favourite environment. And his hands are strong.".

Navratilova offered a light-hearted remark that perfectly captured the relaxed yet celebratory mood: "So, you know, the haircut doesn't look so bad anymore. So there's nothing to be worried about. But, you know, you're holding the trophy. You really don't care what your hair looks like. But he is such a champ. Both of these guys, such great role models for us. But we are so lucky. We just have to hope that they stay healthy and then the sport is in good hands.".

Reflecting on the broader history of the US Open, the commentators noted the difficulty of defending titles, with Roger Federer in 2008 being the last to achieve this feat. Navratilova said, "Yeah, I mean, that shows the parity. But still, you saw Djokovic, Nadal and Federer more than anybody else. Then Wawrinka snuck in there. But I think these two guys, there's only two of them. It was Raja Rafa and Rafa Nadal and Djokovic, of course, going at it. So right now it's just the two of them. We'll see if there's a third one that comes in, too. We have the three musketeers, but right now we only have two.".

All in all, Alcaraz’s victory at the 2025 US Open represents more than just a personal milestone; it signals the emergence of a new era in men’s tennis defined by talent, resilience, and sportsmanship. With two young champions raising the bar both on and off the court, tennis fans can anticipate thrilling matches, inspiring performances, and a continuation of the values that have made the game enduringly compelling.