In a truly bizarre sporting moment, Argentine tennis professional Camilo Ugo Carabelli left fans and officials in Auckland utterly stunned by performing an impromptu haircut on himself during a match.
The Unforgettable Court-Side Trim
The extraordinary incident unfolded on Tuesday during the ASB Classic, a key warm-up tournament for the Australian Open. The world number 43 was competing against Chile's Alejandro Tabilo in a round of 32 match when his fringe apparently began to obstruct his vision. Seizing a moment between games, Carabelli sat courtside, produced a pair of scissors, and proceeded to hack away at his own hair.
Broadcasters and spectators watched in disbelief. 'Just enough time for a quick haircut before game six. You don't see this very often, do you?' remarked one baffled commentator. The scene quickly ignited social media, where fans shared their amusement. One user on X quipped, 'He heard advantage server and thought it was advantage barber,' while another suggested the trim was 'to track the ball's direction more clearly.'
A Losing Strategy on the Day
Despite the drastic mid-match adjustment, the new hairstyle did not swing the match in Carabelli's favour. The 26-year-old was ultimately beaten in straight sets 6-4, 6-2 by Tabilo. His unconventional decision, however, has cemented the moment in tennis folklore.
Not the First Sporting Barber
While highly unusual, Carabelli is not the first tennis player to turn barber during competition. The act recalls a famous instance involving British tennis legend Andy Murray. During his 2015 ATP Finals match against Rafael Nadal, a frustrated Murray pulled scissors from his bag and cut his fringe. 'I had some hair in my eye, and I just wanted to get rid of it,' he explained at the time. Similar to Carabelli, the tactic did not lead to victory, as Murray also lost in straight sets.
There is also a claimed precedent from Boris Becker during the 1988 Wimbledon semi-final, and a more successful example from the women's tour. In 2016, Russia's Svetlana Kuznetsova, struggling with her heavy ponytail during the WTA Finals in Singapore, asked for scissors and cut it off. 'I thought "OK, what's more important right now, my hair or the match?"' she said. Unlike her male counterparts, Kuznetsova's dramatic haircut preceded a comeback victory against Agnieszka Radwańska.
Carabelli's Auckland haircut may not have secured a win, but it has undoubtedly provided one of the most talked-about moments of the early tennis season, proving that sometimes the most memorable court-side action has nothing to do with a racket.
