Wimbledon fans 'distracted' by Carlos Alcaraz opponent on Centre Court - 'Looks more like a rope'
Mark Lajal's haircut caught the attention of viewers
GETTY
Defending Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz garners enough attention as it is, but it was his first round opponent that caught the eye of viewers on the opening day of the tournament.
Alcaraz returns to Wimbledon a year on from his sensational victory over Novak Djokovic to clinch his maiden SW19 title.
The Spaniard enters as the No 3 seed, meaning there's a chance he could once again meet the Serbian in the final at Wimbledon if they both make it all the way.
He was given a friendly draw for the first round against Estonian tennis star Lajal, who came through all three rounds of qualifying to make the main draw.
Mark Lajal's haircut caught the attention of viewers
GETTY
It's the first time Lajal is playing the main draw of a Grand Slam in his career and enters the tournament ranked 262nd in the world.
Alcaraz was given a huge ovation as he made his way out onto Centre Court on Monday afternoon, walking behind Lajal who had his headphones on over his ears.
Lajal instantly caught the attention of viewers though due to his distinctive hairstyle.
One viewer wrote: "Lajal's hairstyle has definitely distracted me. Looks more like a rope than hair."
Another said: "Wanting Alcaraz to win, though it'd be a shame to lose Lajal's hair so early in the tournament."
A third posted: "What's with Lajal's hairdo? Rather distracting!"
One other message read: "Lajal's hairstyle is interesting."
Another noted: "Best hairstyle goes to this fella Mr Lajal."
Mark Lajal also got the first break of the match
REUTERS
Alcaraz would have expected to roll past Lajal into the second round, but it proved a much more challenging task at the start of the match.
The Estonian was causing Alcaraz all sorts of problems and even took the first break of the match to take an unexpected lead.
The world No 3 was able to retaliate immediately and get the scores back level for the set, but he was struggling to find a way past his opponent.
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Mark Lajal caused Carlos Alcaraz plenty of problems
REUTERS
The first set ended up going to a tiebreak where Alcaraz was able to show his class and take a 1-0 lead.
Alcaraz is in the same half of the draw as world No 1 Jannik Sinner, but his section doesn't include any other player inside the world's top 10.
Ugo Humbert is the highest-ranked player Alcaraz could meet up to the fourth round if he makes it that far.
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