Why is Carlos Alcaraz wearing black tape on his nose at ABN AMRO Open 2025?

Tennis sensation Carlos Alcaraz wore a black nasal strip at the 2025 AMN AMRO Open due to breathing difficulties caused by a cold he had after the Australian Open 2025. The 21-year-old star player was seen admitting to struggling with illness, which limited even his training session to just two days. Notably, nasal strips are adhesive strips placed on the nose to widen the nostrils so that it can increase the airflow of the players, effectively improving the air resistance in the nasal passages.

It's worth mentioning to note that the four-time Grand Slam winner has used nasal strips before, including a pink one at the 2024 ATP Finals in Turin. The 21-year-old tennis star stated that the nasal strip has helped him breathe better in the game and allows him to deliver good tennis despite having a cough and cold.

Also Read: WATCH: Carlos Alcaraz's electrifying forehand angle shot beats Hubert Hurkacz in ABM AMRO Open semi-final

Carlos Alcaraz has candidly discussed the continued use of the nasal strip

After making it to the 2025 Rotterdam Open final, Carlos Alcaraz has candidly discussed the continued use of the nasal strip, admitting that his condition has not improved much after his 2025 Australian Open quarter-final exit following his loss to Serbian ace Novak Djokovic. On the flip side, Casper Ruud has also been seen wearing the nasal strips in the Dallas Open 2025.

"I took a few days off. I spent a few days at home – different weather; it was tough. I caught a cold. So I was struggling a little bit at home. I could practice just two days. And then I had to rest to see if the cold gets better. The cold is still there a little bit, but it’s kind of superstitious as well. It helps to breathe normally, it helps a lot. But once I started the tournament with that, I couldn’t take it off," Carlos Alcaraz said.

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