If you are following Carlos Alcaraz‘ ATP Italian Open campaign this week, you must have noticed that thin black tape on his nose. While the four-time Major winner snagged that first-round win against Dusan Lajovic, you could tell he wasn’t quite firing on all cylinders. One might assume that his recent pull-out from the Madrid Open because of a right leg issue, plus that black support sleeve on his leg in the first match, definitely suggested he wouldn’t be at his 100%. Even so, with the easy-looking 6-3, 6-3 score, he showcased his dominance. Digging deeper, he got past Laslo Dere and Karen Khachanov, whom he lost a set to, and then powered his way into the finals after taking down Jack Draper and Lorenzo Musetti. But why could he be supporting a nose strip?

Remember those rain delays at the start of the Italian Open? On May 7th, play resumed in Rome at 2:15 p.m. CEST. Showers had halted the ATP Masters 1000 event at around 1:15 p.m. CEST, causing a one-hour delay. The fluctuating weather continued and even caused a disturbance for the Spaniard during his semifinal clash against Musetti. Although it turned the court into a slippery mess, he still succeeded in making it to the final. It seems like the weather stirred up breathing issues for the Spaniard. Why?

Well, he revealed that he was feeling a little “congested.” He stated in a press conference after his opening match, “I’m a bit congested, though, which is why I’m wearing this—to breathe a bit better. I think with the weather changes, the shifts between hot and cold don’t help much, but we’re taking care of it, and overall, today went quite well.” After all, this isn’t the first time he’s worn the nasal strip!

Going back to the Rotterdam Open, Alcaraz revealed in his pre-match interview, as reported by Eurosport on February 5. “I spent a few days at home after Australia, but I got a cold.” This was the last time the Spaniard was spotted with the nasal strip! For the unversed, Alcaraz’s campaign down under ended last month. He lost the QF battle against 24-time major champion Novak Djokovic. It was a heartbreaking result for the 21-year-old. Initially, he had a solid lead in the first set, but lost the grip afterwards. Djoker ousted him with a score line of 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4.

As if the exit wasn’t devastating enough, his health also took a setback. “I was struggling a little bit at home. I could only train for two days, and then I had to rest until the cold got better.” Hence, the Spaniard was forced to wear the black nasal strip in Rotterdam due to heavy difficulty in breathing. Seems like it helped him, as he ultimately clinched the title with a roaring 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 win against Alex de Minaur in the final! So what’s the science behind the little black strip on his nose?

Per the Sleep Foundation, nasal strips are “adhesive strips placed on the nose to widen nostrils and increase airflow.” In simple words, they improve breathing by reducing air resistance in the nasal passages. And it seems to be helping Alcaraz a lot! But while he’s shown success with the nasal strip so far, it wasn’t always the case for Alcaraz. Remember what happened at the ATP Finals last season?

When Carlos Alcaraz struggled with the form and his health in Turin

During the ATP Finals campaign in Turin in November 2024, Carlos Alcaraz was spotted wearing a pink color nose tape. Prior to the season finale, he was suffering from cold due to traveling across tours. When he arrived in Turin, the former World No.1’s condition had already worsened. In the first match against Casper Ruud, he was struggling to breathe on the court. Eventually, he lost this encounter and was later eliminated in the group stage, following another defeat against Alexander Zverev.

Alcaraz’s only win in the ATP Finals came against Andrey Rublev. Before this match, however, his coach Juan Carlos Ferrero revealed, “As soon as he moves a bit, he finds it hard to breathe. He has tightness in his chest. A bad time to fall ill.”

After registering a 6-3, 7-6(8) victory over Rublev, Alcaraz gave a lot of credit to the nasal strip. In an official post-match conference, he said, “For me, it helped a lot today. I could breathe much better. I tried to forget about I’m not feeling well, I’m sick, and deliver a really good tennis.”

His avid fans will hope for him to recover soon and give his best on the court. Right now he’s taking on the World No.1 and his rival Jannik Sinner! The Italian has been absent from the competition due to his three-month ban served for his doping controversy. However, Sinner has been playing exceptionally well, keeping up his 26-match winning streak going back to October last year!

Although Alcaraz holds the lead in their 6-2 H2H, still sporting the black nasal strip, he’s proved that he can deliver a dominant performance. Do you think he’ll deliver yet another win with his health compromised? Let us know in the comments below.