World No. 23, Nicolás Jarry has been having a memorable run at the Miami Open and has made it to the quarter-finals after scraping past a higher-ranked Casper Ruud. However, the fans have noticed something unusual on the face of the Chilean. These unusual bandage-like dressings on his nose are nasal strips, an essential part of his kit.

Now why does a pro athlete, playing at the top level of the sport, wear a nasal strip? Well, Jarry suffers from a respiratory condition that makes it extremely hard to breathe, let alone make it pro in any endurance sport.

Nicolas Jarry turned a disadvantage into an advantage

Talking to ATP Tour.com Jarry opens up about his condition and why these nasal strips are important for him, “They help me breathe. If I don’t use them, it’s much harder.” These adhesive strips work by enhancing the airflow by 30 percent, providing a solution to an issue that had plagued a significant portion of his tennis career.

“I always knew it was a disadvantage in my profession to have a deviated septum, inflamed turbinates, and a lot of allergies because of it,” said the Chilean explaining his decision to start looking for a flexible lightweight solution and finally finding it in these nasal strips which were quite common among American football players and but not in tennis.

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Delving deeper into the issue Jarry says, “I had quite a few problems. I had to breathe through my mouth, so I got tired very quickly when I was playing. Oxygen didn’t reach the brain. There was nothing good about it.” He also says that after he started using the strips he had a “big mental change,” allowing him to make his “nervous system work better.”

Although Jarry suffers from this genetic condition, he comes from a family with a deep love for tennis and sports in general. He always faired pretty well in the junior circuit too.

Nicolas Jarry’s break into the top 100

While both of Jarry’s parents played volleyball for Chile, it was his Grandfather, former ATP player Jaime Fillol who encouraged him to take up tennis. Despite his condition, Jarry saw success as a junior player securing his junior career-high ranking of No. 8 in 2013. However, his transition into the professional ranks was hindered by injuries.

After achieving consistent results on the ATP Challenger Tour, as well as successful qualifying rounds at both Roland Garros and Wimbledon, he finally broke into the ATP Top 100 by the end of the 2017 season. He clinched his inaugural ATP doubles title alongside his rival Hans Podlipnik-Castillo in 2018.

Nicolas Jarry, who’ll be looking to extend his dream run deeper into the tournament, will now be facing the defending champion Daniil Medvedev in the quarter-finals which will demand a Herculean effort out of him!

ATP Miami Open 2024: Nicolas Jarry vs Daniil Medvedev; Preview, Head-to-Head, Predictions