Carlos Alcaraz breathing “a little bit better” in Turin, thanks to new pink nasal strip

Carlos Alcaraz is breathing easier at the Nitto ATP Finals—and it’s not just because he’s still in contention for a spot in the semifinals after Wednesday's victory over Andrey Rublev.

The No. 3 seed turned heads as he sported a bright pink adhesive strip on his nose as he fought to stay alive in the John Newcombe Group, eventually edging the Russian 6-3, 7-6 (8) for his first win in Turin.

“For me, it helped a lot today. I could breathe much better,” Alcaraz said of the new accessory in a post-match press conference.

“I tried to forget about I'm not feeling well, I'm sick, and deliver a really good tennis," he added. "That's what good tennis or top players do it, even if you're not feeling good.”

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The resilient performance was a total turnaround for Alcaraz, who was seen sneezing and sniffling during his straight sets loss to Casper Ruud just two days ago. He confirmed to press that he was battling illness and struggling to breathe, and fueled speculation about his participation in the season-ending tournament after canceling a Tuesday practice session after just 10 minutes.

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But the Spaniard was able to stay in the tournament—and in contention for the semifinals—thanks to not just his famous determination and willpower, but also with the help of the colorful strip.

“I could recover better between points,” Alcaraz explained. “...It is just to breathe a little bit better. The things between points that I'm doing like that is because of it. It help me a lot to recover and to breathe better.”

The look quickly caught the eye of tennis fans on social media, with the ATP Tour’s official X account even including a nod to the bright pink adhesive in a post-match graphic celebrating Alcaraz’s win.

Made popular after the 1996 Olympics among runners and once a common accessory for professional football and soccer players alike, “nasal dilators” work by manually pulling the nostrils and sides of the nose open. They have remained popular to this day among athletes who claim it improves their performance by increasing airflow and in wellness circles to reduce snoring and improve sleep.

The strips have been used by tennis players like Nicolas Jarry, who found improved his air intake by 30 percent after years of battling a deviated septum and inflamed nasal cavities, while former world No. 1 Maria Sharapova also famously turned to them during her 2019 comeback season.

Is Alcaraz set to follow suit in rocking the new on-court accessory? After winning one of the most entertaining matches of the tournament, he confirmed that the nose strips are here to stay—at least while in Turin.

“It is something that I'm going to wear more often,” he explained. “Right now in the situation that I'm right now, it help a lot... I'm pretty sure that in the next match I'm going to wear it. Tomorrow's practice I'm going to wear it, for sure. I felt better.”

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Alcaraz will be up against Rolex Paris Masters champion Alexander Zverev on Friday. With all four members of the Newcombe group still mathematically in contention for the semifinals, it’s a must-win match for the 21-year-old if he wants to keep his fate in his own hands.