If you are following Carlos Alcaraz‘ ATP Rotterdam campaign this week, you must have noticed that thin black tape on his nose. While the former World No.1 and four-time Major winner clinched the victory in the first round against Botic Van de Zandschulp, he was surely not at his best. The score line of 7-6(3), 3-6, 6-1 tells the story clearly. Although Alcaraz avenged his 2024 US Open second round loss against the Dutchman, he had to fight hard to claim the ticket to R16. And much of the reason is due to the black nose tape. But what happened to the Spaniard and is he even fully fit?

“I spent a few days at home after Australia, but I got a cold,” revealed Alcaraz in his pre-match interview at the ATP Rotterdam, as reported by Eurosport on February 5. 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.

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. But this isn’t the first time Alcaraz has been seen donning a nasal strip. 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. In the next match in Rotterdam, the Spaniard will now face Andrea Vavassori on Friday. The Italian got a direct entry in the next round due to a walk-over by his opponent, Félix Auger-Aliassime. The Canadian withdrew from the event due to an injury in his toe. Coming back to Alcaraz, do you think his health will get better soon? Will he manage to make a deep run at the ATP Rotterdam? Let us know in the comments below.