By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Wednesday, November 13, 2024
Photo: Shi Tang/Getty
Carlos Alcaraz hit his purple patch in Turin today.
Battling a cold that hampered him in his opening loss at the ATP Finals, Alcaraz took to the court with a purple ribbon right above his nose.
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The third-seeded Spaniard brought out more energy in his 6-3, 7-6(8) second-round win over Andrey Rublev.
Afterwards, Alcaraz said the strip show would return for his practice session and likely for his final round match against Alexander Zverev on Friday.
The tape is designed to open the nasal passages wider, allowing athletes to breathe more easily. Alcaraz said he felt he recovered better between points by wearing the right breathing bar.
“I know (Nicolas) Jarry has it on his nose. For me, that helped a lot today. I could breathe a lot better,” Alcaraz told media in Turin. “It’s something I’ll wear more often, I don’t know (smiling). Right now in the situation I’m in now, it helps me a lot.
“I’m pretty sure next game I’ll wear it. Tomorrow’s practice I’ll wear it, for sure. I felt better. I could recover better between points.”
