Carlos Alcaraz began his French Open men's singles title defence on May 26 when he faces Giulio Zeppieri on Court Suzanne-Lenglen.
The Spanish star came into Roland-Garros fresh from winning the final of the Italian Open against world No. 1 Jannik Sinner to claim his third title of 2025.
Alcaraz only turned 22 at the beginning of May 2025, yet he already boasts 19 career singles titles and is a four-time major winner. He will take some stopping in Paris.
One thing viewers may notice when Alcaraz takes to the court is that, on occasion, he has some black tape on his nose. There's a particular reason for this.
MORE: French Open results and bracket | Alcaraz's next match at Roland-Garros
Why does Carlos Alcaraz wear black tape on his face?
Alcaraz wears black tape on his face to help with his breathing while he is playing matches, although he does not always use it.
He first sported the nasal strip during the ATP Finals in Turin last November. At the time, he explained it was to help ease nasal congestion after he had caught a cold prior to the tournament.
So, why has he continued to wear it in 2025? Basically, it helps him breathe better.
"The nasal strip helped me," he said late last year. "I knew that Nicolas Jarry sometimes uses it, so I thought it might be useful for me too. With the strip, I can breathe better and recover faster between points."
Man of the people! 👏@carlosalcaraz #IBI25 pic.twitter.com/Jf8vXAOUAM
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) May 14, 2025
Do other tennis players use nasal strips?
Alcaraz, as he pointed out, is not alone when it comes to using nasal strips to help with breathing.
Along with Jarry, Casper Ruud also uses tape on his nose. "I just saw it online through X or Instagram or something, whatever it was. I was like, 'Alright, I'm going to try it,'" he said last November. "It looked really appealing and I was thinking it would help with my sleep, maybe feeling a bit more recovered after a long training day.
"I really felt like it helped when I was sleeping and so I brought it to practice a few days and I was like, 'Okay, the glue sticks to the nose and it doesn't fall off'. And I also felt quite good on court with it. It gives me just a few percentage extra oxygen, I don't know — I haven't tested it or anything — but the feeling on court is that I can last longer in a rally, so that's a good feeling."
In a sport of marginal gains, it seems a thin strip really can make a big difference.
MORE: Why Serena Williams wore black tape on her cheeks at Wimbledon