Carlos Alcaraz avoids wardrobe malfunction in 'aggressive' US Open third round match
The Spanish tennis star chose to cover up in the third round of the US Open
Defending US Open champion, Carlos Alcaraz, avoided a wardrobe malfunction in his third round match after several days of distracting viewers with his loose attire.
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Alcaraz was bound to turn heads at the tournament, given that this Grand Slam was his big return to the sport after taking several months off due to injury.
However, attention quickly turned to his wardrobe as his basketball-style shirts kept slipping to reveal his nipples during his first two matches.
The sight moved former player-turned-pundit Genie Bouchard to post on social media: “Love you Carlos but we’ve got to put the nip away.”
He stopped the ongoing slippage during his third-round match by wearing a tight-fitting vest below his baggier top.
Wearing this vest, he proceeded to beat his opponent, China’s Wu Yibing, in straight sets of 6-3 6-4 6-1 in two hours and 19 minutes.
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The Spanish world number three joked to the press: “Well, I think I saw my nipple too much lately. I felt like, you know, I could hide it for at least once match.
“I feel really comfortable, you know, with another shirt. So I think I’m going to stay like that.
“Maybe, you know, the second round was a little bit distracting for me, but not that much.”
Alcaraz recently partnered with Travis Scott’s Cactus Jack collection with Nike.
His attire is not the only distraction being noted by tennis players at this year’s US Open. Women’s number one, Aryna Sabalenka, halted her third round match to complain to the umpire about the smell of marajuana wafting into the stands.
And, players Coco Gauff and Naomi Osaka have said they hope influencers will learn tennis etiquette following complaints of excessive noise and flash photography at matches.
Speaking about his level of play, Alcaraz said: “I think today was a really high rhythm, the way he played was unbelievable.
“I played aggressive, I played smart in the toughest moments which I’m really happy about. I did everything good. Could be better, but I’m proud of the performance today.
“To be honest I’m better than I thought. I thought I would be dead after the first match, but I’m recovering really well. Right now my level is really good.”
In the fourth round Alcaraz will play American Tommy Paul, the former Queen’s Club champion, who came through a titanic five-setter with Kazakhstan’s Alexander Bublik.
“He’s going to play at home which is going to be an advantage for him,” added Alcaraz. “But hopefully he will be a bit tired from today’s match.”