'He Won That US Open': Alcaraz On His New Sleeveless Rafa-Like Look At US Open

Wednesday, 30 August 2023 at 15:30

byEvita Mueller

Carlos Alcaraz is sporting an unusual look at the US Open, wearing no sleeves that reminded people of Rafael Nadal.

This was not the first time Alcaraz played sleeveless, but generally, he plays with sleeves. Rafael Nadal used to be known for his sleeveless outfits, so obviously, when Alcaraz showed up like that, many wondered whether Nadal inspired it.

He was asked about it following the opening-round win over Dominik Koepfer and said that he enjoys doing it sometimes. It's not directly inspired by Nadal, but he joked about Nadal winning the 2019 US Open while wearing a sleeveless outfit.

Honestly, when I wear the sleeves, I was thinking about Rafa when he wear that. He won that US Open, right? I love to wear that sometimes in some specific tournaments. Here in the US Open, I supposed to play last year, but it wasn't. This year it's a good, good outfit, so I love it.

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The match itself wasn't a long one as it lasted only an hour after which Koepfer retired. Speaking after the match, Alcaraz admitted that he was quite content with the level he showed even though the match didn't last long.

Well, I felt great during the match. I start pretty well. Really focus. Honestly, I didn't expect to play such a great level the beginning, the first round, here in the US Open. I am very, very happy with the level, even if Domi had to retire. Have to see myself and hopefully to keep that level into the next round.

— Alcaraz on his R1 match against Koepfer<br>

The Spaniard will likely see more resistance from Lloyd Harris, who can be tricky to play due to his serve. Alcaraz should be fine if he produces the same level as he did against Koepfer and that's the goal. Just one match at a time.