Carlos Alcaraz doesn't have to battle only his opponent but also sickness at the 2024 ATP Finals, and he's trying to use all the tricks to do that.
Athletes always try to time their form and peak at the right time. For the top players on the ATP Tour, that wouldn't include only majors, but also the ATP Finals, where the winner can win record-high prize money and 1,500 points.
Alcaraz certainly wanted to peak at the 2024 ATP Finals, but unfortunately, in the last days of his preparations, he got sick, which significantly impacted him during his campaign in Turin.
In his first match, he was beaten by Casper Ruud, and it was clear that he couldn't produce his best level against the Norwegian player. After the match, the Spaniard spoke about how he was affected by the sickness, and his chances of advancing into the semi-finals didn't look too promising.
For a moment, it seemed like the 21-year-old might withdraw, but that didn't materialize after he held his morning practice without too many issues on Wednesday.
Therefore, the four-time Grand Slam champion was able to step onto the court against Andrey Rublev, but this time, he sported a pink nasal strip, which he previously used during practice sessions.
With the nasal strip on his nose, Alcaraz showed a much higher level than against Ruud, ultimately beating Rublev in two sets to secure his first win at the 2024 ATP Finals.
It was a crucial win for him, as it kept his semi-final chances alive. After the match, naturally, a lot of attention was on Alcaraz's nasal strip, as he was asked about it multiple times.
The Spanish player was told that Nicolas Jarry wears the nasal strip permanently, and whether he plans to employ the same tactic even after the ATP Finals.
"Yeah, I know Jarry wears that thing in the nose. For me, it helped a lot today. I could breathe much better. It is something that I'm going to wear more often, I don't know (smiling)."
"Right now, in the situation that I'm right now, it helps a lot. I'm pretty sure that in the next match I'm going to wear it. For tomorrow's practice, I'm going to wear it, for sure. I felt better. I could recover better between points."
Alcaraz has been seen trying different tactics to be as competitive as possible. During one of his practice sessions, his physio even applied some cream to his chest, which should have helped him with breathing as well.
On top of that, during his match, Alcaraz appeared to be sniffing something during the changeovers, and he was also asked about that following his win over Rublev.
"Yeah, the thing that I sniffed in the changeover is for that. It is just to breathe a little bit better. The things between points that I'm doing like that are because of it. It helps me a lot to recover and to breathe better."
Up next, Alcaraz will play against Alexander Zverev in his last round-robin match of the 2024 ATP Finals. If he wants to maximize his chances of advancing, he needs to win the match.