Ruud Explains Reasoning Behind Popular Nasal Strip That Also Alcaraz Uses
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Casper Ruud and Carlos Alcaraz could be seen wearing nasal strips this week, and the Norwegian player explained why he chose to use it at the 2025 Dallas Open.
Tennis fans might have been surprised this week when they saw Ruud and Alcaraz on the tennis courts. They compete on different continents, but there is one thing that they share.
Both have some black tape over their nose. That black tape is actually a nasal strip. It should help to open the airways and breathe better. It's mostly used during sleep for those who have problems with snoring.
However, in recent years, athletes also started using it more to try to improve their performance by getting more oxygen. Alcaraz was seen using it at the 2025 Rotterdam Open, where he reached the semi-finals.
The Spanish player explained that he has been ill for some time, which is why he has decided to use the nasal strip to breathe better during his matches.
Ruud, who competes at the ATP 500 event in Dallas, had a similar reason for using the nasal strip. During an interview with the Tennis Channel, the Norwegian player explained that he found it online and chose to use it during his sleep.
He was surprised to see that it worked relatively well during his sleep, even though he bought it from what he called a "shady webpage."
"Yeah, it's just a kind of interesting little gimmick I bought online, not on eBay, but another kind of interesting, maybe shady webpage. I bought it to try during sleep because when I'm back home in Norway and it's cold during the winter, I wake up and my nose is blocked in a way."
"Whatever happens overnight, I'm not sure but I always have to blow my nose a lot in the morning so I thought maybe it can get a little more air in there and see how it works. It worked really well actually, I was surprised by how well it works."
Since it worked well in his sleep, Ruud has decided to use the nasal strip also during his practice sessions. And since it worked for him well on the practice court, he has decided to keep it also for the matches.
"And I thought, why not try to bring it to practice, it feels like I'm breathing better so just a few percentage extra of oxygen through the nose, that's what it's about. For me, it works. Maybe it's a placebo or whatever, but I feel like it works. I've been playing quite well with it so why not keep it going."
So far, both players with nasal strips have been doing well, so maybe more players on the ATP Tour adapt this trend, seeing Alcaraz's and Ruud's success.
