Carlos Alcaraz to follow in Rafael Nadal’s footsteps by wearing sleeveless shirt at US Open

Shahida Jacobs
Carlos Alcaraz during a match
Carlos Alcaraz of Spain celebrates

Carlos Alcaraz will take a leaf out of his hero Rafael Nadal’s book as he will be going sleeveless at the US Open while he will also wear customised Nike shoes that features his famous three “Cs” motto.

The world No 1 will kick off his title defence at Flushing Meadows on Tuesday against Germany’s Dominik Koepfer in the evening session on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

According to Spanish paper Marca, Alcaraz will be donning “an elastic sleeveless white shirt to show off all the muscle he works and moulds with his physical trainer Alberto Lledó” while “the shirt is completed with a spectacular design at chest height”.

If he does go sleeveless then he will once again walk in the footsteps of fellow Spaniard Nadal as the 22-time Grand Slam winner has always been fond of his sleeveless shirts. During his last US Open title run in 2019, Nadal wore a purple sleeveless shirt.

Alcaraz is also no stranger to sleeveless shirts as when he burst onto the scene in 2021, he preferred to show some of his muscle on court.

The two-time Grand Slam winner practiced with a sleeveless shirt against Argentine Francisco Cerúndolo at Flushing Meadows on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the 20-year-old’s Nike shoes will feature his motto “cabeza, corazón y cojones”, which translates to “head, heart and balls”.

Alcaraz adopted the motto during his run at the US Open last year as he often posted emojis of a head, heart and balls on social media and it is also the mantra that his grandfather instilled in him.

Back in March, Alcaraz made a trip to the Nike headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon, and he was given customized shoes with the words “cabeza, corazón y cojones” printed on them.

However, there will be a tweak to his 2023 US Open footwear as the Statue of Liberty will also be emblazoned on his shoes as a tribute to his 2022 New York success.

Alcaraz won his maiden Grand Slam at Flushing Meadows last year when he defeated Casper Ruud in four sets and the result also earned him the world No 1 ranking as he became the youngest-ever No 1 at the age of 19.

He carried that success into this campaign as he has already won six titles, including a second Grand Slam when he defeated Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon final in July.

READ MORE: Novak Djokovic’s outfit for the 2023 US Open revealed as his new racket design is unveiled as well

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