"I was thinking about Rafael Nadal when he wore that, he won that US Open" - Carlos Alcaraz reveals inspiration behind his sleeveless look in New York

Carlos Alcaraz has stated that he had Rafael Nadal on his mind when he came up with his outfit for this year's US Open.

Nike and Alcaraz have opted for a sleeveless look at the New York Major this year, which has been popularized by Rafael Nadal on the ATP tour in recent years. Spanish outlet MARCA reported that Alcaraz is donning “an elastic sleeveless white shirt” which is "completed with a spectacular design at chest height."

Nadal's most recent US Open win came in 2019, when he resisted a fightback from Danill Medvedev in the final to seal the title. That year, he opted for an all-black kit with a sleeveless T-shirt.

When asked about his new look at a press conference, Alcaraz confirmed that he was Nadal was the inspiration behind it.

"Honestly, when I wear the sleeves, I was thinking about Rafa when he wear that. He won that US Open, right?" he said.

"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," he added.

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Carlos Alcaraz moves to 2023 US Open 2R after Dominik Koepfer's retirement

Carlos Alcaraz in action at the 2023 US Open.

Carlos Alcaraz began his US Open title defence on Tuesday, August 29, with a first-round clash against Dominik Koepfer.

The contest had to end early, however, as Koepfer rolled his left ankle just six points into the match, which greatly reduced his movement. Despite fighting through the issue for an hour, Koepfer finally decided to retire from the match with the score reading 6-2, 3-2 in Alcaraz's favor.

In his on-court interview after the match, Alcaraz sympathized with Koepfer's struggles before stating that he was happy with his own performance.

"It was a shame for him in the first game, he got injured with the ankle. Obviously that's not the best way to get through to another round. But I have to say for myself that I was playing great, I was playing really well on court. Hopefuly I can keep the same level in the next round," he said.

This fortnight, Alcaraz is looking to become the first player to successfully defend the men’s title since Roger Federer registered five consecutive victories between 2004 and 2008.

The young Spaniard will next face South Africa's Lloyd Harris, who defeated Guido Pella in straight sets in his first-round match. If Alcaraz comes through the initial rounds unscathed, he is on course to meet Jannik Sinner in the quarterfinals in what will be a rematch of their five-hour clash at Flushing Meadows last year.