"Just an interesting gimmick" - Casper Ruud makes his feelings known on using same nasal strip as Carlos Alcaraz at Dallas Open

Casper Ruud has opened up about sporting the same nasal strip as Carlos Alcaraz during his campaign at the 2025 Dallas Open. The Norwegian explained why he chose to wear the strip during his matches despite initially purchasing it as a sleep aid.

Both Ruud and Alcaraz have produced strong runs after the Australian Open, reaching the semifinals of the Dallas Open and the ABN AMRO Open, respectively. An interesting similarity has emerged between the duo's campaigns, as they've been spotted wearing identical black nasal strips on court.

In an interview with the Tennis Channel after Yoshihito Nishioka retired from their quarterfinal encounter due to injury, Casper Ruud humorously admitted to buying the "gimmicky" product from a questionable website. The 26-year-old revealed that the nasal strip turned out to be surprisingly helpful in alleviating his perennial blocked nose while sleeping in Norway.

"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 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," Casper Ruud said.

"Whatever happens overnight, I'm not sure but I always have to blow my nose a lot in the morning so I though 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," he added.

Impressed by the results, the World No. 5 explained that he decided to wear it during matches as well. Although Ruud acknowledged that it may just be a placebo effect, he emphasized that the nasal strip helped him breathe better while on the court.

"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," he said.

Carlos Alcaraz echoed Casper Ruud's during his campaign at the ABN AMRO Open in Rotterdam, disclosing that while the nasal strip didn't speed up the recovery from the cold he caught before his campaign, it helped him breathe easier during matches.

"I’m not feeling 100% well yet. I caught a cold when I was at home, but I’m feeling better every day. It [nose strip] doesn’t fasten things [recovery]; it’s for my health," Carlos Alcaraz said.

Casper Ruud to lock horns with Jaume Munar in Dallas Open SF; Carlos Alcaraz to face Hubert Hurkacz in Rotterdam SF

Casper Ruud and Carlos Alcaraz - Source: Getty

Casper Ruud will square off against Jaume Munar in the semifinals of the 2025 Dallas Open. Munar pulled off a stunning 6-2, 7-6(3) upset over Ben Shelton and defeated Matteo Arnaldi 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 to book his place against the second seed.

Ruud enjoys a 3-1 lead in his head-to-head record against the Spaniard, including a hard-fought 6-3, 1-6, 7-5, 2-6, 6-1 victory in their most recent encounter at this year's Australian Open.

Meanwhile, Carlos Alcaraz will lock horns with Hubert Hurkacz in the semifinals of the ABN AMRO Open in Rotterdam. The World No. 3 has emerged victorious in all three of his previous encounters against Hurkacz, triumphing 2-6, 7-6(4), 6-3 in their latest meeting at the 2023 Cincinnati Open.

If Alcaraz extends his perfect record against the Pole, he will face the winner of the match between Alex de Minaur and Mattia Bellucci in the final of the ATP 500 event.