When Carlos Alcaraz returned to the tennis court for his first singles match at the ongoing US Open on August 31, after more than four months away, he left fans and viewers talking about more than just his game.
The seven-time Grand Slam champion’s nipple kept playing peek-a-boo out of his brown, basketball jersey-style tank top, which kept shifting throughout his first-round match. He won the match against Roman Safiullin in New York's Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Alcaraz's images with the 'nip slip' went viral across social media, with some users calling it 'Nipplegate 2.0', in reference to Janet Jackson's infamous costume reveal during the 2004 Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show.
Retired tennis player Eugenie Bouchard, and current analyst for ESPN for the hard court slam, reacted to the viral moments on X, writing, “Love you Carlos, but we’ve got to put the nip away."
This was Alcaraz's first major match since he went on a break following a right wrist injury. In an interview after the match, he said, "It was a difficult day for me, to be honest, but at the same time, a really beautiful one... I had more nerves than usual, but just happy because my goal here is to compete, to enjoy, and let’s see how my body’s going to react after the matches, after the competition again.”
