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Carlos Alcaraz Debuts New Nike Look During Final US Open Match

The Spanish No. 2 seed displayed a new custom Nike kit before being eliminated from the year’s final Grand Slam.
Carlos Alcaraz reacts during his quarterfinal match against Ben Shelton at the 2026 US Open REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz
Carlos Alcaraz reacts during his quarterfinal match against Ben Shelton at the 2026 US Open REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz | REUTERS

Carlos Alcaraz played against Ben Shelton in a quarterfinal match on Tuesday, September 8th. It gave the young Spanish player the opportunity to display a new custom kit from Nike. He walked into Arthur Ashe Stadium sporting a new kit with a complementary undershirt, new shoes, and a new cover before play began.

Alcaraz’s Newest Kit

For his quarterfinal match against Shelton, Alcaraz wore a new custom night kit from Nike. It was black on top with white on the bottom, an ombré effect in the middle, and a white reverse Nike swoosh on the chest. Alcaraz also wore matching black Nike athletic shorts to complete the look. Funnily enough, his competitor also wore a black and white look with a blended effect.

Like all of Alcaraz’s kits at Flushing Meadows, the tank top was mesh and textured like a modern basketball jersey. It complemented his third-round kit, which was light grey and had a black reverse Nike swoosh (a signature part of the Travis Scott x Nike collaboration).

The Undershirt

Alcaraz wore a sleeveless black compression undershirt as part of his kit throughout the late-night match. It was the same material and color as the compression sleeve on his right arm. The Spanish player wore the undershirt due to a wardrobe malfunction during his first-round match against Roman Safiullin.

"Well, I think I've been seeing too much of my nipples lately,” Alcaraz said after adding a white compression shirt for his third-round match against Yibing Wu. “I felt like, you know, I could hide it for at least one match. Maybe [it] was a little bit distracting for me … I feel really comfortable with another shirt. So I think I'm going to stay like that."

The Shoes

Just as in his third-court match, Alcaraz wore the black version of the Travis Scott x Cactus Jack x Nike Zoom Vapor 12 HC shoes. They had a much simpler look than the initial two-tone ivory version he wore in earlier rounds. Instead, the high-performance tennis shoes were mostly black with large white reverse Nike swooshes.

On the inside of each shoe’s tongue is the Spanish phrase “Haz magica Carlitos,” which translates to “Do your magic, Carlitos.” Every pair the athlete has worn at the 2026 US Open has had the same special inscription.

No Cover

Alcaraz changed things up by not wearing a cover over his custom kit on Tuesday evening. In past rounds, he had worn a complementary or matching button-down cover that he would take off before play began. The 23-year-old instead walked onto the court already ready to compete with his Babolat equipment bag and a second brown leather bag.

US Open Elimination

Alcaraz’s fourth custom Nike kit will also be his final one, because he was eliminated from competition after a record-breaking five-set bout with Shelton. The young Spanish player took the first set in a tiebreak but then lost the next two sets. Alcaraz had a solid comeback with a fast fourth set but ultimately lost the match in a 10-7 tiebreak.

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Published | Modified
Zach Humphrey
ZACH HUMPHREY

Zach Humphrey is a Senior Content Analyst at Point Curve with more than a decade of experience in publishing, marketing, sports writing, and digital content. He has written and edited thousands of pieces of content, with a focus on quality journalism. Zach co-created Tennis Library and has also written for Pickleball Squid. He holds a master’s degree in English and American Literature from NYU and grew up in an avid tennis family - his grandfather, Harry Kenney, was a tennis pro. Outside of work, Zach enjoys reading at New York City coffee shops, watching just about any sport played on ice, and going out for hot pot with friends.