The sleeveless shirt is the highlight of this US Open

The US Open tennis tournament has reached its final stages, with the men's tournament set for the Djokovic-Shelton and Alcaraz-Medvedev semifinals, while the women's tournament waits to discover the winner between Gauff and Sabalenka. The concrete at Flushing Meadows is considered the most unpredictable of the slams and even if the four finalists include the top three in the ATP rankings, the trend is confirmed by the semi-unknown Ben Shelton, a left-handed American who is thrilling the New York audience. Among the traditions of the US Open, apart from the great heat - also a problem in this edition - there is a special attention to uniforms, which over the years has led the tennis players to use very imaginative kits such as Serena Williams' leather one (2004) to Andre Agassi's neon yellow faux-denim one from 1990. In this edition, two of the four men's finalists have something in common in this respect, namely their choice of singlet, a style also followed by Tiafoe, who went out in the quarters. 

Initially, Alcaraz's Nike singlet had attracted attention because of the colourful pattern, followed by Tiafoe. It seems that Nike only thought of that look for some of its athletes, considering that another face of the brand like the Italian Sinner took to the court in the traditional tee. It is not the first time that Nike and the world number one have chosen tank tops, a detail perhaps not accidental on the part of the Swoosh, which seems to want to prepare for Rafa Nadal's official farewell by continuing the aesthetic legacy of the Spaniard, who first used to wear tank tops, just like Alcaraz, and win slams, when he was in his early twenties. Carlos is also the closest thing to Nadal in terms of aesthetics and the Us Open singlet proves it. The rediscovery of the early 2000s style in fashion could lead to the singlet being the next trend in tennis as well, with athletes starting to follow and admire more and more the generational talent of tennis players like Alcaraz. 

Speaking of generational talents, the new one may have been joined by Ben Shelton, a 20-year-old who reached the semifinals wearing a kit made by the Swiss brand On. Who knows if among the crazy kits in the history of the US Open in a few years' time, we will include the Nike singlet of these two young talents - along with Tiafoe's - or if it will start a trend followed by other players on the circuit. For now, it seems that Nike and On is a very specific choice, certainly designed for the heat, which has led to the interruption of some matches and some tennis players using ice bags to cool down. An improbable final between Alcaraz and Shelton could make the singlet the real star of this New York slam, between biceps in sight and an aesthetic legacy to start writing, one Spanish player after another.