As the sun beat down on the hallowed grass of Wimbledon’s Centre Court, Carlos Alcaraz, the two-time defending champion, powered through to the fourth round of the 2025 Championships with a hard-fought 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory over Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff. The 22-year-old Spaniard, riding a career-best 21-match winning streak, is chasing a historic third consecutive Wimbledon title, a feat achieved by only four men in the Open Era. Yet, beyond his explosive forehands and lightning-fast court coverage, it’s a small blue patch on his chest that has captured attention—a cutting-edge device designed to optimize his performance in the sweltering London heat. “I always say that details make the difference,” Alcaraz declared, revealing the secret behind his innovative approach to staying at “100%” on the court.
The patch, known as the SweaTracker, is a product of Spanish startup Sweanty, founded by siblings Llorella and Laura Ortega in July 2021. This high-tech wearable, still in its prototype phase but slated for commercial release in early 2026, analyzes sweat and electrolyte loss in real time, providing personalized hydration strategies to keep athletes at their peak. “The patches allow us to analyse sweat and propose personalised hydration guidelines,” explained Anna Llorella, co-founder of Sweanty, which clinched the Allianz Startup Challenge in March 2024. By adhering to the skin during matches, the SweaTracker monitors sweat rate and key electrolyte depletion, such as sodium, offering data that Alcaraz uses to fine-tune his fluid intake. “It probably only helps me one or two percent more,” he admitted, “but I believe, as I said, that details make the difference.”
Alcaraz’s embrace of this technology comes at a critical time. Wimbledon 2025 has been marked by record-breaking heat, with the opening day registering as the hottest in the tournament’s history. Temperatures soaring above 32°C have tested players’ endurance, making hydration a crucial factor in long, grueling matches. Alcaraz, no stranger to marathon battles, famously overcame muscle cramps to defeat Jannik Sinner in a five-hour, 29-minute French Open final in June 2025, a match where he sipped pickle juice to combat cramping. The SweaTracker, which he also used during his Roland Garros triumph, provides a more scientific approach, informing him “what I should take during matches, before matches, to be at 100%.” He noted its importance in London’s heatwave: “This week, last week, and I think next week it’s going to be quite hot. So I think it will be great to know what I should take more of—more water or whatever.”
This isn’t Alcaraz’s first foray into performance-enhancing tech. In November 2024, he wore a nasal strip at the ABN AMRO Open in Rotterdam to aid breathing, and earlier in 2025, he added five grams of lead tape to his Babolat Pure Aero 98 racket to increase shot weight. “It helps me because my shots are heavier, and for certain shots like the serve and the return that’s always useful,” he said of the racket tweak. These innovations reflect his relentless pursuit of marginal gains, a mindset that has propelled him to five Grand Slam titles, including back-to-back Wimbledon crowns in 2023 and 2024, and a Career Surface Slam at age 21.
Alcaraz’s journey at Wimbledon 2025 has been anything but straightforward. His first-round clash against Fabio Fognini, a 38-year-old Italian in his final Wimbledon appearance, stretched to four and a half hours, with Alcaraz prevailing 7-5, 6-7(5), 7-5, 2-6, 6-1 in a match paused to aid a heat-stricken spectator. “Playing in such high heat is really difficult to deal with,” he said, “and it is even tougher when you’re playing long matches, long rallies.” He followed with a 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 win over British qualifier Oliver Tarvet, praising the debutant’s game: “I just love his game, to be honest.” Against Struff, Alcaraz faced constant pressure, saving eight of ten break points. “I was suffering in every service game I did today,” he admitted. “It was stressful.”
Now, Alcaraz faces 14th seed Andrey Rublev in the round of 16, a formidable opponent who reached the Wimbledon quarterfinals in 2023. With a 2-1 head-to-head lead over Rublev, Alcaraz is favored to advance, but his quest for a third straight title faces stiff competition from top seed Jannik Sinner and seven-time champion Novak Djokovic. His grass-court prowess, enhanced by the SweaTracker, positions him as a favorite to join Bjorn Borg as the only men to complete the Roland Garros-Wimbledon double in consecutive years. As he continues to dazzle with his speed, spin, and showmanship, Alcaraz’s high-tech edge underscores his belief that in elite tennis, “details make the difference.”
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