Carlos Alcaraz went shirtless. The match ended, the drama didn't

Carlos Alcaraz took off his shirt after defeating his opponent at the US Open. The moment has somehow shifted online into a debate over objectification, gender double standards and court-side conduct.A shirtless photo of Carlos Alcaraz from the 2024 Australian Open at Melbourne Park. (Photo: Getty Images)“Wonder what the reaction would be if a group of men all took out cameras while a female athlete was undressing.”You want to know what triggered this comment on X? Well, we’ll let you into a short story.After beating Wu Yibing 6-3, 6-4, 6-1 at Arthur Ashe Stadium at the ongoing US Open on Friday, Carlos Alcaraz was seen taking off his shirt and undershirt. What followed was a flurry of reactions from the stands, with some women in the front rows pulling out their phones to capture a glimpse of the tennis star shirtless. Giggling, smiling and even letting out loud cheers, some fans appeared visibly excited by the moment.Videos from the match quickly made their way to the internet, and, of course, people had opinions. What followed was less about tennis and more about a familiar social media debate: would the reaction have been the same if the genders were reversed? A section of the internet called out the women for “objectifying” Alcaraz, arguing that filming and openly reacting to a shirtless male athlete would be viewed differently if a female athlete were in a similar situation.An X user, who goes by the name Jimmy Smith, wrote: “So thirsty middle aged women taking pictures and lusting over a young man is cute and fun and warrants a ‘laughing emoji’. Now imagine Emma Raducanu was in her sportsbra on court and 40+ year old men started filming her licking their lips with lust!”“I expect the outraged feminists to be screaming MISANDRY from the rooftops on this one. No?! Oh right... they don't actually care about equality. I forgot,” another user wrote.But not everyone was discussing the gender dynamics. Some questioned Alcaraz himself and wondered why he chose to take off his shirt in front of the crowd rather than simply change it away from the court.One X user, Danny Copus, called the moment “one of the lamest most arrogant DB-level things” a professional athlete could do, arguing that there was “zero reason” for Alcaraz to take off his shirt while facing the fans.And then there was the woman whose wide-eyed reaction to the shirtless Alcaraz was captured on camera. Her expression quickly became fodder for memes, adding another layer to an already very internet-y moment.Either way, Alcaraz's shirt lasted three sets. The debate over it looks set to last considerably longer.Prior to this match, Alcaraz's loose-fitting brown Nike tank top, part of a Travis Scott x Cactus Jack collaboration, became one of the talking points of his first two matches at the US Open. The sleeveless outfit kept slipping during points, exposing more of the Spaniard's chest than he apparently intended. Of course, that was a point of contention on social media as well.- EndsPublished By: Tiasa Bhowal Published On: Sep 7, 2026 15:52 IST