THE INCREDIBLE GESTURE OF SPORTSMANSHIP BY ALCARAZ THAT LEFT SHELTON SPEECHLESS.
Carlos Alcaraz has shown on several occasions to have a spirit of fair play and spectacular sportsmanship, but what he did in the first game of the second set during his match against Ben Shelton in the 2025 Roland Garros round of 16, reaches a higher level.The Spaniard rushed to volley a ball that was difficult on his backhand side and had the reflex to release the racket. The ball went in, and the point was his, but at that same moment, he was heading towards the chair umpire to tell him that the impact of his racket with the ball occurred after he had released the racket, something not allowed in the rules. Shelton couldn’t believe it.
Shelton smiled ironically for a while , licking his lips at the same time. A touch of class from Carlitos, who gave the point to Ben Shelton after telling the chair umpire he did not have his racket in his hand when contact was made with the ball .
Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz etched his name deeper in clay by overcoming American Ben Shelton 7-6(
6-3 4-6 6-4 for his 100th tour-level win on the surface to reach the French Open quarter-finals for a fourth successive year on Sunday. And Shelton leaves Paris with his head held high. Quote: “Both positive and negative feelings. I think my overall level was good. I believe I played well for most of the match and maintained my level, which pleases me. The most difficult part of playing against the best is sustaining the level over time. I am happy with that aspect of my game. “For me, this is the closest I have felt – just talking about Alcaraz right now. – It’s the time I’ve come closest to his level, the most pressure I believe I’ve applied, the most comfortable I’ve felt in baseline exchanges, the best I’ve hit my backhand open when he pressed there. In that sense, it’s also ironic that it’s on clay, possibly his best surface, and possibly my least experienced surface.” “I enjoyed it 100%. I think that’s the kind of match, the level of match, the type of game I like, you know, strong shots from both sides. I think there were many great rallies. Yes, those are the kinds of matches you live for, the environments for which at least I live, and, you know, the situations in which you want to put yourself more and more.”
6-3 4-6 6-4 for his 100th tour-level win on the surface to reach the French Open quarter-finals for a fourth successive year on Sunday. And Shelton leaves Paris with his head held high. Quote: “Both positive and negative feelings. I think my overall level was good. I believe I played well for most of the match and maintained my level, which pleases me. The most difficult part of playing against the best is sustaining the level over time. I am happy with that aspect of my game. “For me, this is the closest I have felt – just talking about Alcaraz right now. – It’s the time I’ve come closest to his level, the most pressure I believe I’ve applied, the most comfortable I’ve felt in baseline exchanges, the best I’ve hit my backhand open when he pressed there. In that sense, it’s also ironic that it’s on clay, possibly his best surface, and possibly my least experienced surface.” “I enjoyed it 100%. I think that’s the kind of match, the level of match, the type of game I like, you know, strong shots from both sides. I think there were many great rallies. Yes, those are the kinds of matches you live for, the environments for which at least I live, and, you know, the situations in which you want to put yourself more and more.”They both played full on and kept an outstanding attitude throughout.And seemed almost like buddies on the court. Never a bad gesture ! Alcaraz explains today : “Today I fought against myself, in my mind,” said Alcaraz.
“I tried to calm myself as I was mad, angry and talking not really good things. I’m really happy not to let those thoughts play against me. I tried to calm myself and keep going.” And now he ll book a meeting with another American in Tommy Paul.
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