The World No.2 and Spanish tennis star Carlos Alcaraz’s sportsmanship was on display during his fourth-round French Open 2025 clash against American Ben Shelton at Philippe-Chatrier Arena on Sunday, June 1.
An incredible gesture of sportsmanship by Alcaraz came in the opening game of the second set against Ben Shelton. The gesture received applause from the crowd at the Philippe-Chatrier Arena, while Shelton was left speechless.
The score was 30-30 when Carlos Alcaraz was serving and returned a couple of rallies from Ben Shelton before going to the baseline for a volley. While attempting a backhand volley, Alcaraz threw his racquet in desperation, but managed to get the ball over the net. However, Alcaraz conceded the point after he informed the umpire that the racket was not in his hand when the ball made contact.
After the umpire awarded the point to Shelton, the American was visibly surprised by Alcaraz’s gesture of sportsmanship.
WATCH: Shelton left speechless by Alcaraz’s sportsmanship
Meanwhile, Carlos Alcaraz had a very shaky start to the fourth round as he faced a tough challenge from Ben Shelton. The 22-year-old American tennis player came out with a big serve, aggressive groundstrokes, and a fearless approach, pushing the first set to the tiebreaker. Alcaraz and Shelton fight out to take the first set, and eventually the Spaniard held his nerve in the tiebreaker to edge past Shelton 7(10)-6(8), showcasing his composure under pressure.
In the following set, Carlos Alcaraz looked far more settled compared to the opening set, dictating the rallies with his trademark heavy topspin and sharp court coverage. Though the score stood at 3-2 at one stage, Alcaraz took control and eventually sealed the set 6-3. At the time of writing this article, Ben Shelton bounced back and took the third set 6-4.
Carlos Alcaraz aims to achieve Rafael Nadal’s recordCarlos Alcaraz is the defending champion of the French Open as he clinched his maiden title of the clay-court Grand Slam last year, defeating German tennis star Alexander Zverev. As the defending champion, Alcaraz is aiming to achieve Rafael Nadal’s record of winning back-to-back French Open titles.
Only Rafael Nadal has won two or more consecutive titles in the history of the French Open in the Open Era, achieving this feat on three separate occasions, including five titles on the trot from 2010 to 2014. If Alcaraz successfully defends his French Open crown, he would become the first player since Rafael Nadal in 2006 to win consecutive titles of the tournament.
Carlos Alcaraz had a brilliant start to his French Open title defence, defeating Giulio Zeppieri of Italy in three straight sets in the opening round. In the second round, the 22-year-old Spaniard had a tough battle against Fabian Marozsan of Hungary, but managed to overcome the challenge and won in four sets.
In the third round, Alcaraz won the first two sets easily against Damir Dzumhur before the Bosnian took the third set. However, the Spanish tennis star bounced back and took the fourth set to seal his victory.
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