Carlos Alcaraz Displays Incredible Sportsmanship On His Way To French Open Quarterfinals
Alcaraz proved he's more than just a talented athlete.
Sometimes, an elite athlete does something that’s so classy it makes you tip your cap and go, "I don’t care who you are, that was awesome." Alcaraz delivered one of those moments today at the French Open.
PARIS, FRANCE - JUNE 01: Carlos Alcaraz of Spain celebrates a point against Ben Shelton of United States during the Men's Singles Fourth Round match on Day Eight of the 2025 French Open at Roland Garros on June 01, 2025 in Paris, France. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
Alcaraz was matched up with American Ben Shelton in fourth round action at Roland Garros. In the second set, the two served up an electric seven-shot rally that saw a couple of incredible shots. The most incredible shot seemed to come from Alcaraz, in which he lunged to his backhand for a perfectly placed winner as Shelton could only watch.
However, he immediately admitted to the umpire that the racket was not in his hand when he made contact. That means that Shelton won the point as a result.
Sportsmanship is a dying art in today’s sports world, so it’s awesome to see an athlete of Alcaraz’s caliber set a great example in one of his sport’s biggest tournaments.
I’m not the biggest fan of Carlos Alcaraz. It’s not that I hate the guy or think he’s a jerk. For all his talent and potential, I just can’t bring myself to root for him.
I will, however, go hoarse from cheering for Novak Djokovic - the G.O.A.T. - whenever he plays. But I digress.
However, I can't ignore how awesome this was. Alcaraz could have simply pretended that it was a legal hit, claimed the point and left it at that. But as soon as he saw the ump wasn’t going to make that call, he said something and made sure Shelton got his point.
Alcaraz would end up handling business by winning in four sets, 7-6 (10-8), 6-3, 4-6, 6-4. Simply for act of sportsmanship, I hope the Spaniard does well as the tournament progresses.
But if he crosses paths with Djoklovic at any point, you’ll know who I’ll be rooting for.