Spanish tennis star Carlos Alcaraz not only made waves by defeating Ben Shelton in the fourth round of the French Open but also impressed with a remarkable display of sportsmanship during the match. At one moment in the second set, Alcaraz called a foul on himself, even though the point had initially been awarded to him.
The point could have been pivotal in a grueling battle that lasted three hours and 19 minutes. Although Alcaraz went on to defeat Shelton, his fair play surprised the American, who later talked about the incident.
Ben Shelton Praises Carlos Alcaraz’s Display of Sportsmanship During French Open 4R
Serving at 7-6(8), 0-0, 30/30, the Spaniard got close to the net, hit a forehand, and then followed it up with a volley. Shelton swiftly responded with a powerful forehand, but Alcaraz stretched to make contact with the ball, which initially appeared a winner.
In a remarkable display of sportsmanship, Alcaraz told the umpire he had lost grip of his racket and struck the ball without holding it. Thus, Shelton was awarded the point.
Too much 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 👏#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/ctCh7Lrrmq
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 1, 2025
During his post-match press conference, Shelton recalled Alcaraz admitting at the net that he had thrown his racket to make the shot. The 22-year-old, who initially believed it was a clean point, admitted he was surprised by the four-time Grand Slam champion’s honesty.
“For me, I was like, of course, he hit a winner on that. I thought it was clean, I thought he hit the volley, and the racket flew out of his hand. I was kind of surprised that he was like, ‘No, I let go of the racket and threw it.’ Maybe slow motion showed that he did throw the racket. So I guess I was surprised that he gave up the point,” he said.
Shelton praised Alcaraz for his sportsmanship and recalled a similar incident with Alexander Bublik at the 2024 National Bank Open, where the Russian threw his racket and made perfect contact, though the shot was ultimately ruled invalid.
“Obviously guy with a lot of sportsmanship. That’s never really an issue for him. So, yeah, crazy shot. It was one of those, I think Bublik had something similar against me in Montreal, where it’s just like a ridiculous shot. Kind of sad that it doesn’t count,” he added.
Carlos Alcaraz Opens Up on Conceding Point to Shelton in French Open Fourth Round
Alcaraz, who is chasing his fifth Major title at the French Open this fortnight, went on to save six break points against Shelton and eventually won 7-6(8), 6-3, 4-6, 6-4. The former World No. 1 also addressed the incident in his post-match press conference, admitting he would have felt guilty if he hadn’t called the foul on himself.
“You know, I have to say, I thought, ‘OK, I could not say anything,’ but I would have felt guilty if I didn’t say anything about it. It’s just about if I know that I did a wrong thing, wrong shots or an illegal shot, I have to say. I have to be honest with myself. I have to be honest with Ben, with everyone,” he said.
After defeating Shelton, Alcaraz will face Tommy Paul in the quarterfinals, marking their sixth tour-level meeting. The Spaniard leads their head-to-head 4–2, and the winner will go on to face either Frances Tiafoe or Lorenzo Musetti in the semifinals.
