Carlos Alcaraz garnered praise at Roland Garros on Sunday for conceding a point to his opponent, Ben Shelton. The Spaniard, who won the round of 16 match in four sets, honestly admitted that his volley was not correct.
Alcaraz made the remarkable point at a 30-30 score in the first game of the second set. The defending champion was awarded the point but immediately admitted that he was no longer holding his racket when the ball was hit.
Shelton was still awarded the point and reached breakpoint. He had a total of six breakpoints in the same game, but Alcaraz worked them all away. The world number two eventually won in 7-6 (8), 6-3, 4-6 and 6-4.
“For a moment, I thought I didn’t have to say it, but then I would have felt very guilty,” said the 22-year-old Alcaraz afterwards. “If I know I’ve done something wrong, I have to be honest. To myself, but also to Ben and everyone else.”
“Tennis is also about respecting each other. And I have a lot of respect for Ben,” continued Alcaraz, who recorded his hundredth victory on clay. The youngster plays American Tommy Paul (ATP-12) in the quarter-finals on Tuesday.
In addition to the audience in Court Philippe-Chatrier, Shelton was also full of praise for Alcaraz’s action. “I thought the point was valid,” said the equally 22-year-old American. “I was surprised that he admitted it right away. He clearly values sportsmanship highly.”