'I Was Mad': Alcaraz Reflects On Being 'Angry' During Shelton Win At Roland Garros

Sunday, 01 June 2025 at 22:00

byErik Virostko

Carlos Alcaraz wasn't very satisfied with himself after beating Ben Shelton to reach the quarter-finals of this year's Roland Garros.

Alcaraz kept his winning streak at Roland Garros. The Spaniard won the trophy this year, and he won his first four matches this year, which means he is currently on an 11-match winning streak on the Parisian clay.

His latest victim was Ben Shelton, who played a really solid match. The American player had three set points in the opening set of the match, and he had six break points in the opening game of the second set.

Shelton then won the third set, but his efforts in the first two sets and the fourth set were not enough to trouble the defending champion. Alcaraz won the match 7-6(8), 6-3, 4-6, 6-4.

But despite winning and showcasing his sportsmanship, there were some things that the ATP World No. 2 player was not happy about. Alcaraz is often criticized for mentally failing during his matches, struggling to keep the same level throughout the match.

Although this time he faced a high-quality opponent, Alcaraz seemingly wasn't happy about losing that one set. After the match, the second seed admitted that he kept fighting against himself.

"Today I fought against myself, against the mind. I just tried to calm myself. In some moments, I was mad, I was angry with myself. Talking not really good things, but I am really happy to not let those thoughts play against me. I tried to calm myself down, and I tried to keep going. That is what I tried."

The respect between Alcaraz and Shelton was on full display during the match. One of the moments when the two showed respect for each other happened already in the first set when Shelton offered his opponent to replay a point after the Spaniard thought there was a missed let call.

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Then, in the second set, Alcaraz returned the favor by admitting he played one of the balls illegally, as he didn't hold the racket in his hand when the ball hit it.

Following the win, the four-time Grand Slam champion spoke about his relationship with Shelton, talking about their mutual respect, but also how well they were able to play.

"We have huge respect for each other. Every time we face each other, we [bring] the top level. We played really good tennis and entertained the fans. He is a really powerful player, he can make any shot."

"I think we played really great tennis. Coming to the net, drop shots, forehands. For me it is great having Ben around. I think it is great energy for the people and I love watching Ben play."

Alcaraz will take on yet another American in the quarter-finals of the tournament. His opponent will be the 12th-seeded Tommy Paul, and if he beats Paul, Alcaraz might face yet another player from the United States. That will happen if Frances Tiafoe beats the winner of the match between Lorenzo Musetti and Holger Rune.