PARIS — Carlos Alcaraz conjured up what initially appeared — to the chair umpire, to everyone watching in the stands or on TV, and to his opponent, Ben Shelton — to be a remarkable lunging volley to win a point Sunday at the French Open.
Alcaraz knew it shouldn’t count, though. So after briefly thinking about it, the reigning champion at Roland-Garros fessed up and called himself for breaking the rules, handing the point to Shelton during what would become a 7-6 (8), 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 victory for Alcaraz in the fourth round.
“It’s a shame, because it was the ‘Hot Shot’ of the day,” Alcaraz said later with a smile.
“Crazy shot,” Shelton said.
Here’s what happened: Early in the second set, Shelton whipped a passing shot well out of Alcaraz’s reach up at the net. So Alcaraz flung his racket — and, as his equipment flipped through the air, its strings somehow not only made contact with the ball but sent it back over the net and onto the other side of the clay court.