Carlos Alcaraz hilariously 'beat' Ben Shelton up after the American fell over during an electrifying rally at their Garden Cup exhibition battle. The two men were all smiles as they left the entire crowd in splits with their act.
Alcaraz and Shelton are currently lighting up the iconic Madison Square Garden in New York for the first Garden Cup since 2018. The event kicked off with Emma Navarro scoring a 7-6, 7-5 win against Jessica Pegula following which the two young men took center stage.
Their match produced a hilarious moment that left the crowd in splits. During one of their rallies, the Spaniard forced the American to come to the net and extend his entire body, leaving him on the ground, to return the ball. And though Shelton succeeded in getting to the ball, Alcaraz comfortably put the ball over on the other side of the net, which had no one to return, with a comfortable volley.
The commentators and the crowd initially expressed their concern for the 22-year-old following which the Spaniard rushed to help him with a huge smile on his face. However, in a hilarious turn of events, rather than helping him, Carlos Alcaraz imitated 'beating' Ben Shelton which caused a huge laugh among everyone.
The American immediately got up and could also be seen laughing giving a low-fi to the Spaniard.
Here's a look at the incident:
Alcaraz came back from a set down to clinch the Garden Cup 4-6, 6-2, 1-0.
The two men also recently attended the New York Knicks' match against the Orlando Magic together. The Spaniard also took part in a New York cab-hailing quiz alongside his American contemporaries.
"Favorite player to share the court" - Carlos Alcaraz hails Ben Shelton for his 'creative' style of play
Speaking to the media before his Garden Cup exhibition against Ben Shelton, Carlos Alcaraz hailed his opponent as his 'favorite' player to play against. The two men have played twice with the Spaniard leading 2-0.
“Favorite player to share the court with because of how creative he is and the style he plays. Every time we play, you hear the crowd go crazy on both sides (…). It’s one of the games I enjoy the most,” added the American.
The entire tennis world is aware of the quality of tennis the two young stars are capable of producing. And while Alcaraz may have seen significantly higher levels of success, Shelton's aggressive style is considered a force to be reckoned with.