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5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Carlos Alcaraz is Turning Heads After French Open Announcement
Carlos Alcaraz is Turning Heads After French Open Announcement originally appeared on Athlon Sports. There's a reason Carlos Alcaraz is gaining popularity as the "Prince of Clay" — a nickname widely seen as a sign that he's following the "King of Clay," Rafael Nadal, as the next Spanish conqueror of the tennis clay surface. Advertisement On Sunday, Alcaraz beat American star Ben Shelton in a thrilling four-set affair, 7-6(8), 6-3, 4-6, 6-4. It wasn't an easy match for the No. 2 seed, who had a hard time countering Shelton's precise shots and cross-court returns. In fact, during the second set, Shelton delivered a strong return that Alcaraz appeared to send back and got a point for. However, the World No. 2 approached the umpire and admitted that he wasn't holding his racket when it made contact with the ball — which is not allowed. Shelton was awarded the point, while Alcaraz earned the respect of the Roland-Garros crowd for his class and sportsmanship. Still, it further highlighted how Shelton made things difficult for Alcaraz with his hard-to-reach shots. At the end of the day, though, Alcaraz fended off Shelton and booked a ticket to the French Open quarterfinal. Advertisement Furthermore, according to Roland-Garros, the win marked Alcaraz's 100th victory on clay surface, sparking excitement among fans. "New clay-level unlocked," Roland-Garros' Instagram wrote, along with an edited photo of Alcaraz while showing his milestone mark. "Carlitos the prince of clay," a commenter wrote. Another one said, "A giant of talent, athleticism, and sportsmanship. An example of what a real champion is." "Scary fact for the rest of the locker room: There's more to come," a fan stated. A supporter remarked, "The prince of clay! He will dominate the clay season. Hope he will be healthy all throughout years. Vamos Alcaraz." Advertisement "Great potential to build his own legacy on clay," a follower shared. A sixth poster added, "Carlos is physically fit, hardworker, and has mental perseverance, consistency, better conditioning and mobility. He's on [fire]." Carlos Alcaraz (ESP) reacts after missing a shot against David Goffin.© Geoff Burke-Imagn Images The 22-year-old Alcaraz won the French Open in 2024, and he certainly looks poised to defend his Grand Slam title with the way he's playing in this year's tournament. Related: French Open Announces Historic Qinwen Zheng News on Sunday This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 2, 2025, where it first appeared.
26-05-2025
- Sport
Rafael Nadal honored at French Open following retirement
Tennis legend and Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal was honored at the French Open over the weekend after retiring from the sport last year following a decadeslong career. Nadal, who earned 14 French Open titles over the years, starting with his tournament debut in 2005 at the age of 19, was commemorated at a farewell ceremony in Paris on Sunday, taking to Roland-Garros' famed Court Philippe-Chatrier in a dark suit and matching shirt to a standing ovation. He was joined on the court by longtime competitors and friends Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer, whom he thanked for their "amazing rivalries" and respect, despite being "tough" competition. "After all these years fighting for everything, you know, it's unbelievable how the time changed the perspective of everything ... all these nerves, pressure, strange feelings that you feel when you see each other when you are rivals, it's completely different when you finish your career," Nadal said, speaking alongside his former opponents. "I mean, at the end now, it's all about being happy about everything that we achieved. At the end, we all of us achieved our dreams." "You gave me some hard times on the court, honestly," he added, laughing. "But I really enjoyed it a lot, pushing myself to the limit every single day to compete with all of you." Nadal holds a 112-4 French Open record, and is considered one of the greatest clay court players of all time. In October, after more than two decades in the sport, which included 92 ATP-level singles titles and a Career Golden Slam -- all four major titles and an Olympic gold medal -- he announced he would be retiring the following month after the Davis Cup Finals in Málaga, Spain, his home country. "The reality is that it has been some difficult years, these last two especially," he said in a video announcement on social media at the time. "I don't think I have been able to play without limitations. It is obviously a difficult decision, one that has taken me some time to make … and I think it is the appropriate time to put an end to a career that has been long and much more successful than I could have ever imagined." Nadal's family attended his farewell ceremony on Sunday, sitting amid a sea of rust-colored T-shirts -- identical in color to the famed Philippe-Chatrier clay -- which read, "MERCI RAFA." The tennis icon at one point brought his son Rafael Jr. down onto the court with him, holding the toddler as he waved to the cheering crowd. "At the end, tennis is just a game," he said in his speech. "Sometimes we feel a little bit more, but I think we understand that at the end of the day, it's really only a game." Speaking to his former competitors, he added, "So what that means for me, that all of you are here, is everything. That's a great message to the world too, that we can be good friends, even if we had the best rivalries ... I really hope, and I'm sure that we will continue doing positive things for our sport in the future. Without a doubt, our legacy is there, but we need to keep building things that helps tennis to keep growing, and I'm sure we will make beautiful things together." French Tennis Federation President Gilles Moretton and French Open tournament director Amelie Mauresmo unveiled a courtside plaque at the close of Sunday's ceremony, a white rectangle bearing Nadal's footprint and name, as well as the number 14 -- a tally of Nadal's French Open victories -- and an illustration of the Coupe des Mousquetaires, the trophy awarded to the annual tournament winner.
