"Jack Draper take notes" - Fans impressed by Carlos Alcaraz's exemplary act of sportsmanship in French Open win vs Ben Shelton

Fans compared Carlos Alcaraz and Jack Draper after the Spaniard's admirable on-court honesty came to the fore as he conceded a point to opponent Ben Shelton in the pair's fourth-round clash at the 2025 French Open. Alcaraz later disclosed why he conceded the point when he could have kept quiet. His response prompted fans to bring up Draper, who was involved in a controversy at last year's Cincinnati Open.

During the second set of Alcaraz's 7-6(8), 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 victory against Shelton, the Spaniard desperately flung his racket to return a passing shot from the American. Astonishingly, Alcaraz's attempt was successful in not only sending the ball back, but also in earning the Spaniard the point.

However, the defending champion at Roland Garros openly admitted that he had broken the rules, which state that a player must be holding the racket when hitting a shot. According to Carlos Alcaraz, the racket had left his hands when it made contact with the ball, and the Spaniard ultimately conceded the point. Later, the ATP No. 2 said he would have felt guilty had he not been honest about the incident.

"I could not say anything, but I would have feel guilty. If I know that I did a wrong thing, wrong shots or an illegal shot, I have to say. You know, I have to be honest with myself. with Ben, with everyone. I think the sport should be like this."

Several tennis fans on X (formerly Twitter) revisited Jack Draper's double bounce controversy on match point in the Brit's third-round clash against Felix Auger-Aliassime at the 2024 Cincinnati Open. On that occasion, the chair umpire erroneously ruled in favor of Draper despite Auger-Aliassime's protests, with the Brit maintaining he wasn't aware of whether there was a double bounce.

"Jack Draper take notes," one fan wrote.

"Unlike "double bounce" Jack Draper, who could learn some sportmanship from Alcaraz," commented another.

"Not only is Carlos a great tennis player, he is also a great person. Draper could certainly learn a thing or two from him: to beat an opponent, you have to play fair," another fan chimed in.

There were others who lauded Alcaraz over his sporting gesture.

"His innocence is refreshing… his sincerity powerful," opined one fan.

"The most amazing human in every way. @carlosalcaraz," another added.

"His parents did a marvelous job raising him. Very mature for his age," weighed in yet another fan.

Draper received fierce backlash from fans in the aftermath of his controversial win against Auger-Aliassime in Cincinnati. Later, the Brit defended himself and opened up about how difficult it was for him to deal with the relentless criticism.

"In that moment, I couldn’t do anything because I didn’t know" - Jack Draper on Cincinnati Open 2024 double bounce fiasco

Jack Draper (Source: Getty)

With fans furiously questioning Jack Draper's integrity on the back of his victory against Felix Auger-Aliassime at the 2024 Cincinnati Open, the Brit broke his silence on the raging controversy in an interview with The Guardian. Draper laid bare his belief in fair play but stated that his lack of awareness of the double bounce stemmed from the rapid pace of play. The Brit said:

"I was thinking about it four days non-stop. I was really upset by it – like I said, it’s something I really think is more important than anything, it’s respect, it’s honesty, it’s fair play and all this sort of stuff. I’ve done it on the tour before where I’ve maybe given a second serve because there’s been a loud noise or something. And I always play by those things. But honestly, in that moment, I couldn’t do anything because I didn’t know – that was the honest truth of it."

While Carlos Alcaraz has already reached the quarterfinals of the 2025 French Open, Jack Draper will look to do the same on Monday, June 2. The Brit faces the talented and often unpredictable Alexander Bublik in the fourth round of the clay Major.