American tennis star Ben Shelton recently praised Carlos Alcaraz, saying he’s “his favorite player to share the court with.” Both of them are currently in NY, taking part in the Garden Cup exhibition event. Recently, they were spotted enjoying in the American city ahead of their exhibition match. They even attended an NBA match between the Orlando Magic and the New York Knicks. Even during their tennis match, they were caught having a few cheeky moments with each other. The atmosphere was quite electrifying inside the Madison Square Garden and these two made the event more enthralling with their energetic presence on the court.

Previously while speaking about Alcaraz, Ben Shelton said, “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.” Now, during the match, they shared quite a few hilarious moments. Take for example, there was an instance when Carlos Alcaraz was seen saying he’s doing his best but it’s not easy to return Shelton’s serve. After that, Shelton was also seen apologizing for launching those ‘rockets‘ towards the Spaniard.

Then there was another moment when Carlos Alcaraz was seen hilariously ‘beating up‘ Ben Shelton after the American slipped over during an electrifying rally. So, this incident took place when Alcaraz forced Shelton to come to the net and extend his entire body, leaving him on the floor while returning the ball. Although the American successfully managed to get to the ball, Alcaraz comfortably put the ball over to the other side of the net. Shelton lost that point!

Everyone inside the stadium got a bit concerned seeing the young American on the floor. However, later on, Alcaraz was seen rushing to the other side to lend a hand to Ben Shelton. Both of them burst out in laughter after this hilarious moment. Then, later on, Alcaraz jokingly imitated ‘beating‘ Shelton. Fans loved this moment featuring two of the promising stars in the tennis world! These glimpses of Alcaraz and Shelton clearly portrayed how much they enjoyed playing against each other. Who won the match, though?

Well, Carlos Alcaraz came back from a set down to clinch the Garden Cup 4-6,6-2,1-0. This was Carlos Alcaraz’s third victory over Ben Shelton. The previous one came at the 2024 Laver Cup! Now, the Spaniard has to travel all the way to Charlotte for The Charlotte Invitational, where he’d face another American star, Frances Tiafoe. However, this wasn’t the only moment when we saw both Alcaraz and Shelton showering love and praise on each other.

Ben Shelton hails Carlos Alcaraz as the “present and future of tennis”

Ben Shelton hasn’t yet opened his account against Carlos Alcaraz! In 2023, the American was asked to reflect a bit on what makes Carlos Alcaraz a difficult opponent to face. While replying to that question, Shelton said, “I think he’s really good at applying pressure, taking away time, and playing really aggressive tennis.” He said Alcaraz is a great mover on the court and claimed that it’s “pretty great” to see everything that he’s done so far in his career. “[He is] definitely the present and future of tennis,” said Shelton.

Shelton once revealed that he first heard about Carlos Alcaraz when he was just 14 years old. The American didn’t travel internationally as a junior, but the word was spreading about the Spanish teen’s incredible potential. Ben Shelton revealed that he had watched a few clips of Alcaraz at that age and he couldn’t believe how polished of a player (he was), and how many skills he had at such a young age. Then, even this year, we’ve seen the American heaping praise on Alcaraz on multiple occasions.

Take for example, after facing defeat to the Spaniard at the 2024 Laver Cup, he said, “I had good chances in the first set, but any small mistake against Carlos when he’s at this level is fatal.” He highlighted how there’s “no margin for error” in front of someone like Alcaraz. Even in October, during an interview, he highly praised Carlitos saying, “Alcaraz is a great athlete, capable of hitting every shot imaginable, he entertains the crowd and always has a smile on his face. He is a personality on the court, that is what I love to watch and he gives me that feeling of seeing an artist but also someone who plays at the highest level.” Has Alcaraz ever showered praise on the American, though?

Well, yes! It happened in 2023 during the Canadian Open. After beating Shelton in the R32, Carlos Alcaraz said, “He’s a really nice tennis player, he hits the ball hard and I don’t remember anyone hitting the ball like that. He serves very strong and I almost broke the ropes to answer him, I’m sure he will stay on the upper floors for a long time and we will play many challenges together. He is very aggressive, he comes to the net and he didn’t let me play his game, he often decided how the rally was going to end.” Share your thoughts on this strong bond between these two ATP stars.