I wish people would lay off Ben Shelton. I'm not big fan of his on court antics but that's just my preference. The criticism he is getting is way over the top. He's a bright young star on scene and already everyone is trying to knock him down, I find it pathetic.
Ben Shelton has hit out at tennis fans and pundits who criticise his antics on the court
Tennis NewsWednesday, 20 September 2023 at 10:30
Ben Shelton has hit out at those who criticize his on-court behavior, saying players can't display their emotions without being "looked down upon."
20-year-old Shelton proved his place as a rising talent in the sport when he made it to the semi-finals of this year's US Open. As a result, he saw a meteoric rise in the ATP Ranking, moving up to World No. 19.
Along the way, he faced tenth seed Frances Tiafoe in the quarter-finals and ended up setting a trend while celebrating his victory as he mimed picking up a phone and hanging up. However, while some fans loved it, the American has also received a lot of criticism for his on-court antics.
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Shelton calls out critics
In an interview with GQ, Shelton called out the fans and pundits criticizing his antics, saying that they even frown upon rational behavior.
"Every little thing that you do, even if it’s not out of control - you don’t need to be swearing or breaking racquets - is looked down upon in tennis. If I win a big point and I’m screaming… people will say something - ‘He celebrates too hard. He is out of control. Be humble,'" he said.
The player has previously addressed social media trolls, saying he actively pays attention to them and uses them as motivation.
"I'm not a guy who gets frightened or scared by comments on social media. When people are saying negative things about me, that just drives me. It's not something that I ever worry about.
"If I go to sleep at night thinking about it, it's more anger than me being sad. That helps me get out of bed and go to work every single day, work hard to get to where I want to be. I like seeing those comments sometimes or messages or doubters. I think that it's something that helps fuel me," he explained.
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