Ben Shelton took a subtle jibe at the reporter who dragged him into a conversation about the US team and the World Cup during the buildup to the World Cup. Apart from Shelton’s harrowing run at the French Open, his unexpected conversation about the World Cup became one of the talking points of his campaign.
When three weeks remained before the tournament opener between South Africa and Mexico, Shelton was asked about his interest in the World Cup, especially the “really bad” US team, during a press conference.
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“How invested will you be in that World Cup? The U.S. team looks really bad, so what do you think?” a reporter asked.
The question prompted a back-and-forth between the two as the World No. 5 responded:
“Where are you from?”
“I’m from Austria. We look good. We look good, I can tell you that,” the reporter replied.
“I don’t know anything about the Austrian football team,” Shelton quipped.
“You should,” reporter said.
Shelton ended the exchange by asserting that he would watch the World Cup and said:
“I was thinking that at first you were French, and I would have given you that, because they’re very, very good. Now I’m, like, really, dude? I’ll probably be more invested in Wimbledon than the World Cup, but I’ll be watching, for sure.”
The World Cup kicked off, and the co-hosts, the US, opened their account with an emphatic 4-1 win over Paraguay. Shelton, who is competing at the ongoing Boss Open, didn’t forget his exchange with the reporter. He recently took to Instagram to take another jibe at the reporter. He posted a meme about the US attack on his story and playfully wrote:
“I wonder if that reporter that was clownin me in Paris still yappin.”
For the unversed, the US is ranked 15th by FIFA while Austria sits 10 ranks behind in the 25th spot. The US is placed in Group D alongside Turkey, Australia and Paraguay. Meanwhile, Austria is placed in Group J with Algeria, Jordan and defending champions Argentina.
Ben Shelton continues impressive run after disappointing French Open
Returning to the tennis front, it appears Ben Shelton has put his underwhelming run at Roland Garros behind him with his recent display at the Boss Open. The World No. 5 suffered a second-round exit at the French Open after a shambolic performance against Raphael Collignon.
He arrived for the ATP 250 event in Stuttgart for his first appearance on grass this season, looking to find his mojo before Wimbledon. While he has exhibited signs of brilliance in patches, Ben Shelton has still managed to orchestrate match-winning performances. His first two games were pushed to the next day due to bad light and slippery conditions.
He trailed after losing the first set against Marcos Giron but bounced back to claim a 6–7(4), 6–4, 7–6(5) win. At one point, he was trailing 3-5 in the third set and stood on the verge of an early exit. However, he kept his nerves in check to seal his place in the quarter-finals.
The trend continued in the quarter-finals as Ben Shelton then locked horns against Sho Shimabukuro. He lost the opening set, saw the suspension of the game and returned to notch a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 and progress into the semi-finals.
Ben Shelton faced yet another stern test against Jiri Lechka as all three sets were decided in a tie-break. He lost the opening set yet again but scripted another comeback to storm into the final with a 6-7(4), 7-6(16), 7-6(6) victory. The final will be an all-American clash as Ben Sheltin would need to overcome Taylor Fritz to claim his first title on grass.
Edited by Shyam Kamal
