Ben Shelton has put himself in the limelight by clocking jaw-dropping speeds off the racket. No wonder Mats Wilander calls him an “extremely dangerous player,” considering his incredible power and precision behind his shots. The Italian star, Andrea Vavassori, came ‘in the firing line’ of Shelton during their doubles match in the R16 of the 2025 Monte Carlo Masters. And not just metaphorically. Shelton has been drawing a lot of criticism after Vavassori got injured in an unfortunate act during the heated second-round doubles match. But what really happened?
Well, Ben Shelton teamed up with Rohan Bopanna (IND) to beat the Italian duo Simone Bolelli and Vavassori in the R16 of the Monte Carlo Masters by 2-6,7-6(4),10-7. However, more than the scoreline, the verbal arguments due to an unexpected injury during the match became the talk of the town. Andrea Vavassori could be seen bemoaning how Shelton struck his body. He chastised the 22-year-old American’s aggressive and on-court conduct throughout the match. The Italian even complained to the chair umpire that Shelton hit him with a shot in the first set. But Shelton was having none of it. “It’s tennis.. not baseball..So soft, so soft, Vamos,” he said after Vavassori protested to the chair umpire.
Interestingly, a couple of days later, Vavassori announced that he had to withdraw his name from the Barcelona Open due to that rib injury.”Sadly, I have to withdraw from Barcelona next week due to a rib injury (that) happened at the beginning of yesterday’s match. Exams showed a little infraction, so have to stop playing for some days. See you in Madrid.”
Although Bopanna and Shelton got eliminated by Manuel Guinard and Romain Arneodo in the QF, the feud between Shelton and Vavassori in the previous round is still fresh. The American tennis legend Sam Querrey brought it up in the recent episode of the Nothing Major Show.
He asked, John Isner and Steve Johnson, “Did you guys see that double drama? Ben Shelton hit Vavassori with a ball not on purpose. It‘ like you get hit with a tennis ball sometimes, took a forehand hit him in the chest and then Vavassori like a little baby threw like a full complaint that Shelton was trying to hurt him on the purpose and then Vavassori is pulled out of Barcelona now and then Shelto as you guys saw kind of called him ‘soft‘ and ‘we’re like playing tennis’. I loved it.“
Isner responded, saying, “Shelton put his hand up to apologize too. It’s not like he hit him and then screamed in his face like that’s one thing if you’re going to someone and like scream in your face and be all theatrical about it. Like it didn’t hit him in the b-lls either. Like he got him good, like he’s fine.”
Johnson chimed in as well, as he remarked, “I think you both are completely right. Like it’s insane to get mad like that in a tennis match. Like you go through somebody, you don’t go around them, you go through them.“
Interestingly, Johnson even drew a comparison of Jack Draper’s strong forehand with Shelton’s. After Vavassori pulled out of the Barcelona Open due to a rib injury, which was apparently caused by one of Shelton’s shots, Jonson felt that “Ben’s forehand is way bigger than Jack’s”. Later, Querrey chimed in, highlighting that the doubles players also have a little bit of a “soft reputation.” According to Querrey, that whole incident was a bit “crazy.”
“So soft so sof- VAMOS” pic.twitter.com/o2ZCF1h1DS
— lelelelele (@tobehonestlele) April 9, 2025
Interesting Fact: Ben Shelton once heaped praise on Steve Johnson by hailing him as a “collegiate GOAT” for paving the way for youngsters like him.
In Monte Carlo, Shelton made an early exit from the singles event at the hands of Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. But he has got off to a winning start in Munich. What did the heavy-hitting lefty say after clinching his first match at the Bavarian International?
“Ridiculously Difficult” – Ben Shelton’s first reaction after securing his spot in the R16 of the Bavarian International
The clay courts have never been a happy hunting ground for Ben Shelton. But still, he somehow managed to win a title last year on this surface at Houston. Before the start of the European clay court swing, the 22-year-old recalled that fond memory by saying, “I’m learning, I’m getting better and better. It’s funny because my only title last year was on clay (in Houston).“
Shelton overcame his shocking exit from the Monte Carlo Masters by clinching an impressive fightback in his first match at the Bavarian International. He defeated Croatia’s Borna Gojo by 4-6,7-6(6),7-6(3) in that match.
After securing victory in the 2-hour-25 25-minute contest, Shelton said, “That was ridiculously difficult. The way that he served, the way that he played, even when he got upset. He just started slapping winners. That was a tough ask today, to go up against him. I got lucky in a couple of big moments and held my nerve down a few match points. I’m really happy to be in the second round here in Munich.”
The world number 15 could face either Roberto Bautista Agut or Botic van de Zandschulp in his next match. Currently, Shelton holds an 11-12 tour-level record on clay. What do you think about his chances of clinching bigger titles on clay this season?
The post “Like a Little Baby”- Ben Shelton’s Doubles Drama Fuels Fiery Take On Sportsmanship Among Tennis Elites appeared first on EssentiallySports.