So Annoying: Ben Shelton trash talker on fellow tennis player in locker room due to…
Ben Shelton has named one of his close friends as the biggest ‘trash talker’ in tennis – and even claimed he tries to engage in mind games before matches in the locker room.
The American star recently participated in a Q&A session with YouTuber Sharky in a short Instagram clip that appeared on the ATP Tour’s official account.
When asked who was the biggest trash talker, Shelton replied without much hesitation that Frances Tiafoe was the one who gave him the most psychological grief when stepping out onto the court.
“Foe [Tiafoe]. Because he’ll do it in the locker room, but he’ll do it a little bit on the court too,” Shelton said in his interview with the ATP Tour. “He’ll be like, ‘hey, man, you’re just way too good today’.”
Florida-born Shelton, ranked 15th in the world, is no stranger to using the mental side of tennis to gain an advantage. He gained notoriety for his ‘phone call’ celebration, where he pretends to hang up on his opponents, which began in 2022 after he defeated Tiafoe in the US Open quarter-final in 2022.
Shelton leads 2-1 in their overall head-to-head record, although it was Tiafoe who most recently triumphed with a 4-6, 7-5, 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-3 victory in a thrilling showdown at Flushing Meadows.
American tennis star Ben Shelton revealed the ‘biggest trash talker’ in tennis (Image: Instagram/@atptour)
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All three of their encounters have come on American soil, with Shelton beating Tiafoe in the final to win the Houston Open in 2023.
While Shelton, 21, made note of his rival’s tactics, Tiafoe, 26, revealed he enjoys being in the company of his compatriot and relishes the banter they share on and off the court.
“You know, he’s 20, 21 years old. He’s young, funny, cracks jokes,” Tiafoe said in August. “[He’s] just about as immature as I am. We always have fun joking around and cracking jokes, for sure.”
Frances Tiafoe (L) and Ben Shelton (R) are friends away from the court (Image: Getty)
The pair’s friendship has expanded into other parts of tennis too, with American sensation Coco Gauff, winner of the 2023 US Open women’s singles title, addressing her experience of how Shelton and Tiafoe wound each other up.
“After my match, Ben and Frances were in the cooldown area, or warmup area, and it was really just cool to see us all there,” Gauff said during her post-match press conference.
“Obviously the conversation, they already started the trash talk. I’m indifferent who wins, but I did say that Frances is a little bit upset because I said Ben had the better outfit than him.”
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French Next Gen player Arthur Fils battled past defending champion Ben Shelton 7-5 6-7 (5-7) 7-6 (7-2) in 3 hours in an entertaining quarter final match at the Japan Open in Tokyo. Shelton fended off 16 of the 19 break points he faced.
Shelton saved two match points when Fils first served for the match at 7-5 6-5. Shelton broke back before earning the second-set tie-break.
Shelton hit four consecutive aces to draw level to 2-2 in the third set.
Shelton hit a forehand down the line to force the match to the tie-break. Fils hit a drop volley winner off a serve and volley before firing an ace to open up a 4-1 lead. Fils earned a match point at 6-2 with another forehand volley. The Frenchman closed out the match on a backhand error from Shelton.
Fils ended Shelton’s seven-match winning streak denying the US player his bid to become the first player since Pete Sampras to successfully defend the Japan Open title.
Both players battled through cramps, but Fils held his nerve to win the match setting up a match against Holger Rune, who fought off a match point to beat Kei Nishikori 3-6 6-2 7-5.
Fils has drawn level to 1-1 in his head-to-head matches against Shelton.
Tomas Machac beat US qualifier Alex Michelsen 7-6 (7-3) 6-2 to set up a match against Frenchman Ugo Humbert. Machac hit 34 winners, won 88% of his first serve points and faced just one break point.
Machac converted his second break point in the first game of the opening set, but Michelsen broke back to draw level to 1-1. Machac earned the first mini-break at the start of the tie-break, but Michelsen pulled back on serve on the next point. Machac won five consecutive points to win the tie-break 7-2. Michelsen saved five break points to hold serve at deuce. Machac earned the decisive break in the eighth game and served out the win on his first match point. Machac reached his second ATP Tour semifinal. The Czech player is 14-1 in his head-to-head matches against US players since the 2023 Miami Open.
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