Ben Shelton Adds a $3 Million Twist to His Hilarious Trade of Jannik Sinner for a Spanish Sensation

Indian Wells has been full of shockers this season, particularly on the ATP side. The Serb maestro Novak Djokovic crashed out in R64 against the lucky loser Botic Van de Zandschulp, while second seed Alexander Zverev also suffered an early exit, losing to the Dutchman Tallon Griespoor in a hard-fought three-setter. With Jannik Sinner absent because of a doping ban, the reigning champ Carlos Alcaraz remains a top contender as he gears up for his R16 clash tomorrow. And the Spaniard now finds himself backed by the American ace Ben Shelton in a tennis paradise trade-off over Italy’s Sinner. But what’s the story behind this surprising shift?

Shelton has been on a rollercoaster ride at this Indian Wells Open. He battled fiercely to notch another victory in the Round of 32, elevating his game when it mattered. The 22-year-old overcame the odds, rallying from a 3-5 deficit in the second set to defeat Karen Khachanov 6-3, 7-5 in just 1 hour and 35 minutes in the latest R32 match.

Moreover, the American powerhouse unleashed a blistering 150 mph serve, one of the fastest ever recorded, but ironically lost the point as the Russian casually returned a floater that Shelton misfired wide. It wasn’t the first time he hit that speed at Indian Wells this year, though. He banged one in R64 as well, against the Argentinian Mariano Navone.

But beyond the on-court fireworks, Shelton has stirred conversation off the court too, this time, weighing in on a hot debate and making his pick in a tennis trade-off between a Spaniard and an Italian.

A while back, the Instagram page of Broadcast Boys dropped a fresh video featuring Ben Shelton. The caption read, “@benshelton PLAYS DEAL OR NO DEAL TENNIS EDITION 🎾 @atptour.” In a lively chat with Brody, Ben played a high-stakes Trade-Off game, where he was offered Carlos Alcaraz and $3 million for the Italian Jannik Sinner. Despite his tough 0-2 record against Alcaraz and 1-5 against Sinner, the American confidently chose the Spaniard, quoting, “I think I might take it, I might take it.”

This isn’t the first time Broadcast Boys have given tennis stars a fun twist in the tennis paradise, though. Just days ago, they had the WTA star Coco Gauff craft her dream tennis tournament: set in Atlanta, featuring Zendaya as a special celebrity courtside, Childish Gambino on the soundtrack, and bold purple-and-black courts with a sky-high $10 million grand prize. Today as well, the page shared a clip of another American tennis ace, Frances Tiafo, drafting NBA throwback jerseys in a challenge that had fans buzzing. 

Meanwhile, as Shelton makes his picks off the court, he’s also making moves on it: securing his 6th Masters 1000 fourth-round appearance.

“Lot of trust in the work” — Ben Shelton after he reached the 4th round of the BNP Paribas Open

Ben Shelton has kicked off the 2025 season in style. After an electrifying SF run at the Australian Open in January, he hit a rough patch, falling in the R16 at both the Dallas Open and the Mexican Open. But now, he’s back on track, storming into the fourth round at Indian Wells for the second consecutive year. And, right after securing his spot, the American 12th seed soaked in the crowd’s energy, expressing his gratitude and sharing insights on his journey of improvement.

“I put a lot of trust in the work I put in with my team to make the right plays in big moments. I’m just happy to be out here. This crowd, your energy is insane, I love it,” the hard-hitting lefty said.

Ben Shelton will compete against Brandon Nakashima in the fourth round of the Indian Wells today. Holding a dominant 3-0 H2H record over Nakashima, the American will look to keep his perfect streak alive and break new ground at the California Desert.

This marks Shelton’s third appearance at the BNP Paribas Open, having fallen in the 4th round last year to Italian Jannik Sinner and in 2023 to fellow American Taylor Fritz in the R64. With a potential QF clash against either Fritz or Jack Draper on the horizon, the question remains: will the tennis prodigy finally break through and make his deepest run in the desert?