Life with a superstar is a flex. There’s hardly anyone who can say otherwise and let’s be real, whoever partners up with Ben Shelton won’t have to think twice about it. His rich vein of an aggressive form has earned him a considerable chunk on the tour; with his latest quest coming at the Swiss Indoors. However, what came next was hardly expected – a fan asked him, quite literally, an answer to the most crucial question in life.

Arriving at the back of a third-round defeat to Jannik Sinner in Shanghai, Shelton teamed up with determination hoping to advance his agenda in Basel. Seeded at No. 6, the young talent received a bye into the second round. He got drawn up against Tomás Martín Etcheverry for a place in the Round of 16. While the match’s momentum was shockingly interrupted after an umpiring decision blunder, luckily it worked out in the American sensation’s favor. But, the chair umpire’s controversial decision wasn’t the only thing that lit Basel.

During the showdown’s second set, with Shelton leading 5-3, he was asked a hilarious question from the crowd. Notably, an admirer of the 2022 NCAA champion popped the big question, ‘Will you marry me?’, in hilarious scenes at the ATP 500 event. While he responded with a chucklesome expression, the No. 6 seed did not issue a verbal reply to the fans’ amusing question. Merely points later, Shelton outplayed the Argentine to wrap the contest with a score line of 6-3, 6-4.

Shelton never lost touch with his charming side. After all, he captivated fans in New York with his then-trending ‘phone dial-in’ celebratory gesture at the US Open that gained major traction. Now, the 22-year-old wants to indulge in similar thrills, and surprisingly, he wants to try his luck against soon-to-be-retired Rafael Nadal.

Ben Shelton drops ‘intimidated’ reaction to facing Rafael Nadal at Davis Cup

With the Six Kings Slam exhibition in Riyadh wrapped, Spanish superstar Rafael Nadal is sadly left with just one professional commitment before he draws the curtain on his stellar career. After shocking the community with his bombshell-of-a-retirement announcement, Rafa confirmed that his final dance will come at the Davis Cup Final 8 in Malaga. Ben Shelton, who will represent Team USA at the group event, wondered what mental state he’d be in if he clashed with the ‘King of Clay‘ during a discussion with Frenchman Gael Monfils.

During the UTS Frankfurt tour, Shelton put forth an imaginary situation iterating what could happen if he faced Nadal in Malaga. “It’s his choice, right? If it’s our match – he ends up playing me – I’m gonna be so tight… This is my nightmare. I am praying that it happens, I am praying that it doesn’t happen.”

Next up, the American sensation will face the winner between Adrian Mannarino and Swiss player Stan Wawrinka, who received a wildcard into the event. His third-round match-up will be showcased on Wednesday, October 23.