The excited crowd at the Roland Garros might have to face restrictions because of the irrelevant deeds of a single heckler. There have been several incidents where tennis stars had to face the wrath of the French crowd when a home player is on one side of the court. While the French Open is still an intense competition that fans are passionate about, Ben Shelton narrated the hassles faced by players in college tennis.

The fans were stunned to hear about the terrible experience shared by David Goffin. Although the authorities were quick to address the concerns by taking strict actions, there are barely discussed issues at the college level tennis. At Ben Shelton’s post-match press conference after his massive second-round win over Kei Nishikori, a reporter asked him about his worst experience in a college crowd. And Shelton probably had terrible flashbacks from his college days.

“When you’re playing college tennis, they’ll talk about your family, uh they’ll talk about your girlfriend, and you know anything that you’ve ever posted on the internet,” he said, mentioning how things can flow towards the negative side at college-level tennis. Explaining the crux of the matter, the young American added, “It’s all fair game. Some of the stuff can get pretty personal.” While he didn’t go into detail, playing in the SEC was clearly a scarring experience.

Tennis – Italian Open – Foro Italico, Rome, Italy – May 10, 2024 Ben Shelton of the U.S. looks on during his round of 64 against Russian’s Pavel Kotov REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane

Along with mentioning how he had to face some harsh moments during his college days, Shelton also acknowledged that the tour-level games are more professional and he never had to go through such stuff later on. “I’ve I have never experienced that since I’ve been out on tour,” he said.

It hasn’t been a long time since Ben Shelton turned pro. The American started his professional journey back in 2022, after spending time hitting the courts at the University of Florida. Representing the Florida Gators, the tennis star enjoyed immense glory by being renounced as the ITA’s National Player of the Year back in 2021.

As if all this wasn’t enough, Shelton added another cap in his feather as an 18-year-old.

The moment when Ben Shelton created history during his college days

Besides visiting the dark side of the crowd, Ben Shelton also made the youth bow down to his excellent skills during his college days. Back when the tennis star played for the Florida Gators, he not only won individual matches but also secured a feat that no other Gator had achieved before in their career.

Besides becoming the ITA’s player of the year, Shelton also etched his name into the history books. He became the first Gator to win the singles title at the ITA All-American Championships, with an absolute performance at just the age of 18.

It is because of the legacy attained at such an early age that the crowd loves him today. As Ben Shelton now continues his run for the French Open title, the way fans treat him will be visited in the rounds ahead.