With Ben Shelton Facing Serious Flak for His Perceived Arrogance, Compatriot Chris Eubanks Rushes to His Defense

Ben Shelton entered the US Open with not a lot of hype surrounding him. But the 20-year-old turned the situation on its head and ran through each opponent he encountered. But his delightful run eventually ended when he came face-to-face with Novak Djokovic. A spectacular streak eventually ended, but it managed to launch him to fame. However, the young player received a lot of flak for various reasons throughout the tournament. Now, his compatriot Chris Eubanks has talked about his incredible performance and the subsequent backlash.

Much of the backlash he received was for the trash-talking and gesturing Shelton engaged in during his Frances Tiafoe and Djokovic bouts. He was seen passing comments which drew the ire of fans, and no quarter was given to him. Eubanks has talked about just the situation.

Chris Eubanks on Ben Shelton during the US Open

The match between Ben Shelton and Novak Djokovic was highly intriguing as the local favorite was set to play the number 1. Shelton was serving like anything but struggled against the Serbinator and eventually lost. But prior to his defeat, he passed some comments which drew immense flak, and the player was blasted by tennis fans on his social media. 

Noticing the backlash against the player, his friend and doubles partner, Chris Eubanks, who played and commentated, cleared the air on his persona. As per Eubanks, “He’s one of the best, good-hearted human beings I think I’ve ever met.” Being seven years older than the young American gun, Eubanks teases him quite a bit. But the latter still came to his defense when he saw the backlash, further saying, “This is literally one of the nicest kids, and people were saying he’s arrogant.“

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Regardless, that aggression is how Shelton competes, as per Eubanks. For him, it’s about putting up a show on a grand stage, as much as showing off his prowess. In this instance, the flak drawn by Shelton came because of his antics during his semifinal match against Novak Djokovic.

Shelton draws flak for trash talk

During his match against Novak Djokovic, Ben Shelton lost in straight sets. In the first set, it was clear that Djokovic would move on to the final. Many unforced errors sealed the Serbinator’s victory. But the highlight of the first set came when Shelton said to his box, “Didn’t like that one“, after winning a point from his opponent. His comments did not settle well with fans of the sport.

As soon as the match was over, people smoked the 20-year-old for the comment, all pointing out that Djokovic had the last laugh. His motivation behind the comment was unknown, but he is bound to remember being chastised for the sentence.  

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