Securing a point towards victory, no matter how small, can mean a lot for players. America’s Ben Shelton encountered such a moment when he scored a point in his mixed doubles exhibition match with Coco Gauff. Despite his stunt, he fell victim to online criticism. Reason? his on-court attitude against his compatriot. Referring to the American’s previous gestures, fans bashed the ATP star reminding him of appropriate athletic mentality.

Gauff who recently played an exhibition mixed doubles match with compatriot Shelton ahead of the US Open, met an unexpected yet hilarious moment with the latter. While playing against power couple Paula Badosa and Stefanos Tsitsipas, the Americans were behind 2-1 and needed serious skills.

At this moment, Gauff hit a serve forcing Badosa to shoot the ball at Shelton’s side. Shelton standing near the net played a great volley and secured a point for them. Delighted about how things came out, Gauff went to high-five her American colleague but Shelton had other plans.

The American ATP star was so busy celebrating himself that he missed Gauff’s reaction and the latter had to high-five herself on the court. While the moment was spontaneous and light-hearted, some fans didn’t like Shelton’s gesture and expressed their opinion.

Coco Gauff fans lash out at Shelton for ignoring the former during their exhibition match

Shelton’s gesture angered fans. One person commented under the Tennis Letter’s tweet saying, “I don’t like this guy he’s bad vibes sorry.” While it is true that Shelton was busy after securing the point, his gesture towards Gauff was unintentional. Shelton likely missed the gesture as he was too vested to celebrate his volley. Given that players are in an adrenaline rush on the court, Shelton’s actions show his excitement.

Another fan came forward and said, “Bro a legit j**k.“ While Gauff fans frenzy due to their favorite player having to high-five herself, we see such moments happen in sports sometimes. In a 2021 clash against the Denver Nuggets, Stephen Curry scored a fantastic 3-pointer. However, as he looked for a team member to high-five, he encountered no one, and ended up giving a high-five to himself.

Despite Gauff and Shelton’s friendship being a popular topic among fans, his ignorance didn’t sit well with the fans. “Someone needs to humble this guy,” wrote one person highlighting how fans termed Shelton’s ignorance his attitude problem. Shelton has often come under fire for his antics on court. he was lambasted by Djokovic fans after their 2023 US Open clash, where the American said “Didn’t like that one,” after clinching a point.

Another fan took a sly dog at Shelton and mentioned how the American ignored Taylor Townsend the same way. “He pulled the same ignore his partner BS with Taylor Townsend. Such an egocentric ass!” he commented. This person referred to how Shelton repeated this behavior when he played the US Open mixed doubles with Townsend in 2023. When they two won a point against Hugo Nys and Demi Shuurs, Townsend ran up near Shelton, who did not move from his place. He looked around the court and glimpsed once at Townsend, and then pointed his ear towards the crowd. Townsend did a little shimmy, while Shelton stood in his place. 

Disappointed with the behavior, a person directly wrote, “Arrogant to the point of nomore power, I still don’t see a future for him…” He believed that such arrogance would impact Shelton’s ability to play in the long run. Many players have been accused by fans for being arrogant, including Nick Kyrgios, who weren’t able to go far with the sport. Kyrgios was infamously called out by fans after he asked, “Who are some of these players haha,” when a fan account tweeted about semifinalists of the 2023 Croatia Open.

Athletes go through many things while playing on the court. Be it stress or excitement, they handle everything making sure they perform the best. While Ben Shelton’s attitude might seem like his arrogance, it can simply be a momentary reaction. Do you agree with the fans’ take on Shelton’s attitude?