Indian Wells: Ben Shelton Now the Latest Victim to a Problem That Tormented Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka

The Indian Wells tournament has had many notable moments over the course of its history. From difficult playing conditions to Roger Federer’s domination at the tournament, fans have seen it all. However, Indian Wells has also been in the news for a major controversy that marred its shine. American tennis sensation, Ben Shelton, was the latest player to suffer that unfortunate state.

Not only Shelton but also the likes of Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka have suffered from a common issue at this tournament. It is regarding the unruly behavior of the fans during the event. Let’s dig deep into this incident.

Ben Shelton faces major hurdles when it comes to fan heckling

Although Shelton is the home favorite and one of the big contenders to win the Indian Wells title, he has suffered from some unruly crowd behavior during his matches. Today, he got the better of Francisco Cerundolo in a nerve-wracking third-round victory. After the match, the young American revealed that he suffered from heckling from the crowd.

Shelton posted on social media, “Volume up…the heckling was insane in this match. That’s why I reacted after the match pt. But we got thru it.” Despite this, the American tennis sensation kept his cool to edge past Cerundolo.

Meanwhile, a couple of years back, Naomi Osaka, suffered a similar fate. After she lost in the second round of the tournament, the Japanese star burst into tears after being heckled by the crowd throughout the match. Subsequently, she sent out a strong message to them, saying that memories of Serena Williams being heckled here played through her mind. Williams suffered mocking at Indian Wells not once but on multiple occasions.

Serena Williams’ terrible crowd experience at Indian Wells

Back in 2001, Venus Williams withdrew from her semifinal match against her younger sister. This didn’t go down well with the fans, who heckled Serena Williams in the final.

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Six years later, the younger Williams sister even suffered racist abuse from the fans at Indian Wells. Talking about the horrifying incident, Williams said, “The guy said, “Hit the net like a N*g*o would. I was shocked. I couldn’t believe it. I had to do a double-take, I think I hit a double fault at that point.”

Meanwhile, Shelton will look to get over the crowd heckling incident as he aims to dig deep in the tournament. He next faces Italy’s Jannik Sinner for a place in the Indian Wells quarterfinals.