Indian Wells: Ben Shelton Pays the Price for Coco Gauff’s Rafael Nadal Admiration – ‘He’s Not a Dream’

Coco Gauff‘s recent mention of fellow tennis star Ben Shelton brought a toll of laughter on their fans. Recently, on speaking about Nadal, Gauff brought up Shelton’s reference sarcastically. Now it is not unknown to the tennis fraternity that these two American tennis stars are very good friends apart from being colleagues in professional life. Now, Gauff’s bringing Shelton’s reference sparked the rumor of a healthy bonding between the duo.

Previously, fans speculated that Ben Shelton was dating Coco Gauff. While Gauff admitted having a boyfriend, Shelton’s recent gesture during the Eisenhower Cup fuelled fans’ excitement. Now Gauff added some extra elements to fans’ curiosity with his recent remark on Ben Shelton.

Coco Gauff named Ben Shelton as her favorite doubles partner but “for fun”

The official X (formerly Twitter) page of the BNP Paribas Open shared a clip, where fans spotted Gauff speaking about her dream doubles partner. In her response, Gauff jokingly spilled Ben Shelton’s name and dropped her reasons. In Gauff’s words- “I mean, for fun, I would just say Ben Shelton, but he’s not a dream. That could easily happen. He’s already asked me, but, well, I got to focus on singles. It’ll happen one day, just not soon. Probably Rafa, then.”  Gauff’s response about picking Nadal was nothing unusual for her fans. However, the way this former US Open champion brought Shelton’s reference, surely expressed their amazing friendship.

Now, Coco Gauff has prioritized her doubles matches equally. Her partnership with Jessica Pegula won five WTA titles. Gauff won her recent doubles match with Pegula at the ongoing Indian Wells tournament. This means that keeping aside the joke, Gauff might partner with Shelton for a great doubles match in the future.

Ben Shelton and Coco Gauff’s bonding sparks the rumors of a romantic relationship between the duo

Shelton was spotted Facetiming Coco Gauff while waiting for the match between Frances Tiafoe and Stefanos Tsitsipas at the Eisenhower Cup. Shelton was accompanied by tennis players like Taylor Fritz and Emma Navarro. However, Shelton’s gesture of video-calling the former US Open champion brought speculation about their dating. Shelton’s gesture fuelled fans’ excitement after witnessing the incredible chemistry between these two. However, neither Gauff nor Shelton has spilled any beans about it.

Coco Gauff’s hilarious answer following Ben Shelton expressed the amazing friendship these two tennis stars share. Both Gauff and Shelton have shown that beyond their on-court rivalry, they cherish their friendship, which inspires their fans.

Read more: Coco Gauff Brutally Snubbed for Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek as Major Grand Slam Contenders