Italian Open: Coco Gauff Engages in Cheeky Banter With Ben Shelton’s Prideful Boast About His Clay-Court Efforts

The camaraderie on the tennis circuit can be just as entertaining as the matches themselves. Think back to the legendary rivalries turned friendships between Serena Williams and Caroline Wozniacki, or Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Rising American stars Coco Gauff and Ben Shelton are also proving that point. With the Italian Open in full swing, Shelton took to social media to showcase his dedication on the clay courts. But it was Coco Gauff’s playful response that stole the show, hinting at a friendship blossoming between these young tennis talents.

Over the past few months, Gauff and Shelton have often been seen spending time together on the tennis tour. Additionally, they also practice together occasionally. The latter took to Instagram to share glimpses of his time in Europe lately. Sharing the pictures via a post on his official Instagram handle, Shelton wrote, “I ain’t got ink, my passport’s tatted.” Owing to the growing bond between the two, it was no surprise to see Gauff jumping in with her suggestion. Commenting on this post, Gauff wrote, “should’ve posted your mugshot pic.”

While in the first picture, Shelton was seen making a shot with his hand in air with the ball along with his left hand ready to hit the ball, the second picture is an outing with Gabriel Echevarria, one of his trainers. Whereas the fourth one has Ben grinding it out on the clay-court, with his full focus being on his game while serving. In one of the pictures, Shelton shared glimpses of his time in an Escape room with Coco Gauff, Christopher Eubanks, and his girlfriend, Anna Mitchell. Regarding the latter incident, Coco Gauff  spoke with Tennis Channel after her second round 2024 Miami win and revealed how their “little group” had done two escape rooms lately.

Not many would know, Ben is among Coco’s four best friends on Tour alongside Frances Tiafoe, Jessica Pegula and Chris Eubanks. In her conversation with the host, Gauff was asked to lay bare the true story surrounding the escape rooms. To which Coco stated, “Okay, so we’ve done two escape rooms, our little group, which is me, Anna(Anna Mitchell), which is Chris’ girlfriend, and Ben.” Revealing who stood the strongest for each of the escape room, the 20-year-old said, “We did one in Melbourne, and definitely Ben was the strongest, I would say that day, which was surprising because we all thought he was going to suck, but he was pretty good, and then we did another one in Indian Wells, and I think me and Anna was the strongest.” 

Ahead of the 2023 Madrid Open, Ben Shelton shared training photos on social media, with the caption “See you tomorrow.” Coco Gauff jumped in with a playful dig: “Hair so long it can’t even fit in the pic.” Shelton countered in good humor: “@cocogauff urs goes down to your ankles so I don’t wanna hear it.” Their friendly banter sparked a wave of amusement online.

The two have been getting along so well that speculation filled the air in early March this year. Ben FaceTimed Coco during the Eisenhower Cup. While waiting for other matches, Shelton offered a virtual tour of the court, sending social media into a frenzy. Fans kept wondering could this be a sign of a blossoming romance, or just friendly support. However, Gauff cleared the air shortly after the incident..

Shifting our lens to the ongoing Italian Open, Shelton is coming fresh off a Round of 64
victory over Pavel Kotov with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 scoreline. “The clay court is just a little bit different than the hard court,” Shelton said in an interview with The Athletic.

“You can’t do the same things” –Shelton perceives Echevarria as a kind of clay whisperer

In preparation for the clay season, Ben Shelton wasn’t training on the prestigious courts of Monte Carlo or Barcelona. Instead, he was back home in Florida putting in the hard work. He brought on veteran trainer Gabriel Echevarria, known for his expertise in clay-court movement, a crucial skill for success on the red surface.

Each day began with Shelton’s father and Echevarria strategizing on specific movement drills. Shelton then spent two to three hours on the court implementing those techniques. After lunch, there was potentially more on-court training overseen by his coach, Bryan, followed by an intensive gym session lasting up to 90 minutes. This grueling regimen forced Shelton to adapt to the unique demands of playing on clay.