After being hit by Ben Shelton in Monte-Carlo, Andrea Vavassori shares concerning news

Italian doubles specialist Andrea Vavassori had a dramatic post-match altercation with the American tennis star Ben Shelton in the doubles Round of 16 at the 2025 Monte-Carlo Masters. Just a day after the fiery exchange, Vavassori announced that he had bruised his rib and pulled out of the Barcelona Open, scheduled from next week.

During a high-stakes doubles match, third seeds Vavassori and fellow countryman Simone Bolelli encountered the newly formed Indo-American duo of Shelton and doubles veteran Rohan Bopanna. Shelton is yet to get warmed up in doubles, while Bopanna has years of experience (including a Grand Slam and a Monte Carlo title in 2017) behind him.

What was a routine high-pressure doubles match turned ugly in the post-match handshake. Shelton and Bopanna mounted an incredible comeback after losing the first set 2-6 and falling behind 1-4 in the second set. The duo eventually outlasted the Italians in a thrilling 10-point tiebreaker.

However, as the players approached the net, Vavassori was seen protesting to the chair umpire that Shelton had struck him with a shot during the first set. Shelton replied by yanking up his shirt to display his own wounds, stating peacefully that this sort of contact is simply part of the game.

"It's tennis.. not baseball..So soft, so soft, Vamos" Shelton could be heard saying on the court.

It was just a day after that Vavassori provided an update. In an Instagram post on April 10, the Italian announced that medical exams had confirmed that he had sustained a small rib fracture during the match. He also mentioned that he was withdrawing from the Barcelona Open, which was scheduled to be held from April 14 to 20.

"Sadly I have to withdraw from Barcelona next week due a rib injury happened at the beginning of yesterday’s match. Exams showed a little infraction so have to stop playing for some days. See you in Madrid," he wrote.

The withdrawal will now have the Italian focus on recuperating in time for the Mutua Madrid Open, held between April 22 and May 4. Shelton and Bopanna will meanwhile play their quarterfinal match against wildcards Romain Arneodo and Manuel Guinard, with a possible semifinal confrontation waiting against the combination of Rafael Matos/Joran Vliegen or Harri Heliövaara/Henry Patten.

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Ben Shelton faced a disappointing early exit in the singles at the Monte Carlo Masters

In Picture: Ben Shelton during the 2024 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells (Source: Getty)

Ben Shelton wrapped up his singles campaign at the 2025 Monte Carlo Masters on a low. The American tennis sensation made his third appearance at the ATP Masters 1000 event, where he was the 11th seed. Shelton was given an early farewell, though, in the first round when he lost 7-6(2), 2-6, 1-6 to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.

This was Ben Shelton's second straight singles defeat. He previously had an early elimination at the Miami Open, falling 6-7(3), 6-2, 6-7(5) to Coleman Wong in the second round.