Ben Shelton comes under fire from fans for "embarrassing" celebration after beating World No. 410 in Munich

Ben Shelton came under fire from fans for pulling out a new celebration after defeating Borna Gojo in the first round of the Bavarian International in Munich. The second seed was made to go the distance by the World No. 410 after he reached the main draw through the qualifiers.

Shelton took on Gojo on the Center Court at the MTTC Iphitos in Munich on Monday, April 14. The battle between Shelton, World No. 15, and Gojo, World No. 410, should have been a comfortable one for the former, but the Croatian impressed immensely.

Gojo won the first set, and the second set went into a tiebreaker. The American was close to losing, but he kept his composure and forced a decider. Gojo, however, was still not out. He forced another tiebreaker, but Shelton used his experience and maneuvered his way through to a 4-6, 7-6(6), 7-6(3).

Soon after his win, Shelton unveiled a new celebration — pointing to his head with one hand while placing a finger over his lips with the other. Tennis TV posted the celebration on their Instagram account.

Fans in the comments, however, were not impressed by his performance and subsequent celebrations.

"Bro barely won and doing all this just be humble 😭" one fan wrote.

"Too much, this guy need a conversation with Roger Federer asap," another fan wrote.

One fan referenced his celebration controversy from the US Open in 2023 and wrote:

"Had to get rid of the phone because Djokovic did it better 😂"

Here are some more fan reactions to Shelton's celebration.

"Should probably try and concentrate more on winning first," one fan wrote.

"To be honest embaressing level for someone of that Level, followed by an even worse behaviour on court and off it," another fan wrote.

"Bro thinks he is still in college. No majors for a reason," yet another fan wrote.

Comments on Ben Shelton's celebration | Image: Instagram

Shelton later explained in the comments that he mimicked a Bayern Munich player with the celebration. Soccer star Michael Olise, an attacker for the Bavarian club, does this celebration. Shelton was even spotted watching the Bundesliga side play.

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"I got lucky in a couple of big moments" - Ben Shelton assesses his win over Borna Gojo in the Bavarian International 1R

Ben Shelton at the Bavarian International in Munich - Source: Getty

Ben Shelton admitted he was lucky in some parts of the game and praised Borna Gojo for his impressive display after their first-round battle at the Bavarian International.

“That was ridiculously difficult... The way that he served, the way that he played, even when he got upset. He just started slapping winners. That was a tough ask today, to go up against him," Ben Shelton said.

"I got lucky in a couple of big moments and held my nerve down a few match points. I’m really happy to be in the second round here in Munich," he added.

Shelton so far has had a topsy-turvy 2025 season with an 11-7 record. His best performance came at the Australian Open, where he reached the semifinal and was defeated by eventual winner Jannik Sinner.

Up next for the American is a second-round battle at the Bavarian International against the winner of Roberto Batista Agut vs. Botic van de Zandschulp.