Ben Shelton drops 2-word reaction after Tommy Paul shows off physique at Australian Open

Ben Shelton reacted to Tommy Paul's post on Instagram as the latter celebrated his return to tennis ahead of the 2025 Australian Open. Paul goes into the first Grand Slam of the year having won the Stockholm Open in October, with a win over Grigor Dimitrov in the final.

Paul, the American tennis player with four ATP Tour titles to his name, also paired with Taylor Fritz to reach the semifinals at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The duo trounced Czechia players Tomáš Macháč and Adam Pavlásek and took the bronze medal.

The 27-year-old started his 2025 by playing in the Adelaide International, losing to Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime 7-6 (7), 3-6, 6-4 in the semifinals. Having narrowly missed the final, Paul took to his Instagram to express gratitude for his return and share his anticipation for the Australian Open.

"Adelaide ➡️ Melbourne Good to be back," Paul wrote in the caption.

Ben Shelton, who is also set to feature at the Australian Open, reacted to his compatriot's post on Instagram, writing:

"fruity pebs"

Shelton commented on Paul's picture carousel; Instagram - @tommypaull

Tommy Paul also had a successful trip to the Queen's Club Championships last year, where he reached his sixth ATP career final and came out on top against Lorenzo Musetti.

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Tommy Paul on his Stockholm Open win in October 2024 - "This is probably my favorite tournament in the world"

Tommy Paul at the BNP Paribas Open - Day 8 - (Source: Getty)

The 2024 season saw Tommy Paul win three titles, and he also rose to a career high ranking of World No. 12. After his win over Grigor Dimitrov in the final of the Stockholm Open, the American tennis star shared his thoughts about the the tournament and the court (via Vogue Scandinavia).

"This is probably my favourite tournament in the world. A lot of the time its sites that are put up a week before the tournament – especially in indoor events. It’s arenas or basketball courts or whatever, and they put a court over it and put up the stands. Here, this is a full-time, year-round court. The wood stadium – I think it’s the coolest thing ever."

Tommy Paul spent his off-season enjoying his downtime and also training for the 2025 season. At the 2025 Australian Open, the Florida-native will go up against Australia's Christopher O'Connell in the first round.