Ben Shelton keeps his promise & withdraws instead of getting smoked by Matteo Berrettini in 'Hotties' clash

Ben Shelton withdrew from the 'Hotties' clash fearing being smoked by Matteo Berrettini. Even though he made it to the quarterfinals of the contest, he did not take any chances as he was clashing against the Italian who other than his tennis skills is quite popular for his good looks.

The American had made a 'promise' in an earlier post by stating that he would withdraw from the said contest if he made it through to the first round of the Men's Tennis Hotties Bracket contest. Former tennis star John Isner ensured that Shelton was reminded of the words he said earlier.

Former tennis players John Isner, Sam Querrey, Steve Johnson and Jack Sock had set up the hotties contest on The Nothing Major Podcast to determine the most good-looking man in tennis. A post was made on their Instagram account announcing the players who had qualified for the quarterfinals of the contest.

Ben Shelton commented under the post stating that he is even ready to let the authorities know of his withdrawal after Isner reminded him of his earlier 'promise'. The stars engaged in a hilarious conversation as below:

Screenshot via Instagram (@johnisner, @benshelton, @samquerrey)

Berrettini and Shelton were among a glorious lineup of men including Casper Ruud, Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul. Shelton believed that he stood no chance now that he has been pitted against the Italian.

Apart from his looks, Matteo Berrettini also stunned the world with his performance against Novak Djokovic this year at Doha.

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Matteo Berrettini secured a stunning win against Novak Djokovic

Matteo Berrettini embraces Novak Djokovic after defeating him - Source: Getty

Matteo Berrettini defeated Novak Djokovic in a shocker in their Round of 32 match-up at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open last week. He defeated the Serb in straight sets in his first match after his injury scare at the Australian Open which led him to take a break from the sport for some time.

After the match, Djokovic praised the Italian for outplaying him and applauded him for the win.

“I didn't have any pain or discomfort in that sense. I was outplayed by just a better player today. He was just the better player. I think he played a master class match, to be honest, tactically, and served very well, so just a very deserved win from his side,” the Serb said. (via ATP)

Even though he had to exit from Doha after losing to Jack Draper in the quarterfinals, Berrettini will look to maintain his form at the ongoing Dubai Tennis Championships.