"I’ll forever be a hater";"Canceled!!"- Fans disappointed as Ben Shelton meets controversial Republican leader Vivek Ramaswamy at Cincinnati Open 2024

Ben Shelton met with Republican leader Vivek Ramaswamy during the ongoing 2024 Cincinnati Open. The American politician has been impressed with the young tennis star's impressive run at the Masters 1000 event. However, fans were disappointed with Shelton's association with Ramaswamy due to the latter's involvement in multiple controversies.

Shelton will take on Alexander Zverev in the quarterfinal of the Cincinnati Open on Saturday, August 17. Ahead of the blockbuster clash, Ramaswamy posted an image of himself with Shelton on X (formerly Twitter). He lauded the 21-year-old and claimed that he has the potential to become the World No. 1.

"Mark my words: future world #1 right here. 21-year-old American ⁦@BenShelton⁩ is dominating in Cincinnati. His best days are still ahead. Very proud of him!" wrote Ramaswamy.

The 39-year-old American politician and entrepreneur has made several controversial statements during his career. During a debate last year, when he was a Republican presidential candidate, Ramaswamy proposed to abolish the FBI among several other federal departments.

He even proposed raising the voting age to 25 from 18. However, as per his proposal, 18-year-olds would be able to vote if they met a certain "national service requirement."

Fans disliked Shelton's link-up with Ramaswamy. They had previously expressed their disappointment when it came to light that the young tennis star followed the politician on social media. They expressed their disappointment again.

"See I’m sorry that’s why you’ll never see that one getting support from me. Liking transphobic Instagram posts and cozying up with far right conservatives… 0/10," one fan wrote.

"Canceled!! You can lose first round now Ben," another fan wrote.

"Remember when we shamed Ben Shelton into unfollowing Candace Owens? This kid has been and REMAINS problematic @BenShelton," a third fan wrote.

Here are some more fan reactions to Ramaswamy's post:

"And this is why I’ll forever be a hater," one fan wrote.

"Uhhhhhhh am I delusional to choose to believe Ben doesn’t know who this guy is? Bc if he does this is nuts," another fan wrote.

"We've been saying this since last year's USO. It's been no secret, people just pretend like they don't see it," yet another wrote.

---

Ben Shelton to face Alexander Zverev in the Cincinnati Open 2024 QF

Ben Shelton at the Cincinnati Open 2024 (Image via Getty)

Ben Shelton got the better of compatriot Reilly Opelka, Argentine Tomas Martin Etcheverry, and Hungarian Fabian Marozsan to set up a clash against Alexander Zverev in the quarterfinal of the 2024 Cincinnati Open.

Meanwhile, the German, seeded third, received a first-round bye before defeating Karen Khachanov and Pablo Carreno Busta to advance to the quarterfinals.

This will be the first encounter between Zverev and Shelton, with the winner setting up a semifinal clash against the winner of the quarterfinal between Jannik Sinner and Andrey Rublev.