Ben Shelton stirred controversy with his on-court behavior following the conclusion of a second-round men's doubles clash at the 2025 Monte-Carlo Masters. The match featured Shelton and Rohan Bopanna going up against the all-Italian duo of Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori.
Shelton and Bopanna won the match 2-6, 7-6(4), 10-7. However, controversy erupted in the immediate aftermath of the contest as the two doubles pairs came to shake hands at the net.
Vavassori accused Ben Shelton of hitting and hurting him during one of the rallies in the match. Irked by the accusation, the American fired back at the Italian, lifting his own shirt to show that he had been hit as well. Shelton proceeded to call Vavassori "soft" before celebrating the win loudly in front of fans.
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Later, via an Instagram post, doubles specialist Vavassori confirmed his withdrawal from the Barcelona Open citing injury. The Italian stated that he would be back in action at the Madrid Open.
"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," Vavassori wrote.
These developments sparked a myriad of reactions from tennis fans on X (formerly Twitter).
"Pls he was the one making a fuss at the net. If Ben cracked my rib he’d have to see me in court," a Shelton fan wrote.
"“It’s tennis bro it’s not a baseball!” 😭😭babe u broke him 😭😭😭😭," commented another fan.
"This is crazy bro when i catch you Ben Shelton," another chimed in.
Here are some more reactions from fans to Ben Shelton's 2025 Monte-Carlo Masters doubles controversy featuring Andrea Vavassori:
"Jesus, with Shelton I have a mix feeling, like I don't like him, then for for reason I start to like him, and them he does this stupid and childish thing and them I remember why I don't like him "its doubles bro" " so soft" 🙄 just apologize," urged one fan.
"Whaaattt... and ppl were saying it was nothing," another added.
"Shelton has still a mind of the high school teenager. Not matured yet," weighed in yet another fan.
The Monte-Carlo Masters controversy isn't the first time that Shelton has ruffled feathers this year. Earlier in 2025, the American had a go at broadcasters at this year's Australian Open over the nature of on-court interviews.
"Shocked with how players have been treated" - Ben Shelton's swipe at on-court interviews at Australian Open 2025
Broadcasters at the 2025 Australian Open came under fierce scrutiny, particularly after one of them appeared to mock the legendary Novak Djokovic. Ben Shelton spoke up about the subject during a press conference at the year's first Major. The American found fault not just with how Djokovic was treated, but also with some of the questions fielded to him and other players during post-match, on-court interviews.
"There are some comments that have been made to me in post-match interviews by a couple of different guys. Today on the court, 'hey, Ben, how does it feel that no matter who you play in your next match, no-one is going to be cheering for you?' I mean, may be true, but I just don't think the comment is respectful from a guy I've never met before in my life," Shelton said.
He later added:
"I've been a little bit shocked this week with how players have been treated by the broadcasters. I don't think that (Djokovic being mocked) was just a single event. I've noticed it with different people, not just myself."
In the 2025 Monte-Carlo Masters' doubles category, Shelton and Bopanna are set to lock horns with Manuel Guinard and Romain Arneodo next. His singles campaign at the event came to an early end as he lost his first-round match to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.
