"To insinuate that Ben Shelton's been coddled by his parents is absolutely laughable" - Christopher Eubanks jumps to compatriot's defense

Christopher Eubanks recently took to social media to dismiss an influencer's baseless claims against Ben Shelton, who has gained notoriety since his 2023 US Open semifinal against Novak Djokovic.

Earlier on Friday (September 15), an internet personality named Gina Bontempo laid out a long list of complaints against not only Ben Shelton's "trash-talking" during his New York outing, but also his father's comments on Djokovic returning the favor to the youngster.

"Shelton has become the perfect representation of the kind of American youth that are so coddled and spoiled by their parents... Notice how his father conveniently omits the fact that Shelton was trash-talking Djokovic the whole match," she wrote.

"If Shelton and his daddy can’t take the heat, maybe they aren’t ready to compete with the big dogs yet. Instead of being grateful... they have chosen to go on a tirade against Djokovic and position Shelton as some kind of little victim," she added.

These claims, however, left Ben Shelton's good friend Christopher Eubanks fuming. The American responded to her post on X (formerly Twitter), insisting that her claims about the American having been coddled by his parents were laughable.

"If Ben’s style isn’t for you, that’s perfectly fine. But to go on to insinuate that he’s been coddled by his parents is absolutely laughable to anyone that has been around them," he wrote in his reply.

He also disapproved of Bontempo's assertions about Ben Shelton being unprepared to take on top players. To prove his point, he listed the highlights of the American prodigy's 2023 season thus far.

"Actually the funniest thing about this is the idea that maybe they’re 'not ready to compete with the big dogs yet'. The kid has been a pro just over a year and has made a GS Quarterfinal, a GS Semifinal, and is Top 20 in the world. Yeah Gina, definitely not ready," he added.

To say that Ben Shelton trash-talked Novak Djokovic makes me laugh: Christopher Eubanks

Christopher Eubanks happens to be one of Ben Shelton's good friends on the ATP tour

In his rebuttal to Bontempo's post, Christopher Eubanks also took on the subject of Ben Shelton having "trash talked" Novak Djokovic during their match. The 27-year-old inferred in his response that the American having a dialogue with his players' box doesn't qualify as trash talk.

"To say that Ben “trash talked Novak in ways the camera didn’t even capture” makes me laugh because clearly you don’t know what trash talk is. Trash talk is usually directed at the opponent where they can hear it FYI," he wrote.

Eubanks then defended Bryan Shelton, who had admittedly found Djokovic copying his son's signature celebration distasteful. He said:

"To call Bryan’s ONE statement about the celebration a “tirade” is even more ridiculous, especially since he WAS ASKED a question about it and gave an answer. One statement = “tirade”? Just because you’ve seen that quote all over Twitter doesn’t make it a “tirade” Gina."

Towards the end of his thread of replies, the American also asserted that she had no right to mouth off about Shelton's upbringing and character.

"If Ben’s style of play or demeanor on the court isn’t for you, that’s perfectly OK! Personal preference. But let’s not just go around making baseless claims about his upbringing, who he is as a person, and things you know nothing about," he wrote.