Watch: Ben Shelton jokes around at Dallas Open, tries to get signed ball from doubles partner Emilio Nava

Ben Shelton was recently caught on camera joking around in the stands at the Dallas Open. He even tried to get a signed ball from his doubles partner Emilio Nava during a practice session.

Shelton will be competing at the 2024 Dallas Open for the first time this year. In addition to singles, the 21-year-old will also be partnering with compatriot Emilio Nava in doubles. The duo will face off against the American duo of Julian Steinhausen and Huntley Allen on Monday, February 5, for their Round of 16 clash.

The official X (formerly Twitter) account of Dallas Open recently posted a video of Ben Shelton hilariously waving at his doubles partner Nava, gesturing to give him a signed ball during the latter's practice session on Monday.

The Dallas Open returned to the ATP tour for the first time since 1983 in 2022. Reilly Opelka won the tournament on its return, while Wu Yibing won the event in 2023. However, Opelka and Wu will not be participating in this year's edition.

Frances Tiafoe, Adrian Mannarino, Christopher Eubanks, Jordan Thompson, Dominik Koepfer, Max Purcell, and others will join Ben Shelton at this year's edition.

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Ben Shelton all set to compete in his fourth ATP tournament of 2024

Ben Shelton at the 2024 Australian Open (Getty Images)

Ben Shelton has competed in three ATP tournaments in 2024 so far. He kicked off his season at the Brisbane International but was knocked out by Roman Safiullin in the first round.

Shelton then competed in the ASB Classic in Auckland. The World No. 16 defeated Fábián Marozsán in the Round of 16 in straight sets before getting the better of Roberto Carballés Baena in the quarterfinal. Shelton was defeated by Taro Daniel in straight sets in the semifinal.

The American also competed in the Australian Open for the second time in his career. He defeated Roberto Bautista Agut and Christopher O'Connell in the first and second rounds respectively before losing to 35-year-old Frenchman Adrian Mannarino in five sets. Shelton failed to repeat his 2023 performance at the Melbourne Major, when he reached the quarterfinal.

The 2023 season was a successful one for Shelton overall as he won the Japan Open Tennis Championships (his first title), reached the semifinals of the US Open, the quarterfinals of the Shanghai Masters, and also achieved a career-high ranking of 15 on the ATP tour.