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Ben Shelton being told that Carlos Alcaraz would be wary of facing him has left tennis fans in splits.
In a video shared on social media, Shelton is seen conversing with Christopher Eubanks. Shelton proclaimed that he wants to be someone other players do not want to cross paths in the draw of any tournament.
"I want to be that dude in the draw that there's not one player who wants to see me," he said. "I'm not talking just doesn't [want to see my name], I'm talking scared of me."
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To this, Eubanks stated that not even World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz would want to face Shelton at this moment.
"All right, next. Who wants to see you right now? Who wants to see you right now? Carlos Alcaraz does not want to see your name next to his. I can promise you that," he replied.
Tennis fans were quick to react to the video with one stating that everyone needs such a delusional friend.
"You need a friend who is more delusional about you than you!" a tweet read.
Another fan echoed those sentiments, stating that's how they and their friends hype each other up delusionally.
"How me and my besties feed each others delusions," a fan expressed.
Here are a few more fan reactions:
Ben Shelton's 2023 campaign: Australian Open high followed by continuous struggles
Ben Shelton rose to fame at the 2022 Cincinnati Open, where he took a wildcard and reached the third round with victories over the likes of Lorenzo Sonego and Casper Ruud.
The win against Ruud made Shelton the youngest American to win against a top-five opponent since Taylor Dent and Andy Roddick in 2001
Shelton is currently in his maiden full season on the ATP Tour in 2023, having decided to go pro last year. After failing to make a mark in Adelaide and Auckland, he surprised everyone at the Australian Open.
In his first appearance at the Melbourne Major, he defeated the likes of JJ Wolf, Alexei Popyrin, Nicolas Jarry, and Zhizhen Zhang to reach the quarterfinals, where he lost to compatriot Tommy Paul.
Since then, however, Shelton has struggled to stitch together wins and make a meaningful run at any tournament. In 14 tournaments since the Asia-Pacific Grand Slam, he has failed to go beyond the second round.
Most recently at the Atlanta Open, he suffered a shock opening-round exit. The Atlanta native lost in straight-sets (6-4, 6-4) to 18-year-old Juncheng Shang. In all, Shelton has 10 wins and 16 defeats to his name in 2023.
