American tennis star Ben Shelton has launched a scathing criticism of Australian Open broadcasters following his quarter-final victory at Melbourne Park.
Shelton, who defeated Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego 6-4, 7-5, 4-6, 7-6(4) at Rod Laver Arena, used his post-match press conference to address what he described as ‘shocking’ treatment of players.
“I’ve been a little bit shocked this week with how players have been treated by the broadcasters,” Shelton said in an unprompted statement.
The American highlighted specific instances of disrespectful commentary, including remarks about Gaël Monfils potentially being his father and questions about crowd support.
American tennis star Ben Shelton has launched a scathing criticism of Australian Open broadcasters following his quarter-final victory at Melbourne Park
REUTERS
He particularly criticised the treatment of fellow American Learner Tien during a post-match interview with John Fitzgerald.
The incident occurred after Tien’s upset victory over Daniil Medvedev, where Fitzgerald told the 19-year-old that players his age “are not meant to be that good.”
Fitzgerald also made an uncomfortable comment about knowing where Tien lived in Newport Beach.
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Interesting end to Ben Shelton’s press conference.
Unprompted, he took a moment to tear into the quality of local broadcasting and specifically on-court interviewing at #AusOpen. pic.twitter.com/ig76VrKq2C
— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) January 22, 2025
Shelton’s criticism follows a recent controversy involving Novak Djokovic, who refused to participate in an on-court interview after his fourth-round victory over Jiří Lehečka.
Djokovic’s boycott was directed at Nine presenter Tony Jones, who had mocked Serbian fans, and the former world No 1 himself, during a live broadcast.
Jones has since apologised for the incident, and Djokovic resumed on-court interviews with Jim Courier following his quarter-final win against Carlos Alcaraz on Tuesday.
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The controversy adds to a history of awkward interviews at the Australian Open, including a notable incident in 2015 when reporter Ian Cohen asked Canada’s Eugenie Bouchard to twirl to show off her outfit.
More recently, defending champion Jannik Sinner faced an uncomfortable exchange with John McEnroe, who questioned him about junior matches despite Sinner being known for not participating in junior tournaments.
Shelton will have his next opportunity to face the media when he meets Sinner in Friday’s semi-final.
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He emphasised that broadcasters should play a more constructive role in tennis coverage.
“I feel like broadcasters should be helping us grow our sport and help these athletes who just won matches on the biggest stage enjoy one of their biggest moments,” he said.
Ben Shelton will face Jannik Sinner in the semi-finals of the Australian Open on Friday
REUTERS
The American star expressed concern about the overall tone of media interactions.
“I feel like there’s just been a lot of negativity. I think that’s something that needs to change,” Shelton concluded.