Another AO competitor calls out "disrespectful" commentators
American tennis star Ben Shelton has criticised the standard of on-court interviews at the Australian Open.
The 22-year-old made it to the semi-finals with a 7-5 6-4 7-6 (7-4) victory against Sonego, in what will be his second Grand Slam semi-final appearance, taking on Jannik Sinner on Friday.
As he was about to wrap up his post-match press conference, Shelton shared an unprompted take of the Australian Open TV broadcast.
“One thing I just want to say, I’ve been a little bit shocked this week with how players have been treated by the broadcasters,” Shelton said.
His comments come after Tony Jones' controversial comments about Novak Djokovic made headlines, with Shelton making reference to the incident.
“I don’t think that the guy who mocked Novak (Tony Jones), I don’t think that was just a single event.
"I’ve noticed it with different people, not just myself. I noticed it with Learner Tien in one of his matches. I think when he beat Medvedev his post-match interview, I thought it was kind of embarrassing and disrespectful that interview.”
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
John Fitzgerald had previously been slammed for his awkward interview with Learner Tien, following his victory over Daniil Medvedev, where he had jokingly commented "19-year-olds are not meant to be that good."
Shelton continued: “There are some comments that have been made to me in post-match interviews by a couple of different guys, whether it was, Hey, (Gael) Monfils is old enough to be your dad. Maybe he is your dad."
“Or 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.
“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. I feel like there’s just been a lot of negativity. I think that’s something that needs to change.”
Shelton's comments on Wednesday night struck a nerve with fellow tennis players, with six-time grand slam champion Boris Becker writing on social media: "Absolutely agree with Ben! Courtside interviews way too long after matches … and too personal as well!”
Czech tennis player Jiri Lehecka added: “Well said @BenShelton.”
Image: Nine