Ben Shelton's tennis drama and a doubles battle between good strategy and etiquette
Welcome back to the Monday Tennis Briefing, where The Athletic will explain the stories behind the stories from the past week on court.
This week, Ben Shelton caused some drama on the doubles court, the U.S. Billie Jean King Cup team dealt with a string of withdrawals and one player was very honest about the 'bulls—' that can accompany tennis matches.
If you'd like to follow our fantastic tennis coverage, click here.
'It's doubles, bro'. It's tennis, it's not a baseball.'
Not some trash talk sent across a recreational court last weekend, but rather American world No. 15 Ben Shelton's reaction to one of the world's top doubles players complaining about some body-line groundstrokes.
Shelton, who lost his opening match in the Monte Carlo Masters singles to Spain's Alejandro Davidovich Fokina last Monday, also paired up with Rohan Bopanna for its doubles event. They beat Italian pair Andrea Vavassori and Simone Bolelli in the round of 16, and come the end of the match, Vavassori castigated Shelton for unloading a few forehands in his general direction and hitting him in the chest with one.
🔥 Al finalizar el partido, 🇮🇹 Vavassori acusó a 🇺🇸 Shelton de tener una mala actitud y de tirar varias pelotas al cuerpo.
¿Qué opinás del comportamiento de Shelton? 👀 Te leemos. 👇#MonteCarlo pic.twitter.com/eGNvs1QT70
— ESPN Tenis (@ESPNtenis) April 11, 2025
After making the comparison between tennis and baseball — and showing Vavassori, who has reached three of the past five Grand Slam doubles finals with Bolelli, a bruise of his own — Shelton said 'So soft, so soft' before remembering that he and Bopanna had won the match and unleashing a 'Vamos!' in the applauding crowd's direction.
Advertisement
Later, Vavassori announced he had pulled out of the Barcelona Open doubles this week with a rib injury.
Shelton had struck the Italian with a forehand drive volley at the start of the second game of the match. Vavassori, stood up at the net with his partner at the baseline, was caught ball-watching after hitting a floaty volley off another Shelton forehand.
if you actually watched doubles, you would know 'it's doubles bro' is in reference to the hypocrisy of a DOUBLES SPECIALIST complaining about body shots because they happen all the time! both ben and rohan were hit in this very match by them
and also BEN DID APOLOGIZE https://t.co/AUVGdjUUPg pic.twitter.com/N5Updcq5UT
— cam 🇯🇲 (@cammyreborn) April 11, 2025
Singles players routinely react with varying intensities of glare if an opponent sends a smash in their direction, because there is often more open court at which to aim. But hitting the ball to the player with the least time to react — whether in a volley exchange or a situation like this — is a fundamental of good doubles strategy. Had Shelton sent that forehand back deep to Bolelli, Vavassori's partner would have had more time to get ready to receive the ball and reset the point.
Nobody likes being on the receiving end of a stinger to the chest, and Vavassori likely knew he was on the hook as soon as his shot looped into the air, but to chastise someone for playing the correct shot in a given situation is a lot.
James Hansen
The United States appeared to be in a spot of bother heading into last week's Billie Jean King Cup qualifiers, after three top players withdrew simultaneously with only days to go. On Wednesday (April 9), world No. 3 Jessica Pegula, world No. 32 Danielle Collins and world No. 43 McCartney Kessler all pulled out of the matches against Denmark and Slovakia, which were played Saturday and Sunday.
Advertisement
Alycia Parks, Bernarda Pera and Hailey Baptiste (the world No. 53, 76 and 86 respectively) replaced them, with the trickiest tie set to be Slovakia — led by world No. 37 Rebecca Šramková, they beat the U.S. in the first round at last year's Billie Jean King Cup finals, ultimately losing to Italy in the final itself. With both Slovakia and the U.S. beating Denmark, the two nations faced off again yesterday for a place in the 2025 finals, to be held in Shenzhen, China in September.
Neither Pera nor Baptiste had contested a Billie Jean King Cup tie before this week. Then they were thrust into a showdown with qualification on the line, against a team that had beaten theirs less than a year ago — and were playing on that team's home court in Bratislava, too.
They were not cowed.
Baptiste beat the highly-rated Renáta Jamrichová, 17, in straight sets. Then Pera faced Šramková, and went down 5-6 on the Slovak's serve in the first set. She broke, then won the tiebreak. Pera went 4-0 down in the second set but came back again, and ultimately took it 7-5 to send her team to China.
'I'm so overwhelmed with the emotions. I'm so happy. I just told Lindsay this has been one of the best weeks ever… The whole team was just amazing, and I'm so, so happy I got to experience this,' Pera said.
She, Baptiste and Parks have given captain Lindsay Davenport a tough decision to make when those finals come around.
James Hansen
One of the greatest sights in tennis is both players in a match performing well simultaneously. It's also one of the rarer ones, with one competitor usually outdoing the other.
More frequent are matches in which they both aren't performing so well. These can be just as fascinating as a peak-level match, if not as pretty — a fierce battle, a compelling tussle, an exhibition of the mental toll the sport can take on players.
Advertisement
They can also be a bit rubbish, though. And that was exactly what Davidovich Fokina felt about his Monte Carlo Masters win over Britain's Jack Draper on Thursday. With 10 breaks of serve in the 31 games, Davidovich Fokina triumphed 3-6, 6-7(6), 6-4 in a match that saw him apologize to his coaching team for his behavior afterward, saying in his on-court interview that he was playing better tennis, but, 'my mind was saying me a lot of bulls—.'
Later, an interviewer for Dutch channel Ziggo Sport told him that it was an 'amazing match.' In response, Fokina said: 'If it was for you an amazing match, I think you are lying. Today was a very s— match.'
Watching two players toil through having their shots not do what they want them to do is understandably more compelling for a spectator than it is for the people involved.
Draper also hit 10 double faults as his first serve largely deserted him, while both players converted attacking positions into points less often than the tour average. That's where the match perhaps looked closer to 's—' than compelling, with the seesawing tension created less by push-and-pull rallies than it was by confusing misses early in points.
Still, according to TennisViz, Fokina's overall performance in that match rated a smidge higher than his average.
'S—' tennis is in the eye of the beholder after all.
James Hansen
Ahead of this week's Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, Germany, world No. 6 Jasmine Paolini confirmed on Instagram that Marc Lopez, the 2016 Olympic men's doubles champion alongside Rafael Nadal, had joined her coaching team.
The 29-year-old had parted ways with Renzo Furlan in late March, bringing an end to a hugely successful partnership that last year saw Paolini reach two Grand Slam finals; for Italy, she won Olympic doubles gold and the Billie Jean King Cup. Furlan was voted the WTA's Coach of the Year for 2024, in recognition of what was a transformative period for Paolini.
Advertisement
Tennis saw a similar dynamic at play in October when Iga Świątek, then world No. 1, split with Tomasz Wiktorowski after three glittering years together which delivered four Grand Slam titles. Świątek replaced Wiktorowski with Wim Fissette, who had experienced a similar situation the previous month, when he and Naomi Osaka ended their partnership after a two-and-a-half-year run during which she won two of her four career Grand Slams.
Last year also saw Jessica Pegula split with David Witt, her coach of five years. Pegula, who had enjoyed a similar rise to Paolini between 2020 and 2022, brought on Mark Knowles and Mark Merklein in the February. Over the 14 months since, she has reached her first Grand Slam final and is back at No. 3 in the world, with a chance of claiming the No. 2 spot for the first time.
That could be a useful reference point for Paolini, who will believe she can achieve even more than she did in her breakthrough year of 2024.
As for what she looks for in a coach, Paolini told The Athletic at the WTA Finals in November that 'the main thing is to trust them.'
She begins a new era on Tuesday with a first-round match in Stuttgart, against home favorite Eva Lys, the world No. 68.
Charlie Eccleshare
There were a lot of excellent shots in Monte Carlo, but it had to be Carlos Alcaraz this time.
THAT'S NUTS 🥜@carlosalcaraz #RolexMonteCarloMasters pic.twitter.com/va41mcX3ym
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) April 10, 2025
🎾 ATP:
🏆 Carlos Alcaraz (2) def. Lorenzo Musetti (13) 3-6, 6-1, 6-0 to win the Monte Carlo Masters (1,000) in Monte Carlo, Monaco. It is his sixth ATP 1,000 title.
📈 Carlos Alcaraz moves up one place from No. 3 to No. 2 after his win at the Monte Carlo Masters.
📈 Anastasia Zakharova ascends 20 spots from No. 127 to No. 107 after winning the ITF W100 event in Zaragoza, Spain.
📈 Lorenzo Musetti rises five positions from No. 16 to No. 11 via his run to the final at the Monte Carlo Masters.
Advertisement
📉 Stefanos Tsitsipas falls eight places from No. 8 to No. 16. Last year's Monte Carlo Masters champion drops out of the top 15 for the first time since October 2018.
📉 Casper Ruud drops three positions from No. 7 to No. 10, with just a 15-point gap to Musetti at No. 11.
📉 Thanasi Kokkinakis tumbles 15 spots from No. 92 to No. 107, leaving the top 100 for the first time since April 2024.
🎾 ATP
📍Barcelona, Spain: Barcelona Open (500) featuring Carlos Alcaraz, Arthur Fils, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Alex de Minaur.
📍Munich: Munich Open (500) featuring Alexander Zverev, Ben Shelton, Gael Monfils, Jakub Menšík.
📺 UK: Sky Sports; U.S.: Tennis Channel 💻 Tennis TV
🎾 WTA
📍Stuttgart, Germany: Tennis Grand Prix (500) featuring Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Świątek, Jessica Pegula, Coco Gauff.
📍Rouen, France: Rouen Open (250) featuring Elina Svitolina, Bianca Andreescu, Maria Sakkari, Linda Noskova.
📺 UK: Sky Sports; U.S.: Tennis Channel
Tell us what you noticed this week in the comments below as the men's and women's tours continue.
(Top photo of Rohan Bopanna and Ben Shelton: Clive Brunskill / Getty Images; design: Eamonn Dalton)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Chicago Tribune
43 minutes ago
- Chicago Tribune
With the NCAA landscape changing, can small schools thrive in college athletics without the big bucks?
ORLANDO, Fla. — As schools prepare to begin sharing millions with their athletes, there is no avoiding the reality that if you're not a Power Four school, you're at a disadvantage. With major conferences running the show, St. Bonaventure and Florida International don't even have a seat at the table. FIU and St. Bonaventure aren't necessarily worried about a head-to-head fight over top players with deeper-pocketed schools. The priority has become survival and finding a balance between athletics ambition and financial sustainability. Adrian Wojnarowski spoke candidly about the challenges he faced during his inaugural season as the general manager of the St. Bonaventure men's basketball team. Solidifying a recruiting class that would improve the team and embrace the school culture was not easy. After July 1, when lucrative paychecks will pretty much become mandatory for blue-chip prospects, it's not going to get any easier. With some 2,000 undergraduate students, the Bonnies are outnumbered in resources and revenue when competing even against other Atlantic 10 teams like VCU, Dayton, and Saint Louis. Wojnarowski, ESPN's former lead NBA reporter, thinks he has identified a formula for locating the ideal prospect. To him, St. Bonaventure is a landing spot for international players adjusting to a new culture and college life, transfers who may have fallen short at a high major and need development, or those looking to move up to a mid-major. He admits the school in upstate New York could be a pit stop on a player's journey. 'I want them to see that our environment, our coaching staff, our small school, especially for international players coming over, what I really try to sell is your adjustment to American college life,' he said at the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics and Affiliates Convention this week. 'I think for a lot of kids, it's easier in a school with 1,900 students than a school with 19,000. And you'll come to have two great years with us, and then you'll probably end up at schools with 19,000 or 29,000,' he said. 'And so you're selling, for us, we're your first step on the way to somewhere else, or the other one to me is we're the place to come when you've got to get the basketball right.' Female athletes appeal landmark NCAA settlement, saying it violates federal antidiscrimination lawIf the plan goes awry and a recruit slips away, one thing the former NBA insider refuses to do is blame the money. 'Fundraising is hard, creating new revenue streams is hard, but the one thing that I try to stay away from with us is not saying, 'Oh, we didn't get him because they offered more money,' and using that as a crutch all the time. I really examine when we lost a player,' Wojnarowski said. 'Are we being honest with ourselves in saying that we did everything outside the economics to make our case to this person?' FIU has more than 40,000 undergraduates, but the athletic department is using a similar philosophy, pinpointing advantages and opportunities to come from the settlement instead of the negatives. Similar to St. Bonaventure, FIU doesn't expect to come close to the $20.5 million revenue-sharing cap available over the next year. For a competitive edge, unlocking new revenue streams is fundamental. 'To compete, from a revenue standpoint, you have to think outside the box of your conventional fundraising and targeting donors,' senior associate athletic director Joseph Corey said. 'That's why you're looking at concerts being held at different venues, different festivals to generate extra revenue to bring in, different revenue streams, and not just fundraising going after the same donors. You've got to go beyond that in order to be able to compete.' Being based in Miami has its perks. Proximity to celebrities is one of them. In August, FIU secured a 10-year partnership with Pitbull, the singer and rapper who coins himself 'Mr. 305.' 'We did the partnership with Pitbull – Pitbull Stadium. He's on tour, but part of the deal was that he would be collaborating with us and doing events for us from a fundraising standpoint,' Corey said. 'You've got to think outside the box. Especially in a city like Miami, it's about the experience too.' Schools unlocking creative revenue streams is something that can be expected. FIU competes in Conference USA alongside teams like Liberty, Louisiana Tech, UTEP, Kennesaw State and Jacksonville State. The football team went 3-5 in 2024, finishing sixth in the conference. The men's basketball team finished last with a 3-15 conference record. It's hard to sell donors on losing teams. 'Let's call it what it is, FIU's not going to be able to keep up with the Alabamas of the world, the Georgias, Michigan, or Texas, but what can we do? We can be the best in our conference. That is our goal,' Corey said. 'Let's be the best in our conference and really compete there because once you're at the top of your conference, that means more revenue in other areas. Everyone wants to donate to a winner.'
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Apathy and anger cloud USA team a year out from World Cup
Former USA goalkeeper Kasey Keller says he was embarassed by the USA's 4-0 loss to Switzerland. (Victor Decolongon) A run of four straight losses, including a 4-0 hammering from Switzerland on Wednesday, has left Mauricio Pochettino and his USA team feeling the wrath of critics a year out from the World Cup they will co-host. The USA head into their opening game of the CONCACAF Gold Cup against Trinidad and Tobago on Sunday having lost on home soil to Panama and Canada in the Nations League in March before friendly losses to Turkey and the debacle against the Swiss. Advertisement "I think it is the most embarrassed I have been for the US national team in a long time," said Kasey Keller, who played in goal for the USA 102 times between 1990 and 2007. While there were plenty of American fans venting similar feelings on social media after the loss, what will perhaps be more concerning for the US Soccer Federation is supporters voting with their feet and not attending games. There were thousands of empty seats in Nashville for the Switzerland defeat after poor turn-outs for March's games in Los Angeles. "There's just a sense of apathy around the United States men's program and I don't think that's a hot take," former striker Taylor Twellman told NBC Sports. Advertisement Alexi Lalas, a star of the USA team the last time they hosted a World Cup in 1994, has built a career in 'hot takes' for Fox Sports but even he was struggling to fire himself up for a Star Spangled rant after the latest disappointment. "I'm having a hard time even conjuring up that and that makes a little sad. In the past when I was angry at what was going on, I felt compelled to express it and now they are not even worth that, not worth me expressing how disappointing this is right now," he said on his podcast 'State of the Union'. Pochettino has been forced to field a largely second string squad in this month's games with the likes of Tim Weah and Weston McKennie on Club World Cup duty with Juventus while captain and talisman Christian Pulisic has opted to take some rest along with some other members of the first choice squad. That latter decision prompted fierce criticism from some ex-players, including Landon Donovan, the country's all-time joint top scorer who during commentary of Portugal's win in the UEFA Nations League hit out at the absentees. Advertisement "[Ronaldo is] 40 years old. He's played a long-ass season. He's tired. He's out there grinding. Hurt himself in the process, and I can't help but think about some of our guys on vacation, not wanting to play in the Gold Cup. It's pissing me off," he said. That led to a sarcastic reply on social media from Pulisic's father Mark who posted a reminder of Donovan's own 'sabbatical' from the USA team. - Pressure - But there is also pressure mounting on Pochettino, the Argentine former Tottenham Hotspur manager, who was appointed to the USA role in September. Advertisement The coach said he would take the blame for the showing against Switzerland where the USA were 4-0 down by half-time. "It's my responsibility the choice of the starting 11. I wanted to give minutes to certain players, but we were never in the game," the Argentine said. While Pochettino's job may be safe, some are wondering if he might not need some assistance. "It looks like he doesn't know the team, it looks like he doesn't scout the players, has no idea of the pieces he has at his disposal," said former USA forward Hercules Gomez on You Tube. "The US Soccer Federation, why not place somebody who has some experience with the player pool to help Pochettino out because it looks like he has no idea who his players are? With a World Cup on home soil that is a disaster," he added. The USA will co-host the World Cup with Mexico and Canada. sev/rcw
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Jordan Spieth Names Best American Athlete Without Hesitation
Jordan Spieth Names Best American Athlete Without Hesitation originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Three-time major winner Jordan Spieth is gearing up for one of golf's toughest tests: the 125th U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club, set to tee off on Thursday. Advertisement As the PGA Tour season heats up, Spieth finds himself in familiar territory, competing among golf's elite, while also weighing in on a question that has ignited debate across sports: Who is the best American athlete right now? In a video posted by the PGA Tour on X on Wednesday, Spieth was among several Tour pros asked to name the best American athlete currently competing. Without a moment's hesitation, Spieth pointed to NBA superstar Stephen Curry, stating, "I mean, I love Steph Curry. Is he the greatest athlete in the world right now? He's probably one of them." With both being flagship Under Armour athletes, Spieth and Curry have a long history together. Advertisement Spieth extended his Under Armour apparel and footwear deal in 2022 to run through 2029, serving as one of the brand's premier golf ambassadors. Curry, meanwhile, has been with Under Armour since 2013, launching his own Curry Brand sub-label in 2020 and starring in joint promotional and charitable events alongside Spieth as cross-sport ambassadors for the company. So, Spieth's endorsement of Curry comes as no surprise. Golden State Warriors star Steph Edmondson-Imagn Images Even still, his pick isn't entirely inaccurate. Curry's haul of four NBA championships (2015, 2017, 2018, 2022), two MVP awards (including the only unanimous vote in 2016) and status as the NBA's all-time leader in 3-pointers (4,058) already make him one of the greatest basketball players of all time. Advertisement Combine this with a 2024 Olympic gold medal and his transformative impact on basketball, ushering in the era of the 3-point revolution, and Curry's resume argues compellingly for his standing as America's top athlete right now. Related: Phil Mickelson Makes Big Career Announcement on Wednesday Related: Scottie Scheffler Makes Strong Statement After Major Career Decision This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 11, 2025, where it first appeared.
