American tennis star Ben Shelton lashed out at “disrespectful” comments from announcers and interviewers working at the Australian Open in an unexpected speech during his press conference on Wednesday.
While Tony Jones' controversial comments about Novak Djokovic have dominated headlines around the world in recent days, Shelton claimed he was “shocked” by the tone of some questions that have been posed to players during on-court interviews. .
The 22-year-old even criticized an announcer for a question he was asked following his quarter-final victory against Lorenzo Sonego on Wednesday afternoon.
Although delighted by the victory, the Atalanta-born tennis star took a moment at the end of the press conference to urge the broadcasters to change their line of questioning.
“One thing I just want to say before we finish,” Shelton began. “This week I was a little surprised by the way the broadcasters treated the players.
'I feel like broadcasters should help us grow our sport and help these athletes who just won games on the biggest stage enjoy one of their biggest moments.
Ben Shelton criticized Australian Open broadcasters for disrespecting players during on-court interviews.
Shelton addressed multiple incidents that occurred during the tournament, including Tony Jones' controversial comments about Novak Djokovic.
Shelton even criticized a question he was asked after his 3-1 win against Lorenzo Sonego earlier that day.
'I feel like there has been a lot of negativity. “I think that’s something that needs to change.”
Jones was heavily criticized following his comments in which he claimed Djokovic was a “passover” during a television segment for Channel 9.
With a group of Serbian fans arriving behind him during the segment, Jones began chanting: 'Novak, he's overrated… Novak is a loser.' Novak, kick him out.
Djokovic said the comments were “insulting and offensive” and demanded a public apology from the 63-year-old, with the broadcaster subsequently issuing an apology earlier this week on Nine's Today Show.
“I don't think the guy making fun of Novak, I don't think it was just one event,” Shelton said, before listing several other instances where he thought the interviewers had gone too far.
He first addressed a question that was asked of his compatriot Learner Tien after his big win against Daniil Medvedev earlier in the week.
“I've noticed it with different people, not just myself,” the 22-year-old said.
'I noticed it with Learner Tien in one of his matches. I think when he beat Medvedev in his post-match interview, I thought it was a little embarrassing and disrespectful.
“There are some comments that have been made to me in post-game interviews by a couple of different guys, whether it's, 'Hey, Monfils is old enough to be your dad.' Maybe it's your father.”
Or today on the court: “Hey, Ben, how do you feel if no matter who you play in your next game, no one will cheer you on?”
“I mean, it may be true, but I don't think the comment is respectful of a guy I've never met in my life,” he added.
Shelton laughed at the question, but added, “I know there are some people in the crowd who will support me too.”
Shelton (right) criticized comments made by an announcer about his fourth-round opponent Gael Monfils (left)
Shelton also claimed that the questions asked of Learner Tien (pictured) following his second-round victory against Daniil Medvedev were “embarrassing.”
Despite that, the American spoke of his joy at reaching his second Grand Slam semi-final, where he will face Jannik Sinner after sealing a 7-5, 6-4, 7-6 (7-4) victory against Sonego .
He has also had a long and grueling road to reaching the quarter-finals of the Australian Open, with Shelton reaching the fourth set in four of the five matches he has played.
The world number 20 added that he felt “battle tested” after what has been an epic week.
“I was just struggling, trying to get through it,” he said.
'Yes, I'm proud of myself for overcoming it.
“I definitely feel battle-tested and capable of finishing in four.”
He added: “It's really special for me to play in these big tournaments and play my best tennis in the big tournaments.”