Ben Shelton now reveals what doubles players said to him in the ATP locker room after controversial incident in Monte-Carlo

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Ben Shelton made headlines earlier this year when he became embroiled in controversy with a top doubles player.

The American star was knocked out of April’s Monte-Carlo Masters in the first round by Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and quickly turned his attention to the doubles.

After he and partner Rohan Bopanna beat Francisco Cerundolo and Alejandro Tabilo in their opener, they took on the Italian duo, Andrea Vavassori and Simone Bolelli, in the second round.

During the match, Shelton hit a forehand at Vavassori, injuring the Italian, who was blasted by the ball.

Vavassori and Shelton exchanged words at the net, as the latter advanced to the quarterfinals, with the American dismissing his opponent, calling him ‘so soft’.

The 30-year-old said their relationship was ‘over’ after the incident, as Shelton now reveals what Vavassori’s fellow doubles stars have been saying to him in the ATP locker room recently.

Ben Shelton says ATP doubles players sided with him after Andrea Vavassori incident in Monte-Carlo

During his pre-French Open press conference, Shelton was asked for his thoughts on the ‘strange’ incident in Monte-Carlo.

“Yeah, it was a strange episode for sure,” he said.

“I thought it was a normal tennis play, I never play with malice or ill intentions.

“In doubles, the same match, I got hit in the chest, popped in the chest, I think it’s a normal part of doubles.”

Shelton then revealed what other doubles players said to him in the locker room after the incident.

“That’s what all the doubles players, after the fact, have come up to me and said in the locker room,” said Shelton.

“You hit a normal shot, on a normal play, so not really sure what the issue was. 

“I haven’t really thought about it for weeks now, but yeah, it was interesting.”

A journalist then asked the 22-year-old whether he’d spoken to Vavassori since.

“No,” he replied.

Shelton and Bopanna went on to lose their quarterfinal match in Monte-Carlo, and have won two of their four matches since.

Vavassori and Bolelli struggled in the immediate aftermath of the incident, losing their opening matches at the Madrid Open and Italian Open, but bounced back in Hamburg, winning their second title of the season.

The Italians will now travel to Paris for the French Open, where they’ll compete as the fourth seeds.

Ben Shelton says whether he is offended when people call him a ‘serve bot’

Since debuting on the ATP Tour in 2022, Shelton has achieved great success, partly thanks to his powerful serve.

Many big servers in tennis have been nicknamed ‘serve bots’ over the years, referencing their ability to robotically ease through their service games without much trouble.

Ahead of the French Open, Shelton was asked whether he thinks the term is derogatory, and if he considers himself to be a ‘serve bot’.

“I don’t think it’s disrespectful, I think it is what it is, it’s funny,” he said.

“The guys who are serve bots kind of embrace it. I don’t view myself as a serve bot, honestly, but I think there are certain matches where I do serve bot things.

“I think it’s a funny joke that we made, or players who are viewed as serve bots made about themselves.”

Shelton then shared what he thinks qualifies a player to be a ‘serve bot’.

“What John [Isner] and Reilly [Opelka] say, who consider themselves serve bots, if your break percentage is under 5% or something like that, then you’re considered a bot,” he said.

“Whatever they say is probably accurate.”

In 2025, Shelton has secured 2.1 breaks per match, whereas Opelka has broken 1.1 times per match, highlighting the differences between the two players.

Both Shelton and Opelka are, however, ranked inside the top ten for Serve Rating over the past 52 weeks.

Both players will no doubt hope their serves hold up when they take to the court for their opening matches at the French Open.

Shelton will take on Lorenzo Sonego in the first round while Opelka faces off against Rinky Hijikata on Sunday, May 25.