Ben Shelton reacts after the French Open decide to ban alcohol at the tournament

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Ben Shelton shared his thoughts on the French Open’s decision to ban alcohol from the tournament.

The announcement was made by tournament director Amélie Mauresmo following multiple incidents to start the event.

For example, David Goffin claimed a fan spat their chewing gum at him during his first round win over Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard.

Iga Swiatek also complained about fans shouting out during points after her epic victory over Naomi Osaka on Wednesday. Several players have commented on the decision, including the tournament’s 15th seed.

Ben Shelton comments on the French Open alcohol ban

While Shelton led Kei Nishikori by two sets, the Japanese veteran retired after sustaining a shoulder injury. After reaching round three of Roland Garros, reporters asked the 21-year-old for his thoughts on the matter, and he analysed it from two perspectives.

“I’m sure there’s a few people who have been in the stands who are going to be unhappy when that comes up,” Shelton said. “I have seen all the talks about whether it’s good or bad.

“It brings a bit of excitement to the sport and those are the moments that people want to see. That’s the court you want to go to, it’s the court where there is a ton of noise, not the one that is completely silent.

“But I see both sides because it can get dangerous when some of these stands have people so close to the players and a situation like where Goffin said people were throwing things at him, so that gets a little bit tricky.”

What did Ben Shelton say about college tennis days?

Before turning professional in 2022, Shelton honed his craft for two seasons on America’s college tennis circuit while representing the Florida Gators.

The 2023 US Open semi-finalist recalled the time he spent on the college scene when commenting on the French Open alcohol ban, referring to some of what he saw from fans when they’d had too much to drink.

“I have seen all the talks about whether it’s good or bad for the sport turning into football,” Shelton shared. “But I’m a lot different to a lot of the pros out here, because I played in college tennis where pretty much anything goes.

“A lot of people show up drunk to those matches and they can say anything they want. Out here, there are a lot more people, but it’s a lot less than what I’ve dealt with in the past.”