Ben Shelton doesn’t hesitate when asked who the biggest trash talker in the locker room is
Rising tennis star Ben Shelton has shone a light on what goes on behind the scenes, including who has the tour's most acidic tongue.
The 21-year-old American is one of a band of young guns trying to take advantage of a changing of the guard in the sport.
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He recently joined Sharky for a quick Q&A - branding close friend Frances Tiafoe as the biggest trash talker on tour.
"Foe. Because he'll do it in the locker room, but he'll do it a little bit on the court too," Shelton said when asked who had a reputation for stirring the pot.
"He'll be like, 'Hey, man, you're just way too good today.'"
World No.17 Shelton is no stranger to playing mind games.
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He infamously began celebrating victories by pretending to hang up an imaginary phone on his opponents in 2022.
His antics started after he defeated Tiafoe in the US Open quarter-finals.
Shelton is up 2-1 in the head-to-head record but the 26-year-old won their last outing - a five-set thriller at Flushing Meadows in August.
"You know, he's 20, 21 years old. He's young, funny, cracks jokes," Tiafoe said after the win.
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"[He's] just about as immature as I am.
"We always have fun joking around and cracking jokes, for sure."
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Fellow American star Coco Gauff helped to stir up the rivalry at the 2023 US Open, which she went on to win.
"After my match, Ben and Frances were in the cooldown area, or warm-up area, and it was really just cool to see us all there,” Gauff said during her run to the final.
“Obviously the conversation, they already started the trash talk.
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"I'm indifferent who wins, but I did say that Frances is a little bit upset because I said Ben had a better outfit than him.”
Gauff has a rivalry of her own to deal with this week as she takes on Naomi Osaka at the China Open.
The first meeting of the female stars in 2019 saw both break into tears during a historic US Open encounter.
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