Ben Shelton faced Frances Tiafoe at the 2024 US Open and was very excited to shake his hand after losing, which was interesting to observe for many tennis fans.
The two Americans are good friends who support each other in everything they do. Their camaraderie was on display earlier this year when they faced each other in the Houston Open final, which Shelton won.
Tiafoe was very happy for his compatriot then, and the same thing happened this time around at Flushing Meadows. This time, Tiafoe came out on top, and Shelton was more than happy to shake his friend’s hand, even 'hyping him up' after the match.
Fans rarely see a player so excited after just losing a tennis match, and predictably, Shelton was asked about that handshake and his relationship with Tiafoe.
"Yeah, obviously I thought he played lights-out today. That was one of the things you've got to be happy for a guy and congratulate, especially a guy like him when he's playing the way he's playing."
"I think that it's important to show it sometimes that, you know, you can be happy for a guy when they beat you. Obviously there are some things I want to do better. I'm a competitor. I always want to win."
Shelton is definitely a fierce competitor, and he showed it during that match. He was very fiery and passionate for much of the match, but once it concluded, the American was happy for a good friend, and he showed it.
It was a great sight, just a genuinely good relationship between two players with many more years left in the sport. It's just how it's always been between them.
"But, you know, I've taken a few things from him in the past year, and I thought that he's always handled it well. You know, maybe not like a big embrace when we're on the court. But soon or right after it's like things are back to normal."
"But one of those cool environments in matches to be a part of. It didn't feel right to just go up with a negative look on my face, shake his hand and walk off the court, because he played some great ball today."
"I told him, you know, keep serving like that, keep returning like that, and see where this thing goes. Obviously he took me out here, so let's see what he can do."
Tiafoe is a very likable guy. Almost no players would have anything bad to say about him, which makes it easy to root for him, especially if someone has a close relationship with him, as Shelton does.
"No, just a guy like that, how good of a guy he is, always smiling, not really ever a negative look on his face. One of those guys that's fun to be around in the locker room."
"You know, he's always cracking jokes. Even I beat him in the final of Houston, he's giving me shout outs in his post-match speech, just like a good guy. I didn't mean anything negative by it. Just a great guy, yeah."
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