Ben Shelton denies hits back at claims over his controversial message at Australian Open

Ben Shelton generated much attention with how he signed a camera at the Australian Open, but he insists there was nothing political behind it.

Although opinions diverge significantly on whether athletes should receive political questions, it has become normalized in a world marked by controversial actions within and between countries. Asking questions about those events attracts engagement in an interconnected age.

The reelection of Donald Trump and his administration's actions over the last 12 months have caused angst among many. There was recent outrage about ICE, responsible for immigration enforcement, killing two people.

Several American players have been asked about the state of their country in Australian Open press conferences. The reactions and willingness to speak about politics have differed greatly among them.

Coco Gauff, whose opposition to President Trump has been known for some time, and Madison Keys spoke openly about their dislike for how the United States is currently being governed and how they would like to see a future change.

Others, such as Amanda Anisimova and Taylor Fritz, did not want to talk about that subject. Anisimova said it was not relevant to her pride in representing her country, while Fritz felt any comments from him would be taken out of context.

After beating Valentin Vacherot in the third round, Shelton signed the camera 'USA Till it's Backwards', which some interpreted as him saying he would support his country no matter what. Others went further and thought it might be direct support of Trump.

Shelton sought to clear up any confusion by releasing an Instagram story about it. The 23-year-old wrote that the message was about how well Americans are doing at the Australian Open and a shoutout to his soccer player girlfriend, Trinity Rodman.

Shelton will play Jannik Sinner in the quarterfinal on Wednesday. He has lost his last 19 sets against the world No. 2, including being thrashed in the 2025 Australian Open semifinal. If Shelton beats the Italian, his camera sign might be about pulling off a miracle.

Russia's ongoing illegal invasion of Ukraine since February 2022, backed by the Belarusian government, has led to Russian and Belarusian players being repeatedly asked for their thoughts on the conflict.

Aryna Sabalenka's status as the WTA world No. 1 and being born in Belarus mean she is asked about the Ukraine war as much as anyone. The four-time Grand Slam champion has consistently opposed it and wants peace.

However, Ukrainian player Oleksandra Oliynykova pointed out that Sabalenka had previously supported the Belarusian leader, Aleksandr Lukashenko, during protests, and called her beliefs dangerous.

It is true that Sabalenka has never renounced her previous support for Lukashenko, and her comments about wanting peace are also often accompanied by a firm belief that politics and sport should never mix.