Ben Shelton made some rare comments about his dating life during a recent interview, revealing that he is not looking for a relationship right now.
Shelton's personality means some are naturally interested in his personal life. His actions sometimes split opinions, and many do not like him, but he has also cultivated a significant fanbase since turning professional.
An example of Shelton generating headlines was during a heated moment with David Goffin at the 2025 Mexican Open. The American enraged his experienced opponent by celebrating after he shanked a forehand a long way out.
Goffin responded by pointedly and deliberately celebrating wildly after winning the next point. The Belgian then grinned at his team members afterward and was probably smiling even more after beating Shelton in straight sets.
Since dating track and field athlete Anna Hall, Shelton has not publicly had a girlfriend. The 22-year-old told Vogue that he has no interest in a relationship right now and wants to figure himself out first.
"I have enough responsibilities on my plate right now. I’m just trying to figure out me."
Last year's Houston Open champion then made a humorous remark about his 'dialed-in' celebration, during which he would pretend to answer the phone. Novak Djokovic infamously mocked this by pretending to hang up after beating him in their 2023 US Open semifinal.
Shelton joked that the moment led to him receiving flirtatious messages from some girls asking whether he would hang up the phone on them in the same way Djokovic did after their match.
"They’d be like, 'Oh yeah? Are you going to hang up the phone on me too?'"
The 2025 Australian Open semifinalist is currently preparing for the 2025 Indian Wells Open. It got underway on Wednesday, but Shelton received a bye into the next round as one of the Top 32 seeds at the tournament.
Shelton often plays his best tennis in home American conditions. That is not a significant surprise since he did not travel abroad until he turned professional, meaning the young star had never played on clay or grass before.
Therefore, Shelton is probably most dangerous on an American hardcourt. The surface change for this year's tournament, with reports from some players that the courts are slightly quicker and lower-bouncing, could also help him.
Superb clay-court players like Iga Swiatek and Carlos Alcaraz thrived at the tournament in previous years because the courts were slow and high-bouncing, playing similarly to many clay courts around the world.
While Swiatek and Alcaraz are excellent all-court players who can thrive in any conditions, the new surface might give figures like Shelton a better chance of competing for the title and causing upsets against those at the top. Alcaraz admitted to being puzzled by the decision to change the surface.
Shelton certainly does not lack confidence. His game is developing at an impressive pace, although he still has many areas to improve. Observing the American's progress at this year's Indian Wells Open will be fascinating.
