By Richard Pagliaro | @TennisNow | Monday, January 20, 2025
Photo credit: ROLEX
Cheering for Gael Monfils gave a young Ben Shelton thrills.
Facing his tennis hero for the first time at the Australian Open prompted chills in Shelton.
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The 22-year-old Shelton led Monfils 7-6(3), 6-7(3), 7-6(2), 1-0 when the 38-year-old Frenchman retired from their AO fourth-round match due to a back injury after two hours, 57 minutes of physical play.
The left-handed Shelton halted his hero’s eight-match winning streak one round after an inspired Monfils upset US Open finalist Taylor Fritz in a superb third-round win.
The experience gave Shelton “goosebumps.”
Afterward Shelton said playing the entertaining Monfils is challenging because it’s a journey of emotional extremes: from fan to fierce competitor.
“It’s always tough. The little kid in me always wants to see Gael win,” Shelton told the media in Melbourne. “I always want to see him hit the highlight shot and trick shot.
“It’s like players always get mad when the crowd is against them or not for them, but honestly, all I could do today was appreciate the fans getting behind him. It was just a cool moment for me to be a part of. Obviously they were cheering against me, pretty much the whole stadium, but it’s kind of the stuff that gives you goose bumps, the stuff that you live for.”
This was their first pro meeting, but Monfils and Shelton share a bond—and mutual admiration.
The 21st-seeded Shelton revealed that after his run to the 2023 AO quarterfinals when he struggled losing 11 first-round matches during one dismal stretch, it was an encouraging Monfils who gave him a “pep talk” and also shared a valuable piece of advice.
Monfils, who had a streak of reaching at least one ATP final for 19 consecutive years, told Shelton a main reason he’s stayed so energized and engaged by the game is he figured out which tournaments he truly loves playing and plots his schedule around those events where he’s most comfortable.
“It was that 2023 run where I lost a lot of matches in a row or lost early in a lot of tournaments in a row,” Shelton said. “He said to me, like, You know, it was important for him in his career that he found the places that he loved to play, and he focused on those weeks and doing really well in those weeks and knowing there are places that he doesn’t love to play and not stressing as much.
“That’s kind of the way that he’s been able to keep the love for the sport, and you are seeing this. He’s still entertaining crowds at 38 years old, which is remarkable.
“Obviously he’s done it in a way where he can still love it and enjoy it. It’s long seasons. It’s certainly an easy sport to get burnt out. Individual sport, it’s not like you have a team who can pick up the slack if you’re a vet and you can play less minutes. No, you’ve got to be out there for every point.”
Facing the phenomenal athleticism and pulsating theatricality of Monfils is a mental test, too, Shelton said.
The magic Monfils can exude such good vibes, Shelton said he can lull you into a false sense of relaxation. The elastic Frenchman’s body language can be deceptive. Seeing Monfils bend over at the waist and gulp deep breaths of air isn’t always a sign of fatigue—sometimes it’s a set-up, Shelton said.
“It’s something that you enjoy, but you try to suppress that while you’re playing to stay focused,” Shelton said. “He’s a guy that when you start getting into that and you’re smiling the whole match. Then, oh, wow, I’m down two sets? It’s blown by me.
“So he’s definitely a guy you’ve got to stay locked in. I think that one of the things that he also does best, which clearly he was not fully 100% today and towards the end of the match really gassed, but sometimes he looks real tired and you could be serving to him and he’s got his hands on his knees and then you serve a bomb out wide and he’s reflexed it and he’s in the corner and passing you.
“You’re like, ahh, I fell in the trap. It’s a tough kind of tricky back-and-forth. Obviously that’s his way of dealing with being tired on a court. But he plays it up sometimes, and I think that, like, he’s got more in the tank than he shows at times. “
The 2023 US Open semifinalist Shelton will face 55th-ranked Italian Lorenzo Sonego for a semifinal spot.
The lankly Sonego has been a bit of a human buzz kill in Oz. Sonego started the tournament defeating Stan Wawrinka then took down Brazilian sensation Joao Fonseca after the qualifier upset Andrey Rublev before bouncing talented 19-year-old American qualifier Learner Tien out of the fourth round.
“For me it’s, like, it’s a sense of urgency,” Shelton said of his quest to reach a maiden major final. “It’s knowing that, okay, to get here, you might have done some really good things and played some great tennis, but there is a whole new matchup in front of you, and if somebody’s in the quarterfinals or semifinals, they’re close to the best version of themselves.”
