MELBOURNE, Australia — American Ben Shelton said he has been “shocked” by how broadcasters and interviewers have been treating players at this year’s Australian Open, calling for more respect and “something to change” in the player-media dynamic.
After his four-set quarterfinal triumph over Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego on Wednesday, Shelton said in a news conference that he had noticed a lot of “disrespectful” conduct from broadcasters and those conducting on-court interviews.
Earlier in the tournament, Tony Jones, a broadcaster from Australian host broadcaster Channel 9, apologized after he admitted he crossed the line in heckling fans and deriding 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic during a news segment.
But Shelton went further, saying he and other players, such as American qualifier Learner Tien, had been subjected to “embarrassing” on-court interviews.
“I’ve been a little bit shocked this week with how players have been treated by the broadcasters. I don’t think that the guy who mocked Novak, I don’t think that was just a single event. I’ve noticed it with different people, not just myself,” Shelton said. “I noticed it with Learner Tien in one of his matches. I think when he beat [Daniil] Medvedev, his postmatch interview, I thought it was kind of embarrassing and disrespectful, that interview. There are some comments that have been made to me in postmatch interviews by a couple of different guys, whether it was, ‘Hey, [Gael] Monfils is old enough to be your dad. Maybe he is your dad.'”
Shelton then referred to the on-court interview after his win over Sonego, during which the interviewer implied the world No. 20 would have no crowd support.
Shelton responded with humor, joking with the crowd that they “can boo me, throw stuff at my head,” but in his news conference he was less enthused about the line of questioning.
“Or today on the court, ‘Hey, Ben, how does it feel that no matter who you play in your next match, no one is going to be cheering for you?’ I mean, may be true, but I just don’t think the comment is respectful from a guy I’ve never met before in my life,” Shelton said. “I feel like broadcasters should be helping us grow our sport and help these athletes who just won matches on the biggest stage enjoy one of their biggest moments. I feel like there’s just been a lot of negativity. I think that’s something that needs to change.”
Shelton progressed to the semifinals at the Australian Open for the first time. On Friday, he will meet world No. 1 and defending champion Jannik Sinner for a place in the final.
