American tennis sensation, Ben Shelton, has seen it all this season. From the highs of a semifinal appearance at the US Open to getting criticized for his ‘telephone call’ celebration, it has been an eventful year for the 21-year-old. Earlier today, he went down fighting against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina of Spain in the opening round of the ATP 1000 Paris Masters. As a result, he received massive criticism from fans on social media.

After a breakthrough campaign in Tokyo earlier this month, Shelton has had back-to-back first-round defeats. The misery was added when he faced heat from fans for his performances.

How did fans react to the shocking defeat of Ben Shelton?

Ben Shelton was expected to dig deep in the tournament and was carrying his country’s hopes in Paris. However, a disappointing performance against Davidovich Fokina ended his hopes abruptly. The news of his defeat spread like wildfire on social media and thousands of fans reacted to it.

One of the fans said, “Shelton = 1 Hit Wonder.”

Further, another fan trolled his infamous celebration, saying, “The phone number you are calling is not available, please try next year!”

Another Twitter user had a similar opinion and said, “Alejandro Davidovich Fokina just hung up the phone on Ben Shelton in Paris.”

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Meanwhile, one fan was harsh in giving feedback on him, saying, “BEN SHELTON is pathetic loser.”

Another Twitter user compared Shelton with others of his generation and said, “Ben Shelton is the newest most overrated kid on tour… So so so incredibly overrated…”

Lastly, one fan wasn’t happy with the attention Shelton was garnering, saying, “Well this post hasn’t aged well. Perhaps you’re over hyping the young man?”

Ben Shelton cited a lingering issue as the cause of his disappointing defeat in Paris. It is something that has been heavily criticized by many players and the ATP has faced heat due to this.

DIVE DEEPER: Big Brother Chris Eubanks Rushes to 20-Year-Old Ben Shelton’s Rescue as the Rising American Star Falls Prey to Unwarranted Public Hate

What caused Ben Shelton’s defeat in Paris?

Following his opening-round loss to Davidovich Fokina, Shelton vented out his frustration on the tennis balls used at the Paris Masters. The balls used across the tournaments lately have been different in quality and their weight has caused discomfort to the players.

Talking about it, he said, “Usually don’t have arm issue, but 5th tournament in a row playing with a different ball. I am definitely feelin it this week.” 

Subsequently, he received support from the tennis community as journalist Jose Morgado backed him on his outcry. Ben Shelton will be looking to come back strongly in the upcoming tournaments. It’ll be interesting to see if he can finish off his season on a high.

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