Beyond his athleticism and shotmaking, Ben Shelton has become a crowd favorite for his wit and humor. Remember when he joked about the crowd’s support after beating Lorenzo Sonego at the Australian Open in January 2025? Fans were “welcome to boo or even ‘throw stuff’ at him.” This remark drew laughs and eased the tension. In another instance, back in October 2023, Shelton had lightened the moment with the umpire during a heated line call, saying he had the “worst eyes on tour.” Shelton’s humor always finds a way in, even when the stakes are high.

On Sunday, Ben lost his shot at a clay title after Alexander Zverev swept him aside in Munich, 6-2, 6-4, to claim his first trophy of the year on home soil. Shelton had survived close calls earlier in the week, as he saved three match points in his first match against Borna Gojo. But showing relentless grit, he made it to the final. However, Zverev’s clay-court prowess was just too much.

Shelton’s response at the trophy ceremony stole the show. As he approached the mic, he fiddled with the stand, trying to lower it. The American grinned and quipped, “I guess all you guys are taller than me, huh?” The crowd laughed. At 1.93 meters, Shelton isn’t short, but the mic was still a stretch. His opponent, Zverev, stands even taller at 1.98 meters!

But the American didn’t dwell on that. He shifted focus to the moment. “First, I want to thank God. I feel blessed to play in front of you guys on Easter Sunday. It’s really special for me. I want to congratulate Sascha. Home tournament. Big to get a win here. It’s your birthday too. I didn’t know that. Happy Birthday,” Shelton said, with his charm and sportsmanship being on full display.

Shelton’s graciousness truly stood out. Zverev had battled back from tough losses, following a painful defeat to Jannik Sinner at the Australian Open and slipping to No. 3 in the rankings behind Carlos Alcaraz. With a smile, Shelton added, “I would’ve said like, this is a birthday gift, but I had no clue 😂. I was trying as hard as I could to return those serves today, but I couldn’t get it done.” Classic Ben—humorous, even in defeat.

The match started rough for Shelton. A double fault at deuce handed Zverev an early break. The German’s serve was rock-solid. Another double fault from Shelton at 15-40 sealed the first set. The second set followed the same script—Zverev broke early, and Shelton never found his rhythm.

After the match, Shelton kept it classy. He praised Zverev’s form and wished him luck for the rest of the clay season. But this was just one of Shelton’s humorous moments from this tournament!

Ben Shelton calls out his own shot with a twist of humor

Before taking on Zverev in the BMW Open final, Ben Shelton had pulled off a thrilling comeback in R4 on Saturday, defeating Francisco Cerundolo 2-6, 7-6(7), 6-4. With that gritty win, Shelton not only secured his fourth ATP Tour final and second on clay, but he also made history as the first American to reach a clay-court final above the ATP 250 level since Andre Agassi’s run in Rome back in 2002. That’s a 23-year drought snapped—Shelton was actually born five months after Agassi’s triumph!

Following the match, Shelton was all smiles and energy. “It’s a big win for me. To get a win on clay against a guy like that gives me a lot of confidence, and to be in an [ATP] 500 final over here in Europe, I’m really happy. I’ve been playing well here, I love the energy here in Munich, and I’m going to go for that title tomorrow,” he said, soaking up the moment.

The match had its share of wild moments, including a nervy second set where Shelton hit a shaky drop shot—one he later joked about, calling it “the worst dropper hit in a professional match, I’d say. Any level 😂.”

Shelton’s journey to the final was full of fight. Earlier in the week, he survived a nail-biter against Borna Gojo, saving three match points. In the quarters, he breezed past Luciano Darderi in just 73 minutes. Reflecting afterward, he said, “I feel pretty good moving around, sliding, getting into drop shots, defending, playing offensively. I was kind of like a deer on ice a couple of years ago, but I have evolved a lot. I am not the player I want to be yet, but I am working towards it for sure.”

He might not have taken the BMW Open title, but Ben’s run was one for the books. With Roland Garros just around the corner, who knows? Maybe the 22-year-old will serve up more surprises—and more witty one-liners—on the Paris clay.