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Rising American Star Ben Shelton Clubbed With Prodigies Coco Gauff and Carlos Alcaraz as 61YO Tennis Legend Dishes Out a Staggering ‘Lead the Charge’ Verdict

Published 10/13/2023, 6:22 AM EDT

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After the Australian Open, Ben Shelton enjoyed another remarkable Grand Slam campaign on his home soil. The American tennis star brushed raise some of the top seed players to reach the semifinal round of the US Open. In addition to his phenomenal performances, the 21-year-old garnered a lot of attention due to his controversial phone ‘dial-in’ celebration. However, Novak Djokovic turned the tables by pulling off the same move after his semifinal victory against his young opponent.

Taking note of the controversial act, the American tennis legend, Pam Shriver recently showcased her support for the idea of trash-talking in the sport. In the process, the 61-year-old issued a ‘lead the charge’ verdict while clubbing Shelton with other young tennis stars, Coco Gauff and Carlos Alcaraz.

Pam Shriver issues a major statement about tennis youngsters including Ben Shelton

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During the Tennis Channel Inside-In podcast show, the Hall of Famer was singing praise for her young compatriot, Ben Shelton. While reminiscing controversial moments from the US Open, Pam Shriver labeled the young ATP sensation as a combination of the ‘young, fresh face and bold personality’.

She said, “He’s a combination of the young, fresh face and bold personality. You know, he was part of one of the more controversial moments, a couple of them at the US Open. When he answered the phone answered the call against Tiafoe and then Djokovic kind of turned the tables and did the same thing.”

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The former American tennis player attributed that controversial celebration to the hot subject of trash-talking in the sport. Just like many current-generation stars including Gauff, the WTA legend also endorsed bantering in the game while she made a ‘lead the charge’ verdict.

Shriver added, “But it’s kind of like cool for tennis to be like, in the trash-talking era of athletes. Why not? Why not tennis? and you know, I think, yeah, then Shelton along with Alcaraz and Coco Gauff, I mean, they lead the charge of this 19, 20, 21 year old age group. That’s pretty special.”

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What do you think of the WTA legend joining the ‘trash talk’ bandwagon in the tennis community? Also, do you agree with her that the likes of Shelton, Alcaraz, and Gauff are ‘leading the charge’ of their age group? Let us know in the comments section.

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Written by:

Anurag Gusain

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Anurag Gusain is a tennis writer at EssentiallySports. Being a huge tennis fan, he enjoys watching the Spanish legend Rafael Nadal dominate other superstars on the ATP Tour. His coverage of Nadal's 14 French Open titles has been hailed as some of the best in the business, showcasing his talent for storytelling and his ability to capture the essence of the sport.
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