The US Open has already seen the controversial skipping of media obligations by Serena Williams and Venus Williams. Now, Ben Shelton is getting dragged into the same conversation, but through no fault of his own. When rumors started circulating that Shelton had skipped his press duties, tennis insider Ben Rothenberg quickly cleared the situation.

“I don’t know who was spreading that today, but none of those players “skipped” press. They just weren’t requested,” said Rothenberg on X. “US media is often wholly disinterested, for better or worse, in requesting players if they won’t be the focus of stories. We try not to waste the players’ time.”

Shelton, along with Iva Jovic and Learner Tien, was rumored to have skipped their media duties, which, according to Rothenberg, is not true. Players are free to speak with the host broadcaster and in the mixed zones after matches, but the main press conference room runs on requests from the accredited media pool.

Accredited journalists have the discretion to request that particular players attend press conferences. Players are obligated to attend the press room once a request for their attendance comes through, but are not required to come in if they are not requested by members of the media.

In Ben Shelton’s case, the American did attend his press conferences after his first-round, second-round, and even fourth-round wins. However, if Rothenberg is to be believed, the American No.1 was not requested after his third- round win against Denis Shapovalov. Even for Jovic, the situation was the same: although she attended the press conference after her third-round win over Alexandra Eala, she was not called to the press after her loss to Coco Gauff.

Rumors of Shelton skipping press conferences circulated online amid the controversy surrounding Serena and Venus Williams at the US Open. Having received wildcards to make their historic comeback at Flushing Meadows, the Williams sisters had a short but memorable campaign as they lost in the first round itself, after a three-hour contest. However, none of them attended their press conferences, despite being requested to do so, which sparked significant online backlash. Rothenberg was one of the media members who had requested their attendance.

For Shelton, however, rumors about his press obligations will be of little bother, as he will have no shortage of media requests should he pull off the upset against Carlos Alcaraz in the quarterfinals.

Ben Shelton is all set to face Carlos Alcaraz in the quarterfinals at the US Open

Carrying the American hopes on his shoulders, Shelton will hope he can put his best foot forward against Carlos Alcaraz in the quarterfinals. The American came into New York on the back of his successful title defense in Canada, but had a shaky start to his campaign at Flushing Meadows.

Shelton dropped a set apiece against the likes of Tallon Griekspoor, Hubert Hurkacz, and Denis Shapovalov. The draw was difficult for the American, as each of those players is capable of beating top-ranked opposition, with Hurkacz and Shapovalov being former Top-10 players. Shelton was also not shy about admitting that he felt the nerves in the opening rounds of the tournament.

However, all nerves and hesitation were gone in Shelton’s fourth-round win against Stefanos Tsitsipas, which also ended a 149-year-old streak, leaving the men’s singles draw without a player with a one-handed backhand.

Carlos Alcaraz, meanwhile, has eased many of the doubts around his fitness and injury, as the Spaniard has progressively improved over the course of the tournament, with his routine straight-set win against Tommy Paul serving as a statement to the rest of the field.

The Spaniard leads the head-to-head 3-0, but should Shelton overcome the challenge with the Arthur Ashe crowd behind him, the American will not be facing any rumors of skipping press, as he will likely be flooded with requests.