Ben Shelton (20th) said on Wednesday he was shocked by the way players were treated in post-match interviews on court, three days after complaints from Novak Djokovic due to comments deemed “insulting” by a journalist for the Australian Open broadcaster.
Qualified for the semi-finals of the Australian Open thanks to his victory against Lorenzo Sonego (55th), the 22-year-old American explained at the end of his press conference that Djokovic's case was not ” isolated “. “When Learner Tien beat (Daniil) Medvedev, his post-match interview seemed awkward and disrespectful to me,” Shelton explained, before detailing the comments made towards him that he found inappropriate.
“When someone says to me after a match: Monfils is old enough to be your father. Maybe it's your father? Or today (Wednesday) on the court when I was asked: “Hey Ben, how do you feel about no matter who your opponent is, no one will be cheering for you (in the semi-finals)? That may be true, but I don't think that comment is respectful coming from a man I've never met in my life,” lamented the American.
On Sunday, Novak Djokovic boycotted the traditional post-match interview on court and demanded an apology from journalist Tony Jones after the presenter of Channel 9, broadcaster of the Australian major, made fun of the Serbian's supporters. Tony Jones and Channel 9 apologized and the Serb said on Monday he had moved on “to something else”.
-“I think broadcasters should help us grow our sport and help these athletes who have just won matches on one of the biggest courts in the world enjoy one of their greatest moments,” Shelton added.
“I feel like there’s been a lot of negativity. I think this is something that needs to change,” he concluded.
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