Tennis legends lash out after Ben Shelton asks 'disrespectful' question

Tennis legends Boris Becker and Chris Evert have backed up Ben Shelton's criticism of some of the interviews conducted after matches at the Australian Open. Shelton launched an extraordinary broadside at the Australian Open and Channel 9 officials during his press conference after beating Lorenzo Sonego to reach the semi-finals on Wednesday.

After all questions were answered, Shelton asked if he could say a few additional words. He said: “I've been a bit shocked this week by the way players have been treated by the broadcasters. I've noticed it in several people, not just myself. I noticed it in Pupil Ten in one of his matches.” When he beat (Daniil) Medvedev… his post-match interview I thought it was a bit embarrassing and disrespectful.”

Shelton said Tony Jones' mocks Djokovic and Serbian fans was not just an “isolated event,” and he called a question asked during his court interview Wednesday “disrespectful.” Shelton was asked by James Sherry: “You're going to play the winner of Jannik Sinner and Alex de Minaur. The audience will be on the other guy's side, right?”

Shelton accepted, saying, “You guys can call me names, you can throw things in my head, I understand that.” But at his official press conference he said: “There have been some comments made to me in post-match interviews by a number of different guys, whether it was, 'Hey, (Gael) Monfils is old enough to be your dad.' Maybe he's your father.'

“Or today on the field, 'Hey, Ben, how does it feel that no matter who you play in your next game, no one's going to cheer for you?'” I mean, it may be true, but I just don't think not that the comment is respectful coming from a man I've never met before in my life.

“I feel like broadcasters need to help us grow our sport and help these athletes who just won games on the biggest stage enjoy one of their biggest moments. I feel like there's just been a lot of negativity. I think that's something that needs to change.”

Interviews that Ben Shelton has objected to

The general consensus on Sherry's question was that it was poorly worded, and that he should have added something about how a player prepares when he knows he will also be going up against a home player and a vocal crowd. As for the question about Monfils and his father, Shelton's claim that Roger Rasheed said “maybe he's your father” is actually incorrect.

But Rasheed's question was also poorly worded when he said, “He could be your father.” It wasn't meant as a question about Shelton's parentage, but simply as a nod to the huge age difference between Shelton (22) and Monfils (38).

The American's reference to the Interview with student Tien comes after some awkward moments with John Fitzgerald. At one point, Fitzy told Tien, “I know where you live,” because the Australian lived in Newport Beach, where Tien currently lives. And Fitzgerald also said, “You don't know how to answer that, do you,” despite the fact that he never asked a question.

Boris Becker and Chris Evert contribute to the criticism of interviews

Taking to social media on Wednesday evening, German legend Becker made his own attack on the broadcasters. “Absolutely agree with Ben! Courtside interviews far too long after the matches and also too personal!”

While Evert wrote: “I agree with Ben. Sometimes on-field interviewers try to be funny or make it about themselves. In saying that, Jim Courier is excellent in that role,” while Czech player Jiri Lehecka also put it there agreed.

There's a general feeling that on-pitch interviews should be a bit more light-hearted and quirky than the official press conferences, and we've seen Jelena Dokic dancing with Aryna Sabalenka and asking players for coffee. John McEnroe also faced backlash when he apparently didn't know enough about Jannik Sinner during an interview.

It might be time to get back to the real stuff and ask some more serious questions. Like every Australian Open, a number of interviewers are not actually employed by Channel 9. Sherry, Rasheed and Fitzgerald are employed by Tennis Australia for the two-week tournament and have no relationship with Nine.

This is telling from a poll conducted by Yahoo Sports Australia has revealed Dokic as the overwhelming fan favorite among interviewers and commentators. In the poll among more than 15,000 readers, Dokic is the runaway leader with 49 percent of the votes, followed by Jim Courier (22 percent) and John McEnroe (nine percent).