Ben Shelton discussed facing Matteo Berrertini while replying to Sam Querrey and John Isner’s ‘hottest guys’ poll in the latest Instagram post from their podcast, “Nothing Major”. He participated in the lighthearted conversation about him and other ATP Tour stars in the comment section.

The podcast shared a Valentine’s Day post asking fans to choose the ‘hottest’ among 16 players. Querrey backed Shelton to be the winner in an accompanying video.

The American player, number 7 on the poll’s list, left a comment under the video about pulling out from the “draw” if he gets through the first round. He jokingly made his feelings known about competing with Italian player Berrettini, who was on No. 3 of the list.

“If I get through first round I’m pulling out. Dont want no smoke with Matteo,” Ben Shelton commented.

Felix Auger-Aliassime and Tommy Paul, both in the draw, also reacted.

“TP vs Tk huge first round haha,” Aliassime wrote.

“Ohhh lord,” Paul added.

Ben Shelton faced a heartbreaking exit at the Dallas Open on February 7, as he couldn’t advance further than the second round after being defeated by Jaume Munar, 6-2, 7-6(7). Following this upset, he has been spending time at the gym, focusing on intense training, and also enjoyed a fun evening with his friends watching the sunset.

Ben Shelton opened up about getting closer to success after his 2025 Australian Open exit

Ben Shelton delivered a commendable performance at the 2025 Australian Open, as he reached the semifinals of the tournament. He bested several players, such as Brandon Nakashima, Lorenzo Musetti, Gael Monfils, and more, to reach the second-to-last round of the event, where he was bested by Jannik Sinner, 7-6(7), 6-2, 6-2.

Following this upset, Shelton made an exit from the tournament with his head held high and later opened up about being close to success. Revealing his goals for this year, he said:

“I know I’m close. I know my level’s close. I know I have a lot of the stuff that I need. I certainly believe in myself. I just think that the reps against those guys, the consistency of playing those guys, playing a lot of matches in a week or a couple weeks, that will be the goal this year for me.”

The American started 2025 by competing in the ASB Classic, where he faced his season’s first unexpected exit, as he was defeated in the first round by Jakub Mensik, 7-6(7), 4-6, 7-5.