Double star reignites Ben Shelton Monte Carlo row ahead of Munich final
Italian doubles star Andrea Vavassori has told Ben Shelton “you hurt me” as the fallout from last week’s Monte Carlo Masters doubles encounter rumbles on.
Shelton and partner Rohan Bopanna defeated third seeds Vavassori and Simone Bolelli 2-6, 7-6(4), [10-7] in the second round of the doubles draw in Monte Carlo, before losing in the last eight.
However, the second-round encounter has been overshadowed by an exchange of words between Shelton and Vavassori after the match.
The Italian criticised Shelton for aiming a ball directly at him, to which Shelton responded, “It’s tennis, bro, not baseball,” and accused Vavassori of being “so soft”.
Three-time Grand Slam finalist Vavassori was ultimately forced to withdraw from this week’s Barcelona Open due to injury.
And, in quotes reported by Tennis World Italia, he revealed he had suffered a small rib fracture from the incident.
“I had this fracture to my rib, of a millimetre,” said Vavassori.
“Nothing serious, but I have to stay ten days without playing. It’s better not to do it above the pain because it would lengthen the recovery time.
“Until the callus forms I have to give it time to cool down. It bothers me especially when serving. In the days before the blow I had taken a Brufen for a sore elbow, it helped me cover the pain.
“It was conditioning more than anything on a mental level, because I realised I had hurt myself.”
Vavassori also took further aim at Shelton, accusing the American of “having taunted” me and claiming he would not forgive the singles world No 15 unless he apologised.
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He added: “I think it’s over with Shelton, even for the future. In general, I didn’t like how he behaved.
“Then it depends on him, if he comes and apologises after making fun of me for causing me a rib fracture, I’m someone who always forgives, I can forget things even immediately. If he doesn’t take a step, I certainly won’t.
“I’m absolutely not a doubles player who says you shouldn’t shoot at me, but I told him: ‘Be careful when you shoot so hard, so close. You can hurt. And you hurt me, something in my rib for sure.’
“I was pissed off for getting injured and watching the video I was sorry that he taunted me. He basically hurt me, and he also made fun of me.”
Vavassori’s comments come amid Shelton’s run to the final of the Bavarian Open in Munich, his fourth career ATP singles final, and second on clay.
Second seed Shelton impressively battled from a set down in Saturday’s semi-final against fifth seed Francisco Cerundolo, beating the Argentine 2-6, 7-6(7), 6-4 to reach the final.
Shelton will now face top seed and home favourite Alexander Zverev for the title, though he has already made some history in Munich.
The Bavarian Open is an ATP 500 event, and this is now the biggest final reached by an American man on clay since Andre Agassi won the 2002 Italian Open title.
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