Ben Shelton Denies Controversial Australian Open Message Claims

Ben Shelton grabbed headlines with his camera signature at the Australian Open, but he’s making it clear there wasn’t any political message behind it.

These days, it’s pretty normal for athletes to get political questions. The world’s more connected than ever, and when controversial stuff happens between countries, reporters want to know what players think.

Donald Trump’s back in office, and his administration’s moves over the past year have stirred up a lot of people.

There was recent anger about ICE – the immigration enforcement agency – after they killed two people during operations.

Several American players have been grilled about what’s happening in their country during Australian Open press conferences. And honestly, their reactions have been all over the place.

Coco Gauff, who’s never been shy about opposing Trump, and Madison Keys spoke pretty openly about not liking how the US is being run right now. They both want to see things change.

But others? Not so much.

Amanda Anisimova and Taylor Fritz didn’t want to touch the subject. Anisimova said politics didn’t affect her pride in representing America, while Fritz worried his comments would get twisted.

After beating Valentin Vacherot in the third round, Shelton signed the camera ‘USA Till it’s Backwards’. Some people thought he was saying he’d support his country no matter what. Others went further and figured it might be backing Trump directly.

Shelton jumped on Instagram to clear things up pretty quickly. The 23-year-old said the message was actually about how well Americans are doing at the Australian Open – plus a shoutout to his girlfriend, soccer player Trinity Rodman.

"Literally no underlying message with my camera sign… a lot of young Americans killing it this year in Australia. And my girlfriend played for Team USA for the first time in a year this morning. Thought they deserved a shoutout."

Shelton’s got a massive challenge ahead on Wednesday when he faces Jannik Sinner in the quarterfinals.

The stats aren’t pretty – he’s lost his last 19 sets against the world No. 2. That includes getting completely demolished in last year’s Australian Open semifinal.

If Shelton somehow beats the Italian, maybe his next camera sign will be about pulling off a miracle.

Aryna Sabalenka was savagely criticized by a Ukrainian player for her past political actions

Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine has been going on since February 2022, with Belarus backing them up. So Russian and Belarusian players get asked about the conflict constantly.

Aryna Sabalenka gets it worse than most. She’s the WTA world No. 1 and she’s from Belarus, so reporters always want her take on the war.

The four-time Grand Slam champion has consistently said she opposes it and wants peace.

But Ukrainian player Oleksandra Oliynykova wasn’t buying it. She pointed out that Sabalenka had previously supported Belarusian leader Aleksandr Lukashenko during protests, and called her beliefs dangerous.

Here’s the thing – Oliynykova’s got a point.

Sabalenka has never actually renounced her past support for Lukashenko. And when she talks about wanting peace, she usually follows it up by saying politics and sport should never mix.

That’s a pretty convenient position when you’re trying to avoid tough questions about your country’s actions.