Why Ben Shelton Says Vamos During Tennis Matches

Ben Shelton loves to shout "vamos!" when he’s pumped up on the tennis court. It’s become his signature celebration, but a lot of people have wondered why this American player celebrates in Spanish.

The 22-year-old ATP star is one of tennis’s most fired-up competitors. His energy and celebrations have made him pretty popular with fans during his quick rise up the rankings.

But not everyone’s a fan of his on-court antics.

Some players have gotten annoyed by Shelton’s explosive celebrations. He’ll yell "vamos" – which means "come on" in Spanish – after winning big points, games, sets, and matches.

It’s pretty unusual for an American player to celebrate in a foreign language. Turns out there’s a really good reason for it.

Shelton played college tennis at the University of Florida before going pro. In a recent interview with the ATP, he explained how his teammates got him started with the Spanish celebrations.

"I had a few Spanish-speaking teammates on my team at Florida who are some of my best friends, and it just became a thing for all of us on the University of Florida team."

That makes way more sense. It wasn’t some random choice – it’s been a habit for years.

Andres Andrade, one of Shelton’s former teammates from Ecuador, is thrilled that his friend still uses their old team celebration on the big stage. He thinks it actually helps Shelton win matches.

"He’s always said it. He copied it from some of us on the team who used to celebrate like that, and he’s said it ever since. It’s one of the few words he knows in Spanish. I think it’s great that he shouts and celebrates with his box all the time, like at university. I know he has been criticised a lot for it, but long may it continue. I think it’s good to celebrate like that. It’ll help you win a lot of matches."

Abdullah Shelbayh, another former Florida teammate who reached No. 181 in the world rankings, remembers Shelton always having that unshakeable confidence.

"He’s always been hungry for more. I remember that he always believed in himself, that he had the opportunity and the game to beat anyone. He was never intimidated by an opponent. I think that’s what helped him have his breakthrough on tour this year."

Is Shelton Ready to Reach the Top?

Ben Shelton’s 2025 season has been his best yet. He finally broke through for his first Masters 1000 title at the Canadian Open in Toronto.

The final against Karen Khachanov got pretty wild. The match was actually delayed because fans in Toronto went absolutely crazy celebrating Victoria Mboko’s title win happening at the same time in Montreal.

Shelton definitely caught a break with Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner skipping Toronto. Those two have basically owned men’s tennis since early 2024.

Three of Shelton’s four Grand Slam losses have come against Alcaraz and Sinner. The fourth ended when he had to retire injured at the 2025 US Open.

Even with all of Shelton’s improvements this year, Alcaraz and Sinner are still in a league of their own. They’ve won every single Grand Slam men’s title since the start of 2024.

But Shelton’s getting closer. And he’ll probably keep shouting "vamos" every step of the way.