Ben Shelton Snaps Back at Reporter When Asked Bizarre Question Related to Roger Federer-Backed Brand

Ben Shelton will continue his hunt for his first Grand Slam title at the US Open, where his first-round opponent is Ignacio Buse.

Ben Shelton Snaps Back at Reporter When Asked Bizarre Question Related to Roger Federer-Backed Brand

Roger Federer, Ben Shelton (Image via X/z, The Tennis Letter)

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Roger Federer co-owns the Swiss sportswear and athletic shoe brand On. The brand sponsors several tennis players, including Ben Shelton, Iga Swiatek, and Joao Fonseca.

The American ace signed the sponsorship deal with the Swiss brand in March 2023. He is in New York for the US Open, where he will kick-start his campaign on Sunday (August 24) against Peruvian qualifier Ignacio Buse. In his pre-tournament press conference, Shelton was told about Jack Draper’s recent change of sponsors.

The Brit ended his partnership with Nike earlier this month and signed the deal with Vuori. During the press conference, the reporter asked Shelton what he gets out of the On partnership. “What was the question?” was Shelton’s response. The reporter repeated the question and also asked about his views on switching sponsors.

I just don’t get the comparison, because I started with On.

Ben Shelton said

The reporter then said Draper moved from a “big” company. Shelton smiled and asked if On is not a big company, to which the reporter said it’s not as big as the conventional ones in tennis like Nike or Adidas.

So, On is not a big company? Did you see the earnings report a couple of weeks ago? No?… It’s not a Nike or Adidas? Sorry, bro. I don’t like that question.

Ben Shelton added

On co-owner Federer has become the seventh billionaire athlete in history. As per Forbes, he has a net worth of $1.1 billion. He owns a stake of 3% in On. During his playing days, the 20-time Grand Slam champion collected a total prize money of $130,594,339 – the third highest on the men’s tour. The Swiss maestro called time on his career at the 2022 Laver Cup.

Ben Shelton on potential matchup against Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz en route to the US Open title

If Ben Shelton reaches the quarterfinals, he could set up a clash with Carlos Alcaraz. And if he is successful in beating the five-time Grand Slam champion, he could schedule the clash in the final against Jannik Sinner.

Ben Shelton Canadian Open 2025
Ben Shelton (image via National Bank Open)

Shelton hasn’t reached a Grand Slam final yet. He has so far played two Grand Slam semifinals: at the 2023 US Open and in this year’s Australian Open. In Melbourne, his run was ended by eventual champion Sinner in straight sets. Also, this season, Alcaraz was the reason behind his exit at the French Open, while the four-time Grand Slam champion knocked him out at Wimbledon.

Yeah, it seems, if you want to win a big title these days, that’s who you got to go throw. So, I am kind of take these tournaments one step at a time. I’m not really a guy who’s looking that far ahead. I’m focused on…I think I play a qualifier in my first match. I am focused on whoever that is and getting through round one. I think that some guys do really well looking ahead in the draw, seeing where they’re projected to match up against and who they’ll see in this round, if they have a good draw, bad draw.

Ben Shelton said in his pre-match press conference

Against the World No.1, Shelton trails 1-6 in the head-to-head matchups. His lone victory came in their first meeting at the 2023 Shanghai Masters. Shelton is 0-3 against Alcaraz.

While Sinner will be bidding to defend his title at Flushing Meadows, Alcaraz, the winner here in 2022, will be aiming to become a double Grand Slam champion. He beat the Italian ace in the French Open final, while the two titles that Sinner claimed this season were at the Australian Open and Wimbledon.

Also read: Coco Gauff Finally Lifts Lid on the ‘Sudden’ Coaching Change Ahead of the US Open