Ben Shelton’s football clip from Indian Wells gets playful response from Corey Gauff, who names daughter Coco as his QB match
Ben Shelton played some American football before turning his focus to the upcoming BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. Coco Gauff’s father, Corey, chimed in after the ATP star shared a clip, playfully suggesting his daughter as Shelton’s quarterback partner.
Shelton’s last outing came at the Mexican Open, where he suffered a surprising second-round loss to David Goffin, 7-6(3), 6-3. Not dwelling on the defeat, he quickly shifted gears and posted a message to his Instagram story.
Already in Indian Wells ahead of the tournament, Shelton showed off his left-handed arm on the football field this week. His Instagram clip was captioned:
“Who is Ben Shelton’s QB comp?”
The BNP Paribas Open, ATP, and Shelton all shared the collaborative post, and Corey Gauff—always vocal in his support for Coco—suggested her as the perfect fit.
“Coco,” Corey commented.
Gauff herself is also looking to bounce back after a disappointing showing at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, where she lost to fellow American McCartney Kessler, 4-6, 5-7. She hasn’t competed since.
Ben Shelton on his “close friendship” with Coco Gauff and other Americans.
At the Australian Open in January, Shelton told the press that he’s tight with several players, especially fellow Americans Coco Gauff and Chris Eubanks.
“I’m friends with most of them. Definitely close friends with Coco and Chris Eubanks. We’ve been keeping tabs on Banks to see if he’d get in as a lucky loser. He was third in line, and one player pulled out,” Shelton said.
The 22-year-old also tuned in for the Peyton Stearns versus Emma Navarro match and shared his excitement over Reilly Opelka’s return:
“I was watching Navarro and Stearns today. Two college players, and man, that was a battle. I love seeing where American tennis stands right now. It’s great to have Reilly Opelka back and playing well. There were probably more all-American first-round matchups than I wanted, but that’s the draw.”
Shelton’s friendship with Gauff was further highlighted when he celebrated her China Open title. Now, both players shift focus to their next challenge: the WTA 1000 and ATP Masters 1000 tournaments at Indian Wells.
