Ben Shelton reacted to a bold claim made by Steve Johnson, in reply to the question of what the result would be if Shelton and Johnson locked horns in college tennis. Shelton turned pro after a successful college tennis period from 2020 to 2022 at the Florida Gators, during which he helped the Gators secure their maiden team national championship in 2021 and also secured several prestigious individual accolades.On a recent episode of the Nothing Major podcast, which is co-hosted by multiple American former ATP stars, Johnson claimed that he would easily beat Shelton if their respective college tennis avatars faced each other."I chop him (Shelton) down, no problem. I'm not losing that match. I didn't lose for two years dude," Johnson said.The now 35-year-old's college tennis days for the University of Southern California Trojans are the stuff of legend. He became a two-time NCAA Singles Champion, a seven-time Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) All-American, and also helped the Trojans to team titles spanning his four years representing them.However, according to Johnson, Ben Shelton would emerge victorious if the two met in their respective primes on the ATP Tour. The former No. 21 opined that Shelton was already a force to be reckoned with and still has some way to go before his level peaks."Prime Ben Shelton on (the ATP) Tour takes down Steve Johnson prime pretty handily. If we're going to flip the script, we'll go tour here, since Ben hasn't even gotten close to his prime," Johnson added. View this post on Instagram Instagram PostShelton, the ATP No. 6, took notice of Steve Johnson's take on Instagram and reacted to it in the comments, agreeing with the American former ATP star."He takes me out for sure," Shelton wrote.Shelton's reaction to Johnson's bold claim on Instagram (Source: Instagram/nothingmajorshow)Ben Shelton marks his most glorious achievement on the ATP TourBen Shelton celebrates his men's singles title triumph at the 2025 National Bank Open in Toronto (Source: Getty)Earlier this month, Ben Shelton won his maiden ATP Masters 1000 title at the 2025 National Bank Open in Toronto, Canada. The 22-year-old faced the much more significantly experienced Karen Khachanov in the final and fell a set behind to the Russian. However, the American roared back into the contest and ultimately registered a 6-7(5), 6-4, 7-6(3) victory.Shelton's latest outing came in a straight-set quarterfinal loss to World No. 3 Alexander Zverev at the Cincinnati Open. Up next for the youngster is this year's US Open, where he is set to feature in both men's singles and mixed doubles action.First up for Shelton at Flushing Meadows is a first-round mixed doubles clash alongside compatriot Taylor Townsend, with the all-American duo slated to lock horns with Holger Rune and Amanda Anisimova.