"Celebrating saving set point isn’t wrong? Y'all critique him for anything" - Fans defend Ben Shelton amid backlash for 'ugly attitude' vs Casper Ruud

Tennis fans jumped to Ben Shelton's defense after he came in for criticism for his passionate celebrations against Casper Ruud at the Mexican Open in Acapulco on Friday.

Shelton locked horns with Ruud in a closely contested quarterfinal encounter at the 500 event, which saw the Norwegian claim a 6-7(7), 6-4, 6-4 victory after a thrilling two-and-a-half hour battle. Ruud has a blockbuster semifinal clash against Holger Rune up next.

Following the clash, Shelton copped up criticism for passionately celebrating a net cord that allowed him to fend off a set point against Ruud. One user shared a clip of the incident and condemned the American for his conduct, questioning when the 21-year-old would "humble" himself.

""Ben Shelton is a good kid." Also Ben Shelton celebrating a net cord point like he won a grand slam and proceeding to talk sh*t to the nicest guy on tour. Ben Shelton loses 7-6, 4-6, 4-6. Will he ever humble himself?" the user posted.

Another user joined in, slamming Shelton for his "ugly attitude" and expressing a desire for him to mature, like Nick Kyrgios.

"Man this kid is SO unlikeable hahaha. Like even if he was best friends with Djokovic, he’d still be so cringe with this ugly attitude.. He’ll grow up I hope, just like Kyrgios did," the user wrote.

However, tennis fans pushed back against the criticism aimed at Ben Shelton, as many pointed out that he was simply celebrating saving a set point and chastised others for their baseless criticism.

"See I’m not the biggest fan of Shelton but celebrating saving set point isn’t wrong? Y’all will critique this man for just abt anything and it speaks volumes abt your character," a fan commented.

"Mad because he was glad he saved a set point. This is literally just looking for something to complain about," another fan chimed in.

Another fan drew a parallel to Andrey Rublev's disqualification controversy at the Dubai Tennis Championships, claiming that while Rublev was being "infantilized" for his conduct towards the line umpire, Shelton was being vilified for simply celebrating during a match.

"Absolutely unsurprised that on the same day y’all are infantilizing rublev for yelling in a linesperson’s face, people are vilifying ben shelton for … celebrating after saving a set point," the fan posted.

Here are a few more reactions from fans on X:

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"Ben Shelton is not home counting money; he's got a chance to be the best player in the world" - Tennis coach

Ben Shelton celebrates a point.

Renowned tennis coach Eric Riley recently expressed belief that Ben Shelton isn't one to rest on his laurels, as evidenced in his maiden ATP title triumph at the 2023 Japan Open soon after his semifinal finish at the US Open.

"Shelton has done a great job and he bounced back immediately and got an ATP tournament in Japan.

"That shows you right there he's not home counting money. He's not home basking in the sun. He won five matches in a Major and went and won a tournament after that," he said on the Tennis Channel Inside-In podcast.

Riley also asserted that the 21-year-old has the potential to become the best player in the world due to his willingness to work hard.

"He's got a chance to be the best player in the world because he is ready to go to work. Most of these guys, they get a good result, on the men's or women's side, they become fat cats," Riley added.

Ben Shelton will be in action at the Indian Wells Masters next, which commences on March 6. The American will be on the hunt for his maiden ATP Masters 1000 title at the event.