Coco Gauff's brother Codey reacts to Ben Shelton not losing motivation despite French Open heartbreak

Ben Shelton's French Open campaign came to an unceremonious end on Sunday, June 1, as he lost in the fourth round to defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in four sets. While the American would've wanted to go farther in Paris, Coco Gauff's brother, Codey, made sure to give the World No. 13 huge props for his valiant run.

Shelton gave a good account of himself on the famed terre battue this year, making it to the second week of the clay-court Major for the first time in his career. The 22-year-old's campaign included a hard-fought five-set win over Italy's Lorenzo Sonego in the first round. Unfortunately, he failed to convert three set points in the opening set of his Round-of-16 encounter against second-seeded Alcaraz before eventually succumbing to a 6-7(8), 3-6, 6-4, 4-6 defeat in three hours and 22 minutes.

The following day, Ben Shelton took to his Instagram handle to post a few pictures from this year's French Open, including his embrace with Carlos Alcaraz at the net. The American's post seemingly left Coco Gauff's younger brother, Codey, in awe, as evidenced by the latter's reply.

For those unaware, Codey Gauff is an aspiring baseballer and will play for the Missouri Tigers in the NCAA Division I later this year. The 17-year-old, a right-handed switch-hitter, often interacts with his elder sister and her friends' Instagram posts.

Ben Shelton joins Pete Sampras in elusive list with 4R run at 2025 French Open

Ben Shelton hits a forehand | Image Source: Getty

Ben Shelton has already shown impressive versatility at 22 years of age, having made it to the second week of all four Major tournaments. Notably, the 22-year-old joined an exclusive club with his fourth-round result at the 2025 French Open, becoming the fourth-youngest American male player to reach the fourth round at all the Grand Slam tournaments.

For academic purposes, only Pete Sampras (20 years, 10 months), Jim Courier (21 years, 9 days), and Aaron Krickstein (21 years, 10 months) achieved the feat at a younger age than Shelton. Andre Agassi, meanwhile, didn't make it to the second week of all four Majors until the age of 24, as he regularly skipped the Australian Open from 1987 to 1994.

Shelton, meanwhile, will play at the Stuttgart Open, Queen's Club Championships, and the Mallorca Championships this month in the lead-up to Wimbledon, which begins on June 30. The World No. 13 will be eager to improve his career-best result of reaching the fourth round at SW19 this year.

About the author

Rudra is a seasoned tennis journalist at Sportskeeda who has followed the sport for over a decade. Whether it's breaking news or tactically analyzing a match, he thrives in reporting it. When he isn't working, he's probably spending time with friends or watching art films. He has also played tennis for over eight years and his favourite tennis player of all time is Rafael Nadal.

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Edited by Hitesh Nigam