Quote of the Day: For Ben Shelton, facing a French player felt like "playing in the SEC"

After Ben Shelton’s hard-fought first-round victory at Roland Garros the American may have been left wondering—are we in Paris, France, or is this the NCAA’s Southeastern Conference?

The 21-year-old former University of Florida star said he was getting major SEC vibes after his match against Hugo Gaston, Shelton’s first meeting against a French player at the clay-court Grand Slam.

As always, the French faithful showed up for their own in a loud way on Monday. Despite a mid-match rain delay and the small event of 14-time champ Rafael Nadal’s own clash with Alexander Zverev elsewhere on the grounds, Court 14 was rocking for all four sets of their first round clash.

“Obviously, he had the home field advantage, but I felt some love out there,” Shelton grinned afterward. The partisan atmosphere only added to the excitement, as he channeled their energy to take a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 victory over two hours and 30 minutes.

Afterward, the Atlanta native paid the French crowd the ultimate compliment as he told press it reminded him a bit of his days competing in a Florida-Georgia match—the tennis version of a classic SEC rivalry.

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Q: When the noise is like that, when they're cheering every error you make… Does it have any affect on you? What was the rowdiest of your college matches that might have reminded you of (this)?

BEN SHELTON: It's a big motivator when you hear the chants and cheers whenever you make an unforced error, but also, there was so much energy for me, which made it awesome. Sometimes it's tough when it's completely silent when you hit a good shot, and they're going nuts every time that you miss, but here it was a little bit more even. Obviously, he had the home field advantage, but I felt some love out there.

I think playing at Georgia is comparable. Not because of the noise. Just because of the very nasty, choice words that people say to you in the stands. I'd say Georgia, Kentucky, and Tennessee were probably the three worst for me.

At Florida we usually got big crowds, loud crowds, but I'd like to think that our fans had some character. You know, they were nice about the way that they cheered and heckled.

But, yeah, you play in the SEC, and all bets are off.

Game recognizes game—especially as Shelton’s ties to the SEC and college tennis are well known. The American was working toward a finance degree at the University of Florida before turning pro in 2022, and while there he helped lead the team to the 2021 NCAA Championship and won the 2022 NCAA Singles Championship.

During his time as a Gator, the team’s head coach also happened to be his dad Bryan Shelton, a former ATP Tour pro. Shelton senior himself coached the Georgia Tech (ACC) women’s tennis team to the 2007 NCAA title, before he went to Florida and clinched another NCAA victory in 2021 with his son’s team.

Though the world No. 15’s college tennis days may be behind him, he’s taken all the lessons he learned—from the books and on the court—as he’s settled into ATP life. Dad Bryan has resumed coaching duties alongside Dean Goldfine, continuing to build on the success that saw Shelton lift his second career title on the clay-courts of Houston this year.

Shelton moved into the second round in Paris, where he will face the resurgent Kei Nishikori next. The snakebitten Japanese player overcame a stern test against Canada's Gabriel Diallo, a former University of Kentucky player, to win 7-5, 7-6 (3), 3-6, 1-6, 7-5 in his first Grand Slam match since 2021.