Ben Shelton unloaded before darkness officially arrived at Wimbledon on Thursday night.
The morning after, tournament director Jamie Baker acknowledged that he understood the source of Shelton’s frustration.
Ben Shelton unloaded before darkness officially arrived at Wimbledon on Thursday night.
The morning after, tournament director Jamie Baker acknowledged that he understood the source of Shelton’s frustration.
Shelton returned to No.2 Court on Friday and warmed up longer than he played.
He finished off Hijikata 6-2, 7-6, 6-4, and only needed 1 minute and 5 seconds to lock up the final game.
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Shelton blasted three quick aces, while Hijikata didn’t score a point.
“I guess I’m the opposite of (John) Isner, right?” said Shelton, referring to a legendary 2010 match at Wimbledon that lasted 11 hours and 5 minutes, and required three days to complete
For fans watching the contest across the globe on Thursday via TV, the sight of a highly frustrated Shelton complaining about a suspended match — when there was still visible light outside — didn’t make sense.
“Match would’ve been over in 2-3 minutes,” one fan tweeted.
Darkness? The sun is still shining,” a second fan posted.
Shelton had to be restrained on No.2 Court — which doesn’t feature artificial lights or a roof — then took to social media to further vent his frustration.
“They ain’t wanna see anything else from me tonight, but I’ll see yall tomorrow,” he posted.
The 22-year-old from Atlanta joked on Friday that he was unsure if he should shower after his 1-minute finish, but was more accepting of the tournament’s strict curfew policy.
“I mean, it’s tradition, I understand,” Shelton said.
“It’s also in a neighborhood. If it was in my neighborhood and they’re playing till 2 a.m. every single night and going completely ballistic, I’d be like, ‘I probably don’t really want to live here.’