Coco Gauff Drops a Cheeky 1-word Reaction After Ben Shelton Flaunts His Recent Vogue Photoshoot
“We’re placed on this pedestal, and it’s tempting to think everything orbits you—but it doesn’t,” Ben Shelton mused after his 2023 GQ cover shoot. Yet, fans’ eyes inevitably lock onto powerhouses like him. Weeks after nearly snagging his first Slam at the Australian Open, the American lefty rolled into Indian Wells for the Masters. Before battling rivals, though, Shelton strutted onto Vogue’s cover, and his off-court swagger drew a nod from Coco Gauff.
Still chasing his first ATP 1000 title, Shelton recently stumbled, stunned by David Goffin in the Mexican Open’s second round. That didn’t dim his shine—Vogue still gave the 2022 NCAA Singles champ the star treatment.
Post-shoot, his pal Gauff hopped on Instagram, dropping an “Okayy” on his latest post. Fresh off stealing the 2025 Oscars spotlight—her first Academy Awards, arm-in-arm with mom Candi—Gauff reflected, “I usually dodge these events; anxiety hits hard. But I’m glad to be here. I want to be more than a tennis player, dip into other realms.”
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Back to Shelton: his monster serve and magnetic presence flipped the tour upside-down in 2023. A US Open semifinal run—cut short by Novak Djokovic—prompted GQ to tag him for “superstardom.” Now ranked a career-high No. 12, he’s strides ahead, but the road to legend status stretches long.
Unlike peers idolizing Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal, Shelton eyed Calvin Johnson. Surprising? Sure, but it tracks. In a Vogue chat, the 22-year-old bared his early disconnect from tennis despite a loaded lineage—dad Bryan, a former ATP pro and Florida coach, and sister Emma, a college player. “Tennis wasn’t cool in American public schools,” he said. “It was my dad’s thing, my sister’s thing.”
“Football’s cool, basketball’s cool—even baseball. But quarterbacking—smashing into guys on the field—that was peak fun in sports,” he added. The world No. 12 laments picking a non-contact game. “Hitting them—I love contact. My one regret with tennis is missing that physicality,” Shelton confessed.
Regardless, he’s locked in for a stellar ATP career. Next up: Indian Wells, with his first-round match set for Saturday, March 8. Are you rooting for him to go deep?
