Coco Gauff's father Corey chooses daughter as Ben Shelton's "QB comp" for his recent football session in Indian Wells
Ben Shelton played American football before his upcoming BNP Paribas Open campaign in Indian Wells. Coco Gauff's father, Corey, reacted to a clip the ATP star posted, suggesting his daughter as his quarterback partner.
Shelton last competed in the second round of the Mexican Open last week, facing a surprising 7-6(3), 6-3 defeat to David Goffin. However, he wasted no time shaking off the disappointment, sharing a message on his Instagram story.
One of the early arrivals at Indian Wells, the American showcased his long left-handed throws on the football field this week. The clip on Instagram was captioned:
"Who is Ben Shelton's QB comp?"
Check out the collaborative post shared by the BNP Paribas Open, ATP, and Ben Shelton:
Compatriot tennis sensation Coco Gauff's father, Corey, known for his unwavering support for his daughter, playfully nominated her for the proposed role in the comments.
"Coco," he wrote.
![Screengrab of Corey Gauff's comment (top) on Ben Shelton's Instagram post [@benshelton]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2025/03/e6351-17409810838914-1920.jpg?w=500)
Gauff also had a disappointing run in her last tournament, the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, where she fell to compatriot McCartney Kessler 4-6, 5-7, and has been out of action since.
Ben Shelton on being a "close friend" to Coco Gauff and other Americans
During his Australian Open press conference in January, Ben Shelton said he is close friends with several players, particularly fellow Americans Coco Gauff and Chris Eubanks.
"I'm friends with most of them. Definitely close friends with Coco and Chris Eubanks. We've been watching pretty closely to see if Banks will get in as a lucky loser. He was third, and one guy pulled out," he said.
The 22-year-old closely followed compatriots Peyton Stearns and Emma Navarro's match and expressed excitement about fellow American Reilly Opelka's return:
"Obviously, I was watching Navarro and Stearns today. Two college players, and yeah, that was an absolute war. I love to see where American tennis is at. I love watching Reilly Opelka being back and playing great. There are probably too many American versus American first-round matches than I would have liked, but it is what it is."
Gauff and Shelton's camaraderie became even more evident when he celebrated the World No. 3's China Open triumph. The next challenge for the compatriots will be the WTA 1000 and ATP Masters 1000 events in Indian Wells.