"Stop copying me" - Ben Shelton hilariously teases Joao Fonseca as Brazilian follows in his footsteps with similar sponsorship deal
Ben Shelton reacted to Joao Fonseca's latest sponsorship deal with Swiss watch brand and manufacturer Rolex. The American also acquired a Rolex partnership earlier in the year. Both are also sponsored by On.
Brazilian youngster Fonseca took to Instagram to announce his sponsorship deal with Rolex. He posted an image of himself standing in front of the Rolex clock tower at the Arthur Ashe Stadium where the 2024 US Open is currently being held and captioned the post:
"Iām really excited and honoured to be part of the @rolex family, along with so many great champions, and with values that match my on court attitude: precision and excellence."
Shelton commented under the post:
"Stop copying me šš„š„š„."
Notably, in the image, Fonseca is wearing the On kit he wore during his 2024 US Open qualifiers. Shelton and Fonseca are both sponsored by the Swiss sportswear company.
Moreover, before the Australian Open began this year, Shelton had announced his deal with Rolex. The American had also taken to Instagram to announce the partnership and posted an image wearing his On kit.
Ben Shelton advances to US Open 2024 2R; Joao Fonseca fails to qualify for main draw
18-year-old Joao Fonseca is deemed to be the next big thing in tennis, however, his maiden Grand Slam main draw appearance has to wait as he failed to cross the qualifiers barrier at the 2024 US Open.
The World No. 162 defeated ninth-seed Lukas Klein in the first round of the qualifiers 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 before comfortably defeating Calvin Hemery 6-4, 6-3. However, the teenager faltered 6-7(8), 7-6(5), 4-6. against USA's Elliot Spizzirri in a highly contested battle.
Meanwhile, Ben Shelton is making his third main draw appearance at the US Open. He reached the semifinal last year. This year, the 21-year-old opened his campaign against Dominic Thiem. Shelton's serving prowess helped him achieve a comfortable 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 first-round victory over the Austrian.
This was the Austrian's final appearance in a Grand Slam as he is set to retire after his home tournament in Vienna in October.
In his second-round match, Shelton will take on Roberto Bautista Agut who defeated Luca Nardi 7-5, 7-6(3), 7-6(5). This will be the second encounter between the pair with the American leading the head-to-head 1-0 as he defeated Agut in the Australian Open earlier this year.