Ben Shelton has jokingly apologised for placing a dampener on Taylor Fritz’s birthday celebrations by ‘choking’ during their Paris Masters doubles match this week. Shelton and Fritz teamed up in Paris but were knocked out during the first day in the French capital.
The American duo appeared to be cruising through against home favourites Fabien Reboul and Sadio Doumbia, winning the first set 6-4. However, they crumbled and lost the second set 7-6(4).
Reboul and Doumbia went on to win the deciding set 10-8 to seal a memorable victory over stars both ranked in the ATP singles top 20. But there was further reason for Fritz to be annoyed about the defeat.
That is because the match was played on the occasion of his 27th birthday. And Shelton was keen to apologise for bringing down the mood.
Fritz posted a photo of himself at the League of Legends World semi-finals. Referencing his defeat alongside Shelton, he wrote: “27. Thank you for all the birthday wishes – didn’t do much for my bday besides lose a doubles match w/ @benshelton but at least got to go to the @leagueoflegends Worlds Semifinals the day before, so shoutout @riotgames cause that was [fire emoji].”
“Sorry I choked on the birthday bro,” Shelton quipped in the comments. Fritz responded with a laughing emoji and responded: “this L ain’t on u.”
Their defeat comes after Fritz admitted that he wanted to avoid the French stars in Paris. He believed they would enjoy an advantage due to the passion of the country’s tennis community.
“Hopefully it’s going to be okay, if I play a French player, I’m always expecting to hear the crowd,” he said.
“I’ve had some rough [matches against French players], but it’s great to see how in this country the French people get behind their players, if you’re a player playing at home that’s the kind of energy you want behind you.
“Hopefully I’ll avoid the French players, and then I think we’ll be good.”
Fritz faces British No. 1 Jack Draper in the third round, with them due on court in Paris at around 15:30 GMT. Meanwhile, Shelton was due to face Jannik Sinner in the second round after beating Corentin Moutet, but the Italian’s withdrawal means he will now play against Arthur Cazaux.
Excellent form has landed Fritz a place in the ATP Tour Finals for the second year in a row. He is ranked sixth in the world, with his run to the US Open final among his highlights in 2024.