Everything has happened in the 2024 tennis season. For the spectators, it has been an entertaining season filled with contentious outbursts and players' funny on-court antics. Ben Shelton and Andrey Rublev's quarterfinal match at the Swiss Indoors in Basel earlier today had yet another strange event. What they witnessed left even Roger Federer's parents, Lynette and Robert, in disbelief.
The Center Court in Basel, where Ben Shelton was playing, was enveloped in a fog before the opening performance. The play had to be stopped by the chair umpire because vision was so poor. Shelton, however, took a towel in his hands and started using it to blow away the mist rather than going to the chair. The stadium erupted in laughter as a result, and Rublev even smiled after witnessing Shelton's action. Shelton and Rublev had just warmed up for their match when the incident happened.
Watch here the video:
Have you EVER seen anything like it?!?! 🤣
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) October 25, 2024
Play suspended in Basel due to fog? @BenShelton #SwissIndoorsBasel pic.twitter.com/Td3Zax6BaY
But as Roger Federer's parents watched, waiting for the competition to begin, the fog created a momentary disruption. As per Essentially Sports, on-air commentators stated, “We’ve just delayed a little bit here for the start, look at the haze around. It’s very traumatic Robbie, that’s come from the smoke as the players walk out on the court.”
Ben Shelton is a rising star in tennis
Ben Shelton has been involved in other strange incidents at the tournament, though. "Ben, will you marry me?" a fan shouted from the stands during Shelton's first-round bout. The American sensation then covered his face with his hands and offered a flushed look.