During the intense fourth-round match between Ben Shelton and Flavio Cobolli at the 2025 Canadian Open, a tense moment in the tiebreak led to a heated discussion after the match. The incident caught attention when both players engaged in a heated conversation at the net following Shelton’s 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(1) victory. Former tennis pro Rennae Stubbs later shared her analysis of what really happened between the two friends.
Rennae Stubbs Breaks Down The Incident Between Ben Shelton and Flavio Cobolli
Tennis analyst Rennae Stubbs provided detailed insight into the situation through a series of tweets. She explained that the drama started during the first point of the tiebreak when Shelton hit a forehand winner. She wrote,
“Ben was upset at Cobolli making a gesture when Ben hit that winner forehand 1st pt of the TB & Cobolli gestured that he got lucky, re kinda closed his eyes & hit it. It’s a normal gesture in tennis when u want to say ‘so lucky.'”
I watched the Shelton v Cobolli match incident. Ben was upset at Cobolli making a gesture when Ben hit that winner forehand 1st pt of the TB & Cobolli gestured that he got lucky, re kinda closed his eyes & hit it. It’s a normal gesture in tennis when u want to say “so lucky”.
— Rennae Stubbs ♈️ (@rennaestubbs) August 4, 2025
Stubbs noted that Shelton took offense to the gesture and wrote, “Watch his reaction after he hit a huge FH at 2-0 up. Cobolli i believe realized it wasn’t cool later as well & tried to smooth it over cause it pissed Ben off & he played with anger & focus after that in the TB. In other words Cobolli poked the bear.”
Ben took offense to it. Cause watch his reaction after he hit a huge FH at 2-0 up. Cobolli i believe realized it wasn’t cool later as well & tried to smooth it over cause it pissed Ben off & he played with anger & focus after that in the TB. In other words Cobolli poked the bear.
— Rennae Stubbs ♈️ (@rennaestubbs) August 4, 2025
The former pro emphasized that both players are friends and should have handled the conversation privately rather than on court. “But in the heat of the moment after 3 hrs & it being such a good match i can understand. They’ll move on & so should we. Well played guys! Roll it back at the please,” Stubbs concluded.
They’re friends & Ben & Flavio should have taken that conversation off the court, but in the heat of the moment after 3 hrs & it being such a good match i can understand. They’ll move on & so should we. Well played guys! Roll it back at the please @usopen @BenShelton @cobollifla
— Rennae Stubbs ♈️ (@rennaestubbs) August 4, 2025
The Heated Exchange Between Shelton and Cobolli
The incident occurred on the opening point of the decisive tiebreak when Shelton hit an inside-out forehand winner. Cobolli made a gesture that appeared to mock or suggest the shot was lucky. Shelton noticed this and gestured back when Cobolli won his first point after Shelton had taken a 3-0 lead.
After the match, Shelton confronted Cobolli about the gesture at the net. The conversation was captured on video, with Shelton imitating the gesture and asking if it was directed at him. Cobolli explained that his emotions were running high after the long match and insisted the gesture wasn’t meant to target Shelton personally. He was heard saying “It’s not with you. You deserve it, this match, but it’s not always with you.”
Ben Shelton and Flavio Cobolli had an exchange after the match in Toronto
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) August 4, 2025
The discussion continued even after their initial handshake, with both players trying to clarify the misunderstanding. Language barriers made the conversation more difficult, as Cobolli struggled to express himself clearly in English. Eventually, Cobolli clarified that he was just frustrated after serving for the match in a three-hour battle and didn’t want to fight with his friend.
Ben Shelton and Flavio Cobolli continued their tense exchange well after the match ended 👀#NBO25 | @NBOtoronto pic.twitter.com/NlgVBm3OQ4
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) August 4, 2025
During his post-match interview, Shelton put the matter to rest by saying “He just made a gesture in the tiebreaker and I asked him about it. He said it wasn’t towards me so we’re cool.” The American made it clear there were no hard feelings between them and they had resolved everything in the locker room afterward.
