Ben Shelton spoke about his camera message at the Australian Open after a lot of speculation over it. The 23-year-old booked his place in the fourth round of the tournament with a 6-4, 6-4, 7-6(5) win over 30th seed Valentin Vacherot.
Ben Shelton Clarifies Australian Open 3R Camera Message
Shelton put on a fine performance to beat Vacherot in straight sets and reach the second week of the Australian Open for the third time in four years. After the match, the American signed the camera with a message that read:
‘USA ’til it’s backwards’
Ben Shelton signs the camera after reaching the 2nd week of the Australian Open
“USA ’til it’s backwards”
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) January 24, 2026
There had been quite a bit of speculation over Shelton’s message with people wanting to know the meaning and reason behind it. The World No. 7 clarified that there wasn’t any underlying message in what he wrote and that it was meant to be a shoutout to the young American players doing well at the Australian Open and his girlfriend Trinity Rodman.
“Literally no underlying message with my camera sign… a lot of young Americans killing it in Australia this year. And my girlfriend played for team USA for the first time in a year this morning. Thought they deserved a shoutout,” Shelton wrote on his Instagram stories.
Some American youngsters have made their mark at this year’s Australian Open, with Iva Jović reaching her maiden Grand Slam quarterfinal after trouncing Yulia Putintseva 6-0, 6-1. Here, she will face Aryna Sabalenka, who beat her partner Victoria Mboko in the fourth round. The likes of Ethan Quinn and Eliot Spizirri also did well to reach the third round of the Melbourne Major, with the latter winning a set against Jannik Sinner.
Shelton’s girlfriend, Trinity Rodman, played for the USWNT for the first time in almost a year in what was a pretty important fixture for her. The 23-year-old captained her country for the first time and capped off the occasion with a goal as The Stars and Stripes thrashed Paraguay 6-0.
Ben Shelton’s 4R Encounter at Australian Open
After straight-set wins over Ugo Humbert, Dane Sweeny, and Valentin Vacherot, Shelton will next face 12th seed Casper Ruud, who reached the second week of the Australian Open for the first time in five years. The Norwegian dropped his first set of the tournament but did well to defeat veteran Marin Čilić 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 7-5.
Shelton and Ruud will lock horns for the fourth time, with the Norwegian leading their head-to-head 2-1. This will be their first meeting since March 2024 and the winner will take on either Sinner or 22nd seed Luciano Darderi in the Australian Open quarterfinals.
