Fans are guessing why tennis legend said to Ben Shelton, “I don’t care,” after his big US Open moment.
Fans have been curious about why Andy Roddick said “I don’t care” to Ben Shelton, after a friendly chat between them was softly heard following Shelton’s US Open post-match interview.
Shelton made it to the US Open final by beating fellow American Francis Tiafoe with scores of 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 7-5. During his interview with tennis legend Roddick, who’s also an ESPN commentator, Roddick was caught on mic saying “I don’t care” to the 23-year-old, which got fans guessing about their conversation.
As Shelton left the ESPN desk, he gave Roddick a warm hug, and they exchanged some words. Roddick’s microphone picked up him saying “I don’t care” after something faintly said by Shelton. Some fans quickly pointed out that Shelton was actually apologizing for not replying to Roddick’s earlier messages. One fan shared, “[Shelton] said, ‘Thanks for the text, I’m sorry I didn’t respond,’” and others agreed with this.
But on a night when Shelton was first thought to have hit the fastest serve ever in a Grand Slam — a huge 158mph shot against Tiafoe — some people took Roddick’s comment differently. Known for his sharp wit, humor, and deep tennis knowledge, Roddick, the 2003 US Open champ and the last American man to win a Grand Slam, was believed by some to be joking about Shelton’s serve speed.
Back in his playing days, Roddick was famous for his powerful serve, once hitting 155mph in a Davis Cup match in 2004. That stood as the fastest serve in tennis for seven years until Ivo Karlovic hit 156mph in 2011, also in the Davis Cup.
Though some fans teased about the “I don’t care” comment, it’s clear Roddick is one of the biggest supporters of the ATP Tour and American players. Plus, it was later confirmed that Shelton’s serve wasn’t actually the fastest in Slam history.
Hawkeye and the USTA checked and said Shelton’s serve, initially timed at 158mph by IBM’s computer, was really 144mph. That’s still fast but not close to Roddick’s record. Still, Shelton had an amazing serving game against Tiafoe, hitting 20 aces compared to Tiafoe’s three.
Shelton also landed 75% of his first serves, while Tiafoe managed only 54%. Although Tiafoe managed to return Shelton’s 144mph serve, he quickly lost the point.
Shelton will now face Alexander Zverev in the US Open final. Zverev won Roland Garros in 2026 and lost to Jannik Sinner in the Wimbledon final. He’s often been called one of the best players to never win a Slam, but a win here could bring him his second major of 2026.
If Shelton wins, he’ll be the first Black man to take a Grand Slam singles title since Yannick Noah in 1983, and the first to win the US Open since Arthur Ashe.
Shelton will play in the stadium named after Ashe, who won three Grand Slams — the Australian Open, US Open, and Wimbledon — during a pro career from 1969 to 1980.