"I have a lot of issues with them" - Ben Shelton lays bare love for 'classic cars' as he revisits swanky purchase after deep run at Australian Open

Ben Shelton recently spoke up about his fondness for "classic cars" as he revisited his purchase of a luxurious automobile in the wake of his last-four finish at this year's Australian Open. Shelton is currently in Toronto preparing for his campaign at the ATP Masters 1000 event of the 2025 National Bank Open.

At a pre-tournament press conference ahead of his Toronto campaign, the 22-year-old was asked about the black Mercedes-Benz he bought to celebrate his deep run at the 2025 Australian Open. Shelton was initially taken aback by the question, and the American asked the female reporter who fielded it:

"How do you know that?"

The reporter told the ATP No. 7 that she'd read about it. Subsequently, Ben Shelton playfully poked fun at the reporter before going on to lay bare his love for his black Mercedes-Benz and other similar cars.

"She's a detective, huh? No, yeah, I love cars. That's the one thing I like. I like classic cars. I like Mercedes Benz a lot, it's my favorite type of car. So, oh, yeah, I did post about it. I forgot about that. Yeah, I like '90s, 1990s Mercedes. I have a lot of issues with them, obviously, and I don't get that much time to drive 'em, but yeah, something that I enjoy," Shelton added.

Ben Shelton heads into National Bank Open 2025 on the back of semifinal finish at Citi DC Open; American set to begin Toronto campaign with 2R clash against Adrian Mannarino

Ben Shelton in action at the 2025 Mubadala Citi DC Open (Source: Getty)

At the recently-concluded 2025 Mubadala Citi DC Open, Ben Shelton reached the last four. Here, the American's hopes of making it to the final of the combined ATP and WTA 500 event were dashed by eventual runner-up Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, with the Spaniard registering a 6-2, 7-5 win.

Reflecting on his run to the semis in the American capital, Shelton said at his Toronto press conference:

"I feel like I've been playing well. I had a good week in DC last week. So, yeah, excited to get going on Wednesday."

As the No. 4 seed at the 2025 National Bank Open in Toronto, Ben Shelton received a first-round bye and is slated to kickstart his campaign at the ATP Masters 1000 event in the second round against 37-year-old French qualifier Adrian Mannarino. Even though the American is the favorite on paper to win the match, it's worth noting that Mannarino leads the pair's ATP Tour-level head-to-head 2-0.

Edited by Sudipto Pati