LONDON — Ben Shelton launched a public plea for his sister to get some extra time off from her job at investment bank Morgan Stanley so she could remain at Wimbledon to cheer for him. It worked.
After advancing to face Italy's Lorenzo Sonego on Monday in the fourth round, Shelton spoke in an on-court interview in front of a crowd that included his sister, Emma, and his girlfriend, U.S. national soccer team star Trinity Rodman.
''I've been playing well this week. It's not just been me here. I have a great team. My parents are here. My girlfriend's here. Also, my sister's here. She's been here for every match that I've played this tournament so far. She's been the lucky charm,'' said the 10th-seeded Shelton, a 22-year-old American who has appeared in two Grand Slam semifinals. ''But she has work back in the U.S., starting on Monday. She works for Morgan Stanley.''
That drew some boos from spectators as Emma covered her face with her hands.
''If any of you all have some (connections) and get her a couple extra days off so she can (stay and) we can keep this rolling,'' Shelton continued after his 6-3, 7-6 (4), 6-2 victory over Marton Fucsovics of Hungary on Saturday, ''that'd be great.''
Sure enough, hours later, Emma posted a short video on Instagram in which Ben is heard asking her, ''You got the week off or what?'' She jumps up and down with her arms raised and a wide smile, and Ben says, ''Shoutout, Morgan Stanley.''
The caption reads ''thank you MS'' with three blue heart emojis and ''return flight: cancelled.''
Ben Shelton, who won all nine sets he played in Week 1 at the All England Club, beat Sonego in the Australian Open quarterfinals in January.
