Ben Shelton found himself in a blunt exchange with a visiting reporter during a Roland Garros press conference, after being asked about the upcoming World Cup. The U.S. is co-hosting the men’s World Cup with Canada and Mexico, the event returning to the United States for the first time since 1994. The American national side sits 16th in FIFA’s latest rankings.

A reporter opened with: “How invested will you be in that World Cup? The U.S. team looks really bad, so what do you think?” Shelton responded directly: ”Where are you from?” The journalist replied, “I’m from Austria. We look good. We look good, I can tell you that.” Shelton answered, “I don’t know anything about the Austrian football team.”

The back-and-forth continued: Journalist: “You should.” Shelton said, “I was thinking that at first you were French, and I would have given you that, because they’re very, very good. Now I’m, like, really, dude?

“I’ll probably be more invested in Wimbledon than the World Cup, but I’ll be watching, for sure.”

For context, Austria are 24th in the rankings and were drawn in the same World Cup group as defending champion Argentina, which is ranked third.

Shelton is also fielding questions about his tennis season. He is the top-ranked American in this year’s Roland Garros draw at No. 6, two spots ahead of Taylor Fritz. Last month he captured a 500-level title in Munich by defeating Flavio Cobolli. That success was followed by early exits at two Masters 1000 events in Madrid and Rome, and a loss to Daniel Altmaier in the second round at Hamburg.

On his form he said, “It’s been super up and down for me. Honestly I’ve been kind of disappointed in my season, and I’m sixth in the race,” he said. “But I think that that inconsistency has been a big piece for me that I’ve been trying to iron out and improve.

“I’m still not the player that I want to be, and I have a lot of work to do, but winning titles and going deep at slams is my biggest goals, for sure.”

With Roland Garros days away, Novak Djokovic has reshaped his support staff by bringing longtime friend and compatriot Viktor Troicki into a coaching role. The 24-time Grand Slam champion announced the move on social media, writing: “Welcome my friend, teammate and now coach… Viktor Troicki.”

Troicki, a Belgrade native one year older than Djokovic, has been part of the Serbian tennis landscape alongside Djokovic since their junior years. He reached a career-high ranking of world No. 12, retired in 2021 and finished his playing career with three ATP titles.

The pair’s on-court history is extensive. Djokovic leads their singles head-to-head 13-1, with Troicki’s lone victory coming in their first tour-level meeting in 2007. They have also teamed in doubles and collaborated for national competitions. The two were instrumental in Serbia’s ATP Cup title in 2020, and Troicki later returned as team captain in 2021.

Troicki’s role with Serbia continued off court as well. As Serbia’s team captain he has coached Djokovic in 18 matches, including during Serbia’s runs to the Davis Cup Finals semifinals in 2021 and 2023. That established working relationship provides the immediate context for his addition to Djokovic’s camp ahead of one of the season’s biggest events.

Troicki is the latest in a series of notable personnel choices for the 38-year-old Djokovic. After a lengthy partnership with former world No. 1 Goran Ivanisevic, Djokovic enlisted Andy Murray in 2025; that partnership lasted six months and did not yield a title.

Djokovic arrives at Roland Garros focused on a singular objective: winning a record 25th Grand Slam title. A success at the French Open would give him the most major singles titles of any man or woman in the sport and mark his first major since the 2023 US Open. He has reached two recent major finals, at Wimbledon in 2024 and the Australian Open in 2026, losing both to Carlos Alcaraz.

Roland Garros dedicated an evening on Court Philippe Chatrier to Gael Monfils, launching a series of farewell events that honored a professional career spanning more than two decades. The “Gael & Friends” programme gathered a wide cross-section of ATP and WTA personalities for a celebration built around camaraderie rather than competition.

Monfils welcomed his wife Elina Svitolina onto court first, then shared the stage with visiting stars including Novak Djokovic and Naomi Osaka, along with retired home favorites Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Richard Gasquet. The atmosphere was convivial, with participants enjoying the setting as much as the spectators in the stands.

A defining moment of the evening was the rapport between Monfils and world No. 1 Jannik Sinner. Their friendship proved magnetic on camera, both when they were on the sidelines and during a friendly mixed doubles match that saw them opposite each other at the net. That pairing provided one of the evening’s most replayed moments.

Other snapshots from the event underlined the informal tone: Tsonga eased into the show with a bit of help from one of the evening’s top guests, Ben Shelton produced an airborne shot while partner Belinda Bencic stayed clear, and onlookers including Sakkari and Djokovic reacted to points the players thought they had won. Monfils moved across the court with his trademark hustle and repeatedly looked to the crowd for energy after key points.

The celebration doubled as a prelude to Monfils’ 19th and final appearance at his home major. Organizers and guests framed the night as a tribute to a player whose flair and showmanship have been a constant at Roland Garros for many years. The event emphasized friendship, spectacle and a career that leaves a distinct mark on the tournament.