Ben Shelton took a stand against broadcasters and interviewers at the Australian Open.

Ben Shelton called out the interviewers at the Aus Open after being told fans would root against him

Ben Shelton slammed on-court interviewers at the Australian Open, branding them “embarrassing and disrespectful”.

The No. 21 seed reached his first semi-final at Melbourne Park on Wednesday and, during his interview, was told the crowd would be rooting against him.

Afterwards, Shelton went on an impromptu rant in his post-match press conference, calling out broadcasters and interviews for their “negativity”.

The 22-year-old was asked about turning points in his match against Lorenzo Sonego after beating the Italian 6-4 7-5 4-6 7-6(4) to reach his second career Grand Slam semi-final and his first Down Under.

After answering the question, Shelton cut in before the press conference could conclude and took a stand, suggesting the quality of interviews at this year’s tournament had been poor.

“One thing that I just want to say before we’re done. I’ve been a little bit shocked this week with how players have been treated by the broadcasters,” he started.

“I don’t think that the guy who mocked Novak [Djokovic], I don’t think that was just a single event. I’ve noticed it with different people, not just myself. I noticed it with Learner Tien in one of his matches.

Ben Shelton is through to his first Australian Open semi-final (Image: Getty)

“I think when he beat [Daniil] Medvedev his post-match interview, I thought it was kind of embarrassing and disrespectful that interview.”

Referencing his own experiences, Shelton continued: “There are some comments that have been made to me in post-match interviews by a couple of different guys, whether it was, ‘Hey, Monfils is old enough to be your dad. Maybe he is your dad’.

“Or today on the court, ‘Hey, Ben, how does it feel that no matter who you play in your next match, no one is going to be cheering for you?’

“I mean, may be true, but I just don’t think the comment is respectful from a guy I’ve never met before in my life.”

The American believes their attitude could be damaging the sport.

“I feel like broadcasters should be helping us grow our sport and help these athletes who just won matches on the biggest stage enjoy one of their biggest moments,” he added.

“I feel like there’s just been a lot of negativity. I think that’s something that needs to change.”

It comes after TV presenter Tony Jones caused a stir when his comments prompted Novak Djokovic to boycott his own on-court interview on Sunday. Jones works for host broadcaster Channel Nine.

During a live broadcast last Friday, he stood in front of a group of Djokovic fans waving Serbian fans and sang: “Novak, he’s overrated. Novak’s a has-been. Novak kick him out.”

After skipping his on-court interview in the third round, Djokovic branded Jones’ comments “insulting and offensive” and said he would not give on-court interviews until receiving a public apology. Nine and Jones later apologised and the No. 7 seed addressed the crowd as normal on Tuesday.