Ben Shelton Appeals for Sister's Day Off to Watch Wimbledon Match

Ben Shelton's post-match remarks at Wimbledon turned heartfelt and humorous as he made a public plea for his sister to get more time off work to watch his quarterfinal debut.

Following his third-round victory over Lorenzo Sonego at Wimbledon 2025, American tennis star Ben Shelton used his press conference to make an unexpected request, not for himself, but for his sister, Emma Shelton.

"My sister's here," Shelton said during the July 5, 2025 press conference. "She's been here for every match I've played. She's been the lucky charm. But she has work back in the U.S. starting Monday. She works for Morgan Stanley."

The 22-year-old athlete, who is advancing to his first-ever Wimbledon quarterfinal, turned to the media and the crowd with a good-natured appeal:

"If any of you all have some connections and can get her a couple extra days off so she can [stay and] we can keep this rolling, that'd be great."

The moment sparked laughter, and a few mock boos, from the room in response to Emma's looming work obligations. Despite it all, Shelton's lighthearted request appears to have worked.

Just hours later, Emma confirmed she would be staying in the U.K. to watch her brother continue his historic run. According to People, she posted an update to her Instagram Story that same day, writing, "Return flight: cancelled."