Belinda Bencic joins “tennis experts” discourse after US Open victory, echoing Casper Ruud

FLASHBACK: Bencic pushed Iga Swiatek to the brink of defeat at Wimbledon this summer.

NEW YORK—“Tennis experts,” beware. The players have your number.

Belinda Bencic entered the anti-armchair quarterbacking discourse at the US Open on Wednesday when asked about giving advice to younger players.

“I think it’s important to try and take the right advice, and not listen to all the advice,” she said after defeating Yuriko Lily Miyazaki to reach the third round. “Some advice can be counterproductive.

“Try not to over think every little thing,” she added, “and try not to listen to too many people, to many ‘tennis experts’ and everyone who thinks knows better how to play on the court and just go your own way. Just enjoy being on the court. Sometimes we forget that.”

Bencic pointedly put “tennis experts” in air quotes, mirroring fellow player Casper Ruud, who railed against the ones found on social media in a lengthy anti-X (formerly known as Twitter) screed.

“I would just not take more than maybe 5% of what so-called tennis experts on Twitter say as good info because it's just not the way it goes,” said the 2022 finalist, who is known for engaging with what is colloquially considered Tennis Twitter. “It's a wicked place to spend too much time, I think.”

For her part, Bencic appears to have quieted her own noise at a tournament where she has made the quarterfinals or better in three of her previous seven appearances, defeating a former junior contemporary to put herself a win away from the second week.

“Everyone has their own path,” she said. “There is no timeline for anyone. It doesn’t matter what age you are: you can play well at 18 or 28.”

Bencic will next face either former No. 1 Victoria Azarenka or Zhu Lin in the third round.