- Ben Shelton’s Aspiration: The Unwanted Opponent in Tennis
- Tennis Heritage and Ambition: Ben Shelton’s Rise
- Shelton’s Unique Style and Ego: Making Waves in Tennis
A few months ago, Ben Shelton appeared with Christopher Eubanks and Frances Tiafoe on a podcast called All on the Table. Between pieces of steak, the three Americans conversed for an hour about their lives on tour. Once Eubanks and Tiafoe, the seasoned professionals, ask Shelton what his ultimate objective is now that he has spent a year on the men’s tour, the conversation becomes significantly more engaging.
Shelton stated, “I want to be the individual in the draw that nobody wants to see.”
Who wishes to see you immediately? Eubanks declared. “Carlos Alcaraz does not want to see your name next to his.”
“Bro,” Shelton sneered, “I’m downright terrified of myself. Similar to Roger Federer at his peak. … I want to be one of those men who make you afraid of the kind of animal they are.”
A 20-year-old former NCAA singles champion at the University of Florida who upset fifth-ranked Casper Ruud at last year’s Cincinnati Masters and advanced to the last eight of this year’s Australian Open – his second-ever grand slam – entered the US Open as the underdog of unknown quantity. Now in the semi-finals of the US Open, Shelton’s prospects of defeating Novak Djokovic are extremely low. But if there’s reason to believe the mighty Serb could fall, it’s not just because Shelton has established himself as a future force to be reckoned with in this tournament; it’s also because he possesses the same sense of entitlement as all the greats.
He has tennis in his blood. His mother (who is Caucasian) was a highly-ranked junior, his sister is currently a Gator, and his uncle, Todd Witsken, reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open.
His father, Bryan, is a former runner-up at the French Open in mixed doubles and the only coach to supervise men’s and women’s NCAA championships. Therefore, it makes sense that Ben ran screaming from the tennis court in middle school and took up football instead.
Ben discovered tennis’ finer features thanks to his parents and too many football collisions. An abrupt growth spurt around age 12 undoubtedly made learning more enjoyable. At 6ft4in and 195lbs, Shelton now follows in the footsteps of American heavyweights such as Eubanks, John Isner, and Jack Sock; however, Shelton not only delivers a bigger punch but also leads with his left hand. His serve alone exceeds the speed of sound. Shelton clocked 149mph twice during his fourth-round victory over fellow countryman Tommy Paul, and his 76 total aces are by far the most in the tournament.
So much of Shelton’s game at this juncture is unpolished, including his strength, athleticism, and ambition. In his four-set victory over Tiafoe on Tuesday night, the first quarterfinal between two Black American men in a major tournament, Shelton hit 14 aces against 11 double faults, two of which occurred late in the third-set tiebreaker. “I mean, he hit some really good shots,” Tiafoe said after the match, “running forehands, some fantastic shots on the run, he came up with some good stuff… At 7-6, he struck an incredible return from the back of the court.
Shelton has the most difficulty with consistency. Before this US Open win, he had only won consecutive matches once since the Australian Open quarterfinals.
Having to compete on clay courts during the spring rotation of the tour forced Shelton to improve his game. “He gained a little more patience and a better understanding of how to play defense,” said Bryan Shelton. “He realized that to execute against the best players in the world, his offense must be extremely effective on that type of surface.”
The more Shelton matures on the center court, the more difficult it becomes to overlook his infantile strokes. In an on-court interview following his fourth-round victory over Paul, Shelton gushed about the support he received from the American audience while “playing against foreigners.” Before a year ago, he had no passport.
Shelton pretended to take a call and closed the receiver before shaking Tiafoe’s hand at the net after their quarterfinal. However, spectators criticized him for becoming arrogant. (“Novak, please remove this child,” one disgruntled observer tweeted.) Shelton and his mixed doubles companion Taylor Townsend act even sillier. “I hope many young people in the crowd develop a passion for tennis by watching me play,” he said after his victory over Paul.
Shelton acts like a young adversary in a John Ritter comedy, causing disruption and smiling silly. The fact that he could be described as a brat is the true development.
This name has been given to rich white youngsters who defied convention as country club kids.
Yet it is Shelton – a Black son of the South managed by Federer’s TEAM8 entertainment company, the youngest American US Open semi-finalist in 31 years – who has emerged as a social media hyperbrat, endorsed by the original from the 1980s. John McEnroe stated earlier this year on Eurosport, “This guy has more upside than any other American I know of.” “He’s going to be the real deal.” Currently, ego is the only trait they do not appear to share in common.
This much is evident from the podcast. Throughout, Shelton resembles Eubanks and Tiafoe’s awkward little sibling. They tease him about his appetite (“His nickname is The Mountain,” Tiafoe tells their waitress, “so you’ve got to feed him”), reject his attempt to describe himself as a “mini version” of Tiafoe, and agree that Coco Gauff – their sister – should also be included (“She would be like, ‘Oh, I can tell you about all of you,'” Eubanks jokes).
It should not be taken for granted that three Black tennis players were able to experience such a moment. Surely Arthur Ashe was grinning from above.
The fact that Shelton and Djokovic are meeting for the first time in Queens is fated. Not too long ago, the Serb was the most promising player in his twenties. In 2011, when Djokovic won the first of his three US Open titles, he stared up at Roger Federer and then proceeded to fire eyes-closed, match-point-saving winners that would leave Federer stinging for years.
Thus, Shelton’s semi-final match on Friday is merely a statement match, in which he can finally prove what he’s been saying all along – that he’s the true problem child in tennis. Shelton completed his thought by stating, “I have complete confidence in myself that I can win grand slams and become world No. 1.” “And I have no fear of hard labor. Whatever it takes to achieve success.”
