He may still be the new kid on the block, but Ben Shelton has settled in quite well among his peers on the ATP Tour.
Officially branded as the fresh face of American men’s tennis, the big-hitting, 20-year-old newcomer has quickly climbed the ranks to become a Top 50 player in less than one year on Tour. Just last spring, he capped his sophomore season at the University of Florida by winning the NCAA men’s singles championship. A few months later, he took the leap to turn pro.
Since then, Shelton has had to adjust to how different life is on the ATP Tour compared to his recent college tennis days. Before he was traveling the country with a team, hanging out with roommates and playing with a set schedule that included longer breaks and a full offseason. Now Shelton is learning that as he navigates the demands of the Tour, it's quite the opposite at this next level of tennis.
“I think it's a little bit more lonely than being in college. Being out on tour, you have a lot more time to yourself alone in your hotel room, more time to think about things. That can be a positive or a negative,” he said. “The other difference is that there's not many breaks in the schedule. It's just go, go, go, go.”
And with his first full year of professional tennis officially under his belt, he’s adjusted seamlessly and shown rapid success as a rookie. Earlier this year, he made a splash by reaching the quarterfinals of the Australian Open and earning a career-high ranking of No. 35 in May. While Shelton may feel like he’s being thrown into the deep end so early in his career, competing with the Tour’s best players on surfaces he’s not entirely familiar with, he’s embracing the challenges that come with it.
HIGHLIGHTS: Shelton def. Thiem, Round 2
“Knowing that it was my first time playing every tournament I was playing, I don't take that lightly,” he said. “I know that it's something where there's going to be a little bit of a learning curve. I feel like a lot of players get their first experiences on other surfaces at the Futures level or the Challenger level. I'm jumping in right away to Masters 1000s, a 500 at the Queen's Club.
“I knew that it was going to be a challenge learning on these surfaces in a short amount of time with not much practice,” Shelton continued. “But I think that having the right people around you, keeping my head screwed on straight, knowing that this is a marathon not a sprint, I have a lot of long-term goals. I'm not as worried about the short term.”
Wise words from someone who will have a promising career ahead of him as he builds on that mentality. For now, the Atlanta native is soaking up every moment and enjoying each experience along the way. In everything he does, whether it’s fielding questions in a press conference or sitting courtside to cheer on his fellow Americans during a match, you can’t help but see the pure joy and excitement in his smile.
"I think for me, having a smile on my face helps keep things fun. When I'm having fun, I'm playing some of my best tennis."
And Shelton certainly has a lot to smile about so far this week in Flushing Meadows. In this, his second US Open main draw appearance, he has advanced to the third round of a major for the second time this season, having broken through to the quarterfinals at the Australian Open in January. His journey through the draw of his home Slam continues on Friday, when he faces Aslan Karatsev.
While life in the fast lane of the ATP Tour has brought a tremendous amount of maturity to his game and how he approaches each match result, Shelton admits that every now and then the wide-eyed kid inside of him comes out when he hits a monster serve.
“My dad gets mad at me when I chase the numbers on the score clock, the mph's, because once I hit one at 140, I'm going to try to beat it on the next one, hit a 145,” he said with a grin. “That's something we go back and forth about.”
Perhaps it’s that youthful, carefree spirit, in which a flashy moment may catch his attention from time to time, that has been the key to inspiring some of Shelton’s best performances.
“I feel like when I try to put myself in this, ‘Okay, let's be professional, be quiet, have a stern look on my face the whole time I'm playing,’ it takes away from some of my creativity on the court, some of the energy or explosive movements that I like to do when I'm playing,” he said. “I think for me, having a smile on my face helps keep things fun. When I'm having fun, I'm playing some of my best tennis.”
