Ben Shelton may be young and inexperienced, but don’t be fooled: He’s a quick study–and a rising force.
Making just his fifth main-draw appearance at a Grand Slam, the 20-year-old opened eyes and raised expectations during the Flushing fortnight as he powered into the US Open’s last four to become the youngest American man to reach the semifinals since Michael Chang in 1992. The former Florida Gator had never won a match at the US Open prior to this year, but he cut the figure of a seasoned veteran as he plowed past higher-ranked Americans Tommy Paul (in the fourth round) and Frances Tiafoe (in the quarterfinals) to earn a showdown with Novak Djokovic in the semis.
He did it with sweat, swagger and self-belief, taking American fans on a wild ride as he rode his booming serve and deft volleys to a breakout performance in New York.
When it was over, after a 6-3, 6-2, 7-6(4) loss to Djokovic in the penultimate round, the former Florida Gator sat back in a crowded press room and reflected on what he learned.
“I think I learned a lot about myself these two weeks, knowing how deep I can go, how deep I can dig and what I can do competitively out on the tennis court, because I think it's such a mental sport,” Shelton said. “I think that's such a big side of it.”
For a young player on tour, self-discovery is a massive part of the process. Shelton says he believes he is learning to strike a balance between his freewheeling, fiery side and his calm, composed side.
“I kind of found a place where I can operate and still be calm and still be clear-minded but be a fierce competitor and get after the guy I'm playing at the same time and really–I say this a lot to the people on my team–but be a dog out there, have a dog mentality.”
To thrive in the dog-eat--dog world of Grand Slam tennis, you have to ooze self-belief. For Shelton, it’s never been a problem.
How else could we explain his success over the last 10 days in New York?
The world No. 47 had lost 17 of 24 matches at tour-level in the eight months between his run to the Australian Open quarterfinals and the US Open. Most players would have suffered a crisis of confidence in that scenario, but Shelton showed up in New York with his head held high and played like he was a Top 10 player.
The losses may have piled up from February to August, but the experience gained was invaluable.
“I definitely learned a lot of things,” he said. “I'd say the biggest thing that I learned, which is shaping me as a person as we speak, is the influence that professional athletes have on this stage. I think it's definitely made me think a little bit more about how I act on the court, what message I'm giving in my interviews, the things I say, because I think it goes a long way.
“I think that a lot of people are really listening to the things that you say and watching what you do.”
During his run under the New York spotlight, Shelton made leaps and bounds on the court as well. By reeling off five wins at the Open, he gained confidence in his ability to hang with the world’s best players from the baseline.
“I'm a competitor. I think I show that, for the most part, out on the court. Every loss hurts. It cuts you a little bit.”
“The thing that stuck out to me the most was how I was able to go toe-to-toe with these guys from the ground,” Shelton said. “Everyone is, like, ‘Oh, Ben is a server.’ But in the neutral rallies I felt pretty comfortable playing against the last four guys I played.
“I was pleased with the way that I was able to play fairly complete tennis this week. I didn't feel like I was just being a serve-bot and getting free points on my serve, but I was backing it up.”
Despite a tough loss at the hands of Djokovic on Friday, Shelton’s New York heroics represent a giant step in the right direction.
“I think everything is a step in your career, win or loss,” he confirmed. “I'm at a point where the losses don't break me because I have very long-term goals. As a team we are very process-oriented and we just know that this is part of the process.
“I'm a competitor. I think I show that, for the most part, out on the court. Every loss hurts. It cuts you a little bit.”
Coming two wins from the ultimate dream left a bitter taste in his mouth, but by coming so close to the promised land Shelton’s appetite for the dream–and the work that it takes to get there–has only grown.
“If anything, this week has just motivated me more,” he said. “I feel like last time I had a big run in Australia, I got fairly complacent after it happened, and I thought that I'd really done something or got to some place–had a couple tough months after that.”
“I think that after this run I totally have a different feeling moving forward to the rest of this year and the start of 2024, where I'm really going to be pushing forward now. It's kind of gotten me to a place where I'm going to work that much harder.”
