The life of Ben Shelton changed drastically in less than three months. In late May, the Atlanta native wrapped up his sophomore year at the University of Florida conquering the singles title of the NCAA, the university league of the United States. At that time, although he was already beginning to attract attention in the world of tennis in his country, he was an unknown on the ATP Tour. Today, everyone talks about him. It is that this 19-year-old left-hander became the revelation of the Cincinnati Masters 1000 -only the second contest for him in the major circuit- and the new great hope of the United States to recover the glory of its golden years.
After having entered the draw thanks to a special invitation, Shelton beat the Italian in his debut Lorenzo Sonego, from qualifiers, and became the first reigning NCAA champion to win a match at a Masters 1000, in the same season he won his college crown. In the second round, he surprised the Norwegian Casper Ruud, number five in the world, and scored his first victory against a top 10 in what was his first match against an opponent located in that elite group. And on Thursday the British Cameron Norrie brought him back to reality by beating him a clear 6-0 and 6-2 in the round of 16.
Those results allowed him to add valuable points to get into the top 200 for the first time. And they would also have been worth a good sum of money, if it weren’t for the fact that, due to his university status, you cannot keep all the prizes you win in professional tournaments.
It is that according to the NCAA regulations, as long as a player competes in the league with the jersey of an educational institution, he continues to be an amateur. Thus, those who venture into the ATP, WTA or ITF circuits during their university stage, will only be able to receive as a prize for their participation in a tournament an amount that may not exceed the value of actual and necessary expenses to cover your participation in the event. The rest, generally, is donated to their University, which in the same way, in many cases, is in charge of giving scholarships or paying almost all the expenses of its players.
Shelton, in any case, today only thinks about starting to add filming at the most competitive level of world tennis, with his head set on the future, but without burdening himself with pressure due to the expectations generated by his latest results.
“I haven’t turned pro yet. I’m just gaining experience. I’m breaking down some barriers and making achievements that make me very happy, but I know there’s a lot of work I have to do in the next six months to keep moving forward. So I want to make sure that, whatever decision I make (stay in college or jump on tour), I can continue to improve as a person and as a player.”commented after his debut in Cincinnati.
“I’m just a college guy who goes out on the court and has a good time. I don’t get too stressed about every game. I focus and want to do my best, but I don’t take it as a life or death thing,” he continued.
Shelton followed in the footsteps of his father Bryan, who came to occupy the 55th step of the ATP ranking. Photo Twitter @ATPTour
His outstanding performance on the hard courts of the Lindner Family Tennis Center they surprised many. But for those who have been following his adventures since his beginnings, they only confirmed his great potential.
Ben could have shone in other sports: at 1.93m tall and with a powerful physique, he could well have been in track and field or played basketball or American football, the one that caught his attention the most as a child. But he has tennis in his blood: his dad, Bryan, came to occupy the 55th place in the world ranking and won two titles, in Newport, in 1991 and 1992 as a player; and today he is his coach at the University of Florida. Thus, he ended up following the family tradition.
He has an explosive serve, a forehand that hurts a lot from the back of the court and a very good two-handed backhand, but he still needs to improve. But his best qualities are his maturity and his mentality to remain firm and focused in the most difficult situations and understand that, in his career, he must go step by step, two strengths in which he had a lot to do his father.
“He is teaching me that it is not a matter of a quick transition to the circuit but rather that it is a long process,” he said. “It’s thinking long term, not immediate results.”
three dream months
Shelton – who although he is left-handed like Rafael Nadal, has Roger Federer as an idol (“I love his class, that aura that he gives off and how he achieves his triumphs and how he manages his defeats”he assures) – was crowned university champion at the end of May in his second season in the Gatorsthe Florida tennis team, in which he finished with a record of 37 wins and only five losses.
That consecration opened a very big door for him: because it earned him a wild card to play the main draw of the US Open, which will start on Monday the 29th and will be played on hard courts, the only ones he knows. “I’ve never played a tournament on classical clay or on grass,” he admitted.
With high confidence and motivated to continue growing, he decided to take advantage of the summer holidays in his country to measure himself against the best. Already last year he had ventured into professionalism (he won a ITF M25 in Champaign, Illinois, and played a Challenger in that same city); but in the last three months he broke several barriers.
Since he was crowned NCAA champion, he was a finalist in two Challengers and a semifinalist in another two, always in his country. At the end of July, he had his baptism at the ATP level by entering the 250 tournament as a guest. Atlantain which he celebrated his first victory at that level by defeating the Indian in his debut Ramkumar Ramanthan, emerged from the qualy. In the second round, he came close to defeating world 50th John Isner, but ended up falling in three sets.
This week, he surprised in Cincinnati by beating players much more experienced than him on the court. Thus, who in May was ranked 547th in the ranking made sure to make a big jump in the ranking: he will be 171st due to his two wins in the main draw. All without having played a full season as a professional and with just a handful of games on the major circuit.
“It’s incredible to have gotten into the top 200 in the ranking this week. It’s definitely a milestone for me, so I’m glad I’m moving in the right direction,” said the new jewel of American tennis.
