the reasons for the cover that “sneaked” into the top eight of the Australian Open

Among the eight best players in the Australian Open 2023 slipped one that, until five months ago, was a total unknown in the ATP circuit: Ben Shelton. The 20-year-old American was the great revelation of the last stretch of last season -when he reached the third round of the Cincinnati Masters 1000, in just his second tournament at the highest level- and extended his great moment in Melbourne, where, In the early morning of Monday, Argentina, he beat his compatriot 6-7 (5-7), 6-2, 6-7 (4-7), 7-6 (7-4) and 6-2 JJ Wolf and got into the quarterfinals.

So far, a story that does not seem very different from those of so many players who manage to break into the tour. However, the Atlanta-born began his career at a dizzying pace and with a particularity. He took the first -and for many, the most difficult- big step, the jump to the top 100, without having played any tournament outside of USA. The tour that he is disputing in oceanic lands meant his first trip to compete outside his country.

At the end of May 2022, Shelton was closing his second year as a student at the University of Florida conquering the singles title of the NCAA, the university league of the United States. Until then, he had played only a handful of tournaments in the ITF World Tour (ex Futures) y Challengers -all on North American soil- and was outside the top 500 of the ranking (he had added his first ATP point in June 2021). So, he decided to take advantage of the summer vacation to gain pace by competing with the best. And he soon began to break barriers.

In early July, he played his first Challenger final, in Rome, Georgia. Weeks later, already ranked 281st, he entered the ATP 250 in Atlanta as a wild card, his absolute debut at that level, and reached the second round. At the end of August, he received an invitation to Cincinnatiin which he reached the round of 16 with a resounding 6-3, 6-3 victory against the Norwegian Casper Ruud, at that time, number five in the world. And although he later lost clearly to Cameron Norriesaid goodbye with an unprecedented mark: he was the first reigning NCAA champion to win a game in a Masters 1000, in the same season in which he won his university crown.

Later, when he had already announced his decision to leave college tennis and start his professional stage, he played his first Grand Slam draw in New York, also thanks to a wild card, and fell in the first round. And he closed out the season with three straight challenger titles, in Charlottesville (Virginia), Knoxville (Tennessee) y Champaign (Illinois). That last consecration allowed him to get into the top 100 of the ranking for the first time: on November 21 he appeared in the 97th step. Everything, without leaving the territory Yankee and without ever having set foot on a clay or grass court.

That achievement revealed the great difference between the path American players have to travel to reach the elite and the one faced, for example, by Argentines. The number of tournaments of all categories that the United States hosts each season makes it possible for its tennis players to score points and achieve achievements, such as breaking into the top 100, that no light blue and white racket -or from other nations with less development of that sport – he could get by playing solo tournaments in his own country.

John Manuel Certainlyone of the great talents of the new albiceleste generation, for example, already had stamps from Turkey, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Tunisia, Sweden, Hungary, Finland, Italy, the United States, Austria, France and several others in his passport, in addition to several adventures in South America, when he first placed his name in the top 100, in October 2021, at the age of 19 and months after winning his first, and so far only, ATP in Córdoba.

“I wasn’t a great player growing up as a teenager. I was more focused on other sports. I didn’t have the same level as other 13, 14, or 15-year-olds even later in juniors. My parents didn’t want to spend money on me traveling abroad. of the country and will play other tournaments. I also didn’t have much room to miss classes in my studies, the ITF calendar is quite similar to the ATP”, Shelton explained a few days ago.

Shelton’s accelerated growth, however, is not only due to that “geographical ease” to compete. The American is the owner of an innate talent, inherited from his father Bryan, who came to occupy the 55th step of the ATP ranking, was a two-time champion in Newton and today is his coach. Although in his time in Melbourne, Ben recognized that for a long time he did not think about making a career with the racket.

“The first twelve or thirteen years of my life, I swore that I would never play tennis. That was my dad’s thing. But I fell in love with the sport,” he said with a big smile, who before hitting the yellow ball, tried the basketball and American football.

He is left-handed like Nadal, but he has Federer as a great idol. He has an explosive serve, a forehand that hurts a lot from the baseline and a very good two-handed backhand. But his best qualities are his maturity and his mentality to stay 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 question of a quick transition to the circuit, but rather a long process. It is thinking in the long term, not in the immediate results,” he once commented. “He’s been the biggest influence on my tennis. It’s great to be able to learn from him and the life experiences he’s had.”

Your first trip abroad

After closing 2022 on the rise -and on the 96th step of the ranking-, Shelton decided to pack his bags and go on tour, for the first time. With his confidence high and motivated to continue growing, he landed in Oceania.

He started his 2023 with a defeat in the ATP 250 qualy of Adelaide against the australian James Duckworth. Then he got an invite to play Aucklandwhere he defeated in his debut Sebastian Baez (41st) and said goodbye in the second round against the Frenchman Quentin Halys. That performance allowed him to reach his best ranking, 89th place.

And in Melbourne, it became one of the big surprises of the first Grand Slam of the year. In only the second appearance of her in the main draw of a “big one”, she debuted with a victory in five sets, by 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 2-6 and 7-6 (10-4 ), before the Chinese Zhizhen Zhang, 96°. He fired the Chilean in the second round Nicholas Jarry, coming from the qualy, by 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (7-3) and 7-5. eliminated the local Alexei Popyrin, guest of the organization, by 6-3, 7-6 (7-4) and 6-4. And then to Wolf, to advance to the quarterfinals, where he will collide with another compatriot, Tommy Paul.

“I feel great. It’s been a very special week for me. It’s my first Slam outside the United States and I’m enjoying it a lot,” he commented after his last victory in Melbourne, who started his distance classes this week. third year at the University.

“This is coming as quite a surprise to me. I got on the plane a couple of weeks ago with no expectations. I knew it was going to be hard to adjust to the schedule and jet lag. This is my first time leaving the United States and I knew I would “It was going to be hard. Maybe not having expectations has made me play more freely. Every game I’ve played I’ve felt the same, a mixture of joy and relief. I have that feeling of ecstasy. To have done this four times in a row has been incredible”, added.

Will Shelton continue to advance on Australian cement? Maybe. But whatever happens in the next round, this Australian Open is already a success for him and he made it clear that, beyond the ease he had to start his career as an American, he is now ready to shine with his own light. And on the courts anywhere in the world.

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