He is the moment. He is a rising star emerging as fast as his 149 mph serves. All eyes are on him and the court as his personality electrifies crowds. From Atlanta, Georgia and only 21 years old, he is Ben Shelton, everybody.Â
Standing among other legends during the U.S. Open quarterfinals, Shelton gained a lot of attention from his match against Frances Tiafoe. Shelton’s victory celebration — picking up an imaginary phone and hanging it up — soon became a trademark everyone would remember. This gesture of being “dialed in,” among his other energetic and high-spirited actions, stood out to the public eye, especially on TikTok. He later explained that it was a signature move with one of his friends, indicating he was 100 percent dialed in.
Not long after, Shelton faced Novak Djokovic, ranked the world’s No. 1 tennis player, in the semifinals. As predicted, he was quickly humbled by the king, who had been sitting on top of the ATP rankings for 397 weeks. This opinion rumbled shortly after Djokovic mimicked Shelton’s famous celebratory move after scoring the last point. This opened the conversation on social media about whether Shelton deserved it. Shelton fans admired his energy when playing, while Djokovic fans criticized him for being too full of himself.
All the media’s uproar slowly turned into whispers as Shelton became the youngest American to reach the U.S. Open quarterfinals since 2002. Before this, he got to the quarterfinals of the Australian Open and the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open doubles bracket with Taylor Townsend. Their energies radiated through New York, and their humorous celebrations blew up on the internet. Coming that far only 13 months into his professional career as a tennis player is admirable. His competitiveness and eagerness to become No. 1 pushed him to where he is now.
However, he did not come all that way alone. Shelton is the son of two successful tennis players: Lisa Witsken Shelton, a former tennis player who was top-ranked at the junior level, and Bryan Shelton, who was not only a remarkable professional player with two ATP titles but also a tennis coach. Despite his preference for football when he was younger, Shelton grew up in a tennis-oriented household. During his collegiate years, his dad was his coach for the Florida Gators, which entered as third best in the country. Later, he secured an NCAA championship title for the University of Florida’s male tennis team (2021), NCAA men’s singles champion (2022), and ITA National Player of the Year (2022). Shelton’s parents prioritized his education and everyday life until he decided to take a shot at playing professionally during his junior year of college.
On Oct. 22, Shelton won his first ATP Tour title at the Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships. Giving it his all with the support of his team, he defeated Russian player Aslan Karatsev. In an interview with ATP Tour, he talked about what this victory and title meant to him. “It means a lot. It is not something I thought I would accomplish when I started playing tennis,” Shelton said. “To be able to be in a position to compete for a title and hold my nerve and win one is really special for me and my team, and something I will remember for the rest of my life.”
Shelton is a rising young American athlete now ranked No. 16 in men’s singles. Along with his insane saves and monstrous serves, he also never fails to entertain everyone with his vibrant personality. As Shelton brings the heat up in every game that he plays, he shines brighter than ever and humbly represents Gen Z.
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