Shelton is 19, left-handed and the reigning NCAA champion. Photo by Instagram @cincytennis
The life of Ben Shelton changed dramatically in less than three months. In late May, the Atlanta native finished his sophomore year at University of Florida winning the singles title of the NCAA, the university league of the United States. At the time, although he was already starting to attract attention in the tennis world in his country, he was a stranger on the ATP Tour. Today everyone is talking about him. Is that this 19-year-old lefty became the revelation of the Cincinnati Masters 1000 – only the second race for him in the major circuit – and the great new hope of the United States of regaining the glory of their golden years.
After entering the draw thanks to a special invitation, Shelton beat the Italian on his debut Lorenzo Sonego, from qualifying, and became the first reigning NCAA champion to win a game of a Masters 1000, in the same season he won the college crown. In the second round he surprised the Norwegian Casper Ruud, number five in the world, and scored his first win 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 with a clear 6-0 and 6-2 in the round of 16.
Those results allowed him to add valuable points to enter the top 200 for the first time. And they would have been worth a good amount of money too, were it not for the fact that, due to his university status, you can’t keep all the prizes you win in professional tournaments.
Is that according to the NCAA regulations, as long as a player competes in the league with a school shirt, he continues to be an amateur. Therefore, those who venture into the ATP, WTA or ITF circuits during the university phase, will be able to receive as a prize only for their participation in a tournament an amount that cannot exceed the value of the actual and necessary expenses to cover your participation in the event. The rest is generally donated to their university, which in the same way, in many cases, deals with giving scholarships or paying almost all the expenses of its players.
In any case, Shelton today is thinking only of starting to add shots at the most competitive level of world tennis, with his head fixed on the future, but without burdening the pressures 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 getting results that make me very happy, but I know there’s a lot of work to be done in the next six months to keep moving forward. So I want to make sure that, whatever decision I make (stay in college or go on tour), I can continue to improve as a person and as a player. “commented after her debut in Cincinnati.
“I’m just a college kid who goes out on the pitch and has a good time. I don’t stress too much for every game. I focus and want to do my best, but I don’t take it as a life or death thing,” he continued.
Its outstanding performance on the concrete of the Lindner family tennis center they surprised many. But for those who have followed his adventures since his inception, they have only confirmed his great potential.
Ben could have shone in other sports: 1.93 m tall with a powerful physique, he could very well have done track and field or played basketball or American football, the one that attracted his attention most as a child. But he has tennis in his blood: his father, Bryan, came to occupy the 55th place in the world rankings and won two titles, in Newport, in 1991 and in 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 right that hurts a lot from the baseline and an excellent two-handed backhand, but he still needs to improve. But his best qualities are the maturity and the mentality to stay still and focused in the most difficult situations and understand that, in his career, he has to go step by step, two strengths in which his father had a lot to do.
“It’s teaching me that it’s not a quick transition to the circuit, but rather that it’s a long process,” he said. “He’s thinking long term, not immediate results.”
three dream months
Shelton – who despite being left-handed like Rafael Nadal, has Roger Federer as his idol (“I love his class, that aura he gives off and how he achieves his triumphs and how he manages his defeats”assures) – was crowned university champion at the end of May in his second season in the alligatorsthe Florida tennis team, in which he finished with a record of 37 wins and only five losses.
That consecration opened a very great door for him: because it earned him a wild card to play the main draw of the US Open, which will start on Monday 29 and will be played on concrete, the only ones he knows. “I’ve never played a tournament on classic clay or grass,” he acknowledged.
With great confidence and motivated to continue growing, he decided to take advantage of the summer holidays in his country to compete with the best. Last year he had already tried his hand at professionalism (he won a ITF M25 in Champaign, Illinois, and played in Challenger in that same city); but in the last three months he has broken down several barriers.
Since being crowned NCAA champion, he has been a finalist in two Challengers and a semifinalist in two others, also in his country. At the end of July he had his baptism at the ATP level when he entered as a guest in the 250 tournament. Atlantain which he celebrated his first victory at that level by beating the Indian on his debut Ramkumar Ramanathan, emerged from the dock. In the second round, he came close to defeating John Isner, 50th in the standings, but ended up dropping in three sets.
This week he surprised in Cincinnati by beating players much more experienced than himself on the pitch. Thus, whoever was in the 547th step of the standings in May made sure to make a big leap in the standings: he will be 171st for his two wins on the main draw. All without having played an entire season as a professional and with only a handful of games on the major circuit.
“It is incredible to have entered the top 200 of the charts this week. It is definitely a milestone for me, so I am happy to be heading in the right direction,” said the new jewel of American tennis.
Source: Clarin
