Ben Shelton's Father Compares Him to Pete Sampras Ahead of Wimbledon Debut
Ben Shelton's coach and father, Bryan Shelton, has backed his son to match the achievements of Pete Sampras at Wimbledon.
At the 2023 Cinch Championships, Shelton had his first taste of top-level grass-court tennis as he progressed past JJ Wolf before losing to Lorenzo Musetti in the second round. Despite the defeat, the experience would have been a useful learning curve for the 20-year-old American player, who made his ATP debut in July 2022.
However, Shelton's father and coach said his son has the ability to adapt to the challenges of grass-court tennis. Bryan Shelton, when speaking to the official Wimbledon website, also said his son can learn plenty from Sampras, who went on the win Wimbledon seven times between 1993 and 2000.
"I remember Pete Sampras the first time he came over and I actually got to hit some balls with him and took him a little bit to get used to but once he did, his game was perfect for this court and I think Ben has something that he'll bring to this surface that'll make him really really effective.”
Ahead of his first-ever Wimbledon finals, the Sheltons visited the All England Lawn Tennis Club this week to get familiar with the setting. In response, Ben Shelton shared his positivity about heading for his first tournament in SW19, whilst also praising his father for his support.
"It's pretty cool and pretty special that it is the grass season. It is the first stint that we are doing together. Wimbledon is the first Slam outside of the country that he's going to be with me at. I'm really pumped for this experience,"
"I'm really excited, being able to travel with him and have him as my coach everywhere I go. I think we work really well together and I think he does a really good job in helping me maximise the talents that I have."
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