'Didn't Want To Be Part Of It': Shelton Opens Up About Tennis Beginnings

| by Evita Mueller

Ben Shelton is one of the new exciting players on the ATP Tour, but he almost didn't pick the sport as he initially didn't like it.

Generally, when you look into the beginnings of a tennis player, you see some common ground. You see a very young individual get exposed to the sport and falling in love with it, but that's not what happened to Shelton, at least not initially.

He was exposed to the sport through his father, a former player who would end up as his coach, and it wasn't love at first sight. He revealed his career beginnings in a recent episode of the ATP Radio Podcast, admitting that he was more fascinated by other sports.

I think my first memory is being a really young kid and my parents started me out with a tennis racket and a balloon to practice tennis for the first time. I didn’t love tennis at the start and I didn’t want to be a part of it, I just wanted to play other sports.

Shelton on his beginnings
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Slowly but surely, Shelton would make his way back to tennis, and he's enjoyed it ever since. With his recent results and successes, some would say that he didn't make the wrong decision, and he would probably agree.

But I got back to it. I think the moment I realized that I wanted to a be a tennis player is probably the first professional match I won in Illinois.

Shelton on finding his way back to tennis

The American is probably the most talked about tennis player right now, both domestically and internationally. He's had a fabulous breakout year and will likely finish in the Top 20, which is a fantastic achievement. Next year is shaping up to be even bigger and he's ready for it.

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