If there was no Carlos Alcaraz, then Ben Shelton would have probably been the most exciting player on the ATP Tour, but even with the Spaniard being there, the American is not too far behind.
Shelton had a tremendous conclusion to last year winning a couple of Challengers back home to ensure a Top 100 finish to the year. 2023 started with a bang as loud as when he hits a serve; a tremendous run in Melbourne, one worthy of a player that was going to make headlines later on in the year.
And he did, he's making headlines pretty much at any event he plays and will certainly enjoy even more spotlight as the Tour moves to North American soil for a couple of weeks. In a conversation with his kit sponsor On in Zruch, Shelton talked about his tennis career that is one of the most promising on Tour.
Honestly? I saw my sister – she was getting to play all these tournaments, traveling to all these different places. I was like, ‘Man, she can get out of school to play sports, travel, and stay in hotels.
A rather unique character on Tour, Shelton certainly enjoys being unique. His lefty looks similar to some players and while he admitted to taking some things from a legendary lefty like Rafael Nadal, the American still aims to build his own identity on the court.
I try to be unique with my playing style and do things other players aren’t. I've taken a few things from Nadal because he's left-handed, but I try to work with my assets and be unique.
Unlike Nadal who has well-established rituals he follows in every match, Shelton doesn't. He doesn't have any routines nor does he have special meals he eats before matches. For him, it's mostly about working hard and he's very dedicated to that. It should suit him well in his quest for tennis greatness.
I’m not a superstitious ritual guy. My warm-ups vary. I eat different things. I do like to listen to aggressive hip-hop to hype myself up before I go on court, but it just comes down to hard work. Hard work is not something that I'm just ‘whatever’ about. When it's time for me to really put in work, I'm fine being the first guy to show up to the facility or the last guy to leave.
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