Ben Shelton has had a really strong 2023 campaign, which surprised even him, and he looked back on it on Instagram.
The American began this year in the Top 100, but he was barely inside it. It only happened a few weeks before with back-to-back ATP Challenger wins that demonstrated his talent well.
Nobody really expected Shelton to make such a sudden jump, as even fellow pros were surprised by it. Shelton certainly was surprised by it as he talked about it often.
The Australian Open was a major breakthrough for him, and he followed it up with great performances in the last part of the season. The fascinating thing about Shelton is that his best tennis came at the biggest event, which is a huge thing for him.
You don't really see it unless the player in question is destined for stardom, and that's a great path to be on if you're a young player. He took a moment to reflect on his season on Instagram, admitting that it was hard to find words.
"Hard to find words to describe the season I had in my first year out on tour. So here are some of the people I got to share it with that made it special. See y’all down under."
The post was interesting for another reason, and the way he finished it. The way he phrased it made it seem like he won't play any more events until the season restarts in Australia.
However, the American is one of the players eligible to play at the Next Gen ATP Finals in Jeddah. He hasn't spoken about it so far, but it would be interesting if he opted to skip the event. He's played a lot of tennis, so taking an extended break might not be the worst idea.
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