Andy Roddick is tipping fellow American Ben Shelton to continue his electric rise on the men's tour in 2024, in what he believes will be another learning season.
Shelton turned pro in late 2022 finishing that year by winning three straight ATP Challenger titles and debuting in the world's Top 100. It was also during that time period when he chose to pause his college studies before shifting online and focusing on his tennis career.
That decision paid dividends almost instantly. Shelton, playing in his first Grand Slam tournament outside U.S. soil would reach the quarterfinal of the Australian Open. For many youngsters, this would have been a case of baptism by fire, not Shelton who was armed with one of the most devastating serves in men's tennis.
He played in his first full season on the ATP Tour in 2023. Despite registering mixed results immediately after Melbourne, Shelton's exponential rise took effect in the last third of the season. He made his first major semifinal at the US Open and cracked the Top 20 in the rankings.
Like many tennis fans, Roddick was watching in awe, completely taken by surprise with such rapid progress. Shelton topped the year by reaching a first Masters quarterfinal in Shanghai and winning his first ATP title at the Japan Open.
He has been the top-performing American man since the start of June and currently leads his fellow countrymen in the Olympics Race. Roddick is excited to see him develop in 2024 and reckons it will be another season where he picks up some valuable learning lessons.
"On the men’s side, Ben Shelton had never even left the country this time a year ago, and now he’s No.17 in the world, can serve at 145mph and has made runs in a couple of Slams."
"He didn’t win back-to-back matches for an extended period after Australia, so having the run he did at the US Open, going to Shanghai and playing well, and then winning a 500 tournament in Tokyo was a big deal. He’s still learning what he wants to actually do with his game week in, week out, so it will be exciting to see how he starts the year."
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