Ben Shelton is still in the early stages of his ATP career, but former U.S. Davis Cup captain Patrick McEnroe thinks he has a better chance of matching Carlos Alcaraz than any other American player.
Despite performing solidly throughout 2024, Shelton had only reached one final before the Swiss Indoors in Basel. That was the title he won at the Houston Open on clay, overcoming his compatriot Frances Tiafoe.
However, after an eventful run, the 22-year-old progressed to the final in Basel. He started by defeating Tomas Martin Etcheverry. That match included him being incorrectly awarded a point by the umpire.
Shelton's next victory was against home hero Stan Wawrinka before winning an epic three-set battle against the No. 1 seed Andrey Rublev, harming the Russian's chances of qualifying for the ATP Finals in the process.
Last year's US Open semifinalist sealed his place in the final with an entertaining triumph against fellow young player Arthur Fils. He will play the huge-serving Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in Sunday's final.
Shelton's electrifying brand of tennis, which combines big serving, powerful groundstrokes, and a willingness to come to the net, means many have high expectations of him and think he could be America's next significant male tennis star.
However, Shelton still has a long way to go before he matches Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz's achievements. World No. 1 Sinner won the Australian Open and the US Open in 2024.
Alcaraz is now a four-time Grand Slam champion after his runs to glory at the French Open and for the second time at Wimbledon this year. The Spaniard remains at No. 2 in the rankings after Alexander Zverev's loss in Vienna to Lorenzo Musetti.
Patrick McEnroe, John McEnroe's youngest brother, outlined on the Tennis Channel's Inside-In podcast why he believes Shelton is the most likely American to match Alcaraz in the coming years.
"I think Ben Shelton’s got the most upside and even watching him at the Laver Cup, which I’ve been lucky to do for the last two years. Watching him play that match with Alcaraz, he lost in straight sets but the first 7-8 games, that was like tennis in a different stratosphere."
"He couldn’t do it for two sets and obviously to be able to do it over five sets is another story but he did it for eight games. So if he can do it for eight games and match Alcaraz in the athleticism department and the shotmaking department then maybe he is the guy."
McEnroe acknowledged that Shelton is not as consistent as his compatriots Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul but thinks the 22-year-old has the most upside if he can find more consistency in the future.
"He’s (Ben Shelton) certainly got the moxie, the belief and he’s not intimidated by those guys in a way. I think he realizes what he’s going to have to do to get better but you’re right, he may be the American guy with the most upside."
"He’s not as consistent at the moment as Fritz, as Tommy Paul but we’ll see how it shakes out. The good news it we’ve got four or five guys that should be in the mix for the next 5-7 years."