'Not Sunk In Yet': Shelton Reflects On Superb Rise And Success In Tennis

| by Evita Mueller

Ben Shelton had a dramatic rise over the course of this year, and it's still something he has to process properly.

Ben Shelton made his Top 100 debut last year with some late ATP Challenger trophies in the United States. He continued his rise with a superb run at the Australian Open and progressed slowly in the following months.

Overall, he didn't really hit a really high level until the US Open, where he went wild with a run to the semi-final. That allowed him to break into the Top 20, which he bettered to the Top 15 with a recent trophy at the Japan Open.

It was his maiden trophy, which basically allows him to even fight for a Top 10 debut, which would be crazy. All of that is happening too quickly for him to really process it, as he explained in an interview with the ATP in Vienna.

I think that’s the craziest thing to think about, how far I’ve come. But it’s interesting that a lot of guys who where in a similar position to me last year, like Chris Eubanks or Aleks Vukic, have kind of had the same trajectory.

Swiatek, Gauff & Raducanu Lead List Of Most Searched Female Athletes In 2023
Swiatek, Gauff & Raducanu Lead List Of Most Searched Female Athletes In 2023

They’re Top 50 now, so to be playing Challengers with all those guys last year and now we are at the point where we are playing a full ATP schedule, it’s something really cool that we share.

The season is not yet over for Shelton despite an early exit at the Vienna Open to Jannik Sinner. He has the Paris Masters, Sofia Open, and likely the ATP Next Gen Finals in Jeddah. Shelton will have a bit more time to process what happened in the previous months after those events.

It’s definitely not sunk in yet. I think that when my season is over, I’ll have some time to think about everything that’s happened this year and kind of reflect on it. I’m just really enjoying the moment right now.

Zverev Cruises Past Norrie Into Vienna Open Quarterfinals
Zverev Cruises Past Norrie Into Vienna Open Quarterfinals

Read the full article

Just in

Look at more articles