Confidence was never really a huge issue for Ben Shelton but he certainly gained more of it after the US Open run.
Shelton made his Top 100 debut last year with a tremendous run at the end of the year, which saw him win a couple of ATP Challenger events in his native United States.
It didn't take him long to leave an impression on the ATP Tour as well because he had a breakout run at the Australian Open, impressing everyone with his play.
The American then had a down period over the summer but caught fire at the US Open, making his way to the semi-finals, where he lost to Novak Djokovic. It was a tough loss, but it didn't demoralize Shelton but rather inspired him even more.
We saw the effects of that in recent weeks in Asia, especially recently when he won his maiden ATP trophy. Speaking after that win at the 2023 Japan Open, Shelton admitted that the US Open run gave him a lot of confidence.
I think the semi-final run at the US Open gave me a huge amount of confidence that I could compete against the best in our sport and that I could continue to make deep runs in tournaments, doing it in three out of five sets.
I showed myself that I was fit and in shape to go the distance, so it is something that has helped me a lot in the tournaments I have played after the US Open and hopefully I can carry on that momentum in the next year.
We'll see how long he rides this confidence wave, as he has a couple of big events coming up. Right now, he's already ranked in the Top 15, but he can certainly go even further if he finishes strongly. That would conclude an impressive breakout season for the teenager.
0 Comments