As Birthday Boy Ben Shelton’s Rockets Light Up the Shanghai Masters, Serena Williams’ Former Coach Dissects the American’s Most Potent Tennis Weapon

American sensation, Ben Shelton, has taken the tennis world by storm with amazing displays over the recent months. First, he reached the Australian Open quarterfinals earlier this year. Recently, he made it to the last four in his home Grand Slam tournament, the US Open. As a result, he has caught the eyes of fellow players and tennis pundits. While some have spoken highly of his current achievements, others have predicted big things out of him in the future. Hours ago, Serena Williams’ ex-coach, Patrick Mouratoglou spoke about his unique trait that made Shelton so special.

At just 21, the American star is already among the top players on the ATP Tour. As the future looks bright for him, here’s what Mouratoglou had to say about him.

Serena Williams’ ex-coach digs deep into the serving style of Ben Shelton

The US Open semi-finalist is celebrating his 21st birthday today. He is currently in China where he’s participating in the Shanghai Masters. Meanwhile, Mouratoglou took to Instagram to speak about his service technique.

Talking about it, he said, “First serve at almost 240 km/h. You’ve seen that at the US Open with Ben Shelton. But Ben’s serve is more than only speed. Let’s look at this technique together. First, he’s lefty, his slice moves the other way compared to what the players are used to.”

Further, he went on to add, “Second, his motion is very compact. He’s lifting his elbow straight away at the level of his shoulders, so extremely simple. Now, what is unusual is his loading. Look at how early he bends his legs and look at how much he bends them. He doesn’t stay too long on his legs bent, which is great because when you are too long on your legs bent, very difficult to push up.”

 Shelton, who has been serving consistently at top speeds, used it effectively during his amazing US Open run. Moreover, he also created a unique record with his serve at that tournament.

DIVE DEEPER: Now Using It to Crush His Opponents, American Gun Ben Shelton’s Monstrous Serve Landed Him in a Bizarre Real-Estate Damage Drama in 2021

Shelton’s US Open record

During the match against Tommy Paul, Shelton cracked a thunderous serve of 149 miles/h. It led to him creating a unique record at the US Open, leaving behind the likes of Andy Roddick and John Isner. As a result of his monstrous serve, Shelton’s 149 miles/h serve became the fastest at the US Open. With Shelton being at the top of his game, it won’t be a surprise if he breaks his record in the near future.

Meanwhile, Shelton has reached the pre-quarterfinals of the Shanghai Masters. He next faces the in-form Jannik Sinner of Italy for a place in the last-eight. It’ll be interesting to see how the match pans out between two in-form players.

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