It wasn’t a love at first sight. It started with just ‘hi’, and ‘hello’ but now they can’t live without each other. Seems like a romantic story? Well, the journey of 21-year-old Ben Shelton with Tennis so far has been nothing short of a fairytale. Ben Shelton is regarded as the future of American tennis and a Messiah to their woes in men’s singles.

He kick-started his career in style & had made headlines featuring in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open earlier this year and the semis of the US Open later on. Surely, his performance has been top-notch recently and results aren’t a fluke anymore. These results are proof that becoming a tennis player wasn’t a bad choice for little Ben Shelton. But what was his first choice?

Ben Shelton makes an interesting revelation

The rising star in American tennis recently shared his thoughts about the sport earlier in his career. Shelton had earlier revealed that American Football was his first love in sports and he enjoyed his role as a quarterback. Later on, he was introduced to tennis by his father Bryan Shelton, who is also a former professional tennis player and current coach of Ben. His mother is also a former tennis player. The Atlanta-born youngster revealed he had a little inclination towards the sports initially. But little did he know his destiny was already written. Ben Shelton is now happy with the path he took and here’s what he says.

“I think my first memory is being a really young kid and my parents started me out with a tennis racket and a balloon to practice tennis for the first time. I didn’t love tennis at the start and I didn’t want to be a part of it, I just wanted to play other sports.”

“But I got back to it. I think the moment I realized that I wanted to be a tennis player is probably the first professional match I won in Illinois.” he said.

His fans must be thanking his dad for giving his son the nudge he needed at the beginning of his career. Now, the results are in front of us. It’s been a remarkable journey so far for this prodigy.

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The journey is far from over for Shelton

He has had a breakthrough season on the tour this year and has grabbed the attention of the tennis world with his aggressive style of play. Shelton would now love to continue his form and end this season on a high note. Fans love his fearless attitude on the court and his opponents hate his fiery serves. The little boy isn’t little anymore as he looks to head-on with heavyweights of the sport. Do you need a Grand Slam? Maybe you should dial up Ben Shelton. It seems that day isn’t too far for all American tennis lovers, right?

He’s now at Ariake Coliseum playing against Taro Daniel in the Round of 32 in the Japan Open. Can the youngster end his Asian trip on a high note? We’ll have to wait for the answers. But do you think Ben Shelton is the future star of American tennis?

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