Media’s Brutal Scrutiny Prompts American Tennis Sensation Ben Shelton To Unveil A Harsh Perspective – ‘There’s No Winning’

Ben Shelton’s impressive performances saw him leapfrog from number 96 to inside the Top 20 last year. Just like his mettle on-court, even his celebrations got into the headlines in 2023. His dial-in celebration stirred major controversy and he was subsequently trolled for it by both fans and the media. 

On this note, Shelton recently revealed that he has some big tennis goals in 2024. What are those? Well, this time he refrained from disclosing it to the media. But he, nevertheless, had a fair share to say. 

Ben Shelton isn’t interested in revealing his developmental goals for the 2024 season 

Shelton had only just gotten his passport when he made his trip to New Zealand last year. That was his first time outside the United States. Earlier, he had spent two years playing college tennis at the University of Florida before making up his mind to turn pro and get a passport.

Shelton earned his first win outside the US at the Classic in Auckland. But he couldn’t play in the Centre Court last year. Why? Because he had to play the next match in the indoor facility due to bad weather conditions. But now, he has a chance to do something big in the biggest stadium in front of a bigger crowd in New Zealand. But before that, here’s what he said about his goals for 2024, and how they might be perceived by the media. 

“I have a lot of developmental goals for 2024, things that I want to see improve in my game. In terms of result-based goals, I just keep that between me and my team. I feel like there’s no winning in the media. You set your goals too low – people are going to give you a hard time. You set them too high, they’ll give you a hard time. So, that’s for me and my team and I’ll let you know how I did at the end of the year,” said Shelton

After his New Zealand trip, the young tennis star went to the other side of the Tasmanian Sea to create a historic moment in his career. Shelton reached the QF of his second Grand Slam tournament at the Australian Open in 2023. Then after that, he levelled up and reached the semis of the 2023 US Open.

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Post that, however, there has been a slight downfall in his performance graph, as he couldn’t do much apart from those two feats in major events. Having been labelled a one hit wonder, Shelton replied to the naysayers by making a comeback and clinching his first title at the Tokyo Open in the latter part of 2023. What’s ahead for the young sensation in 2024? 

Shelton makes a visit to New Zealand for the second time in his career

The 21-year-old American superstar will face the 24-year-old Hungarian, Fabian Marozsan at the second round of the ASB Classic on January 10. Shelton didn’t have a good start to the season. He made an early exit from Brisbane International on the first day of the new year.

Currently, the American is on a three-match losing streak after having lost two matches at the end of the season and then this one at the Pat Rafter Arena. But he’ll surely look to bounce back at his familiar territory and bring in momentum ahead of the first major of the season.

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