Ben Shelton has had a breakthrough 2023 tennis season. At just 21, the American sensation has already caught the attention of the tennis world and is dubbed the next big thing on the ATP Tour. Earlier this year, he made it to the quarterfinals of the Australian Open. Further, in his home Grand Slam tournament, the US Open, he surprised one and all by reaching the semifinals. Owing to his success, a tennis broadcaster, Mike Cation, revealed an interesting story about how he was convinced about Shelton’s successful future.
Shelton took to tennis at a very young age. He rose up the ranks quickly and was also NCAA champion in 2022. Let’s find out what Cation had to say about Shelton.
Obscure Ben Shelton story comes to light
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In the recent episode of the Inside-In podcast that was released yesterday, Cation opened up about his role as the sole voice of the USTA Pro Circuit where the rise of Shelton took place. Further, talking about this, he recollected one story about the American sensation that made him believe in Shelton’s successful future.
Cation said, “The story I’ve told before, but he was the first round of a challenger in California and Tiburon, he played Roberto Quiroz. And he said before that match, he told his coach, he told his dad that he was going to serve and volley every single first serve, no matter what for that entire match, even if that meant losing a match, because he knew that big picture.”
Further, he went on to add, “The next year, he was going to have to do it. And he committed to it, he went to a third set tie break. In the third set tie break, I thought he was just going to go away from it serve and volley every single first serve. I was so impressed him was that was the moment where you knew the talent was there. But I was so sure of the fact that he was going to be very successful.”
Shelton is one of the most exciting prospects of the current generation. He is already among the top players in the world. Further, he laid bare his future goals recently.
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Shelton’s ambitious path
The American tennis sensation has already put his sights on the 2024 season. He is aiming to improve next year and carry this year’s positives. Further, he is also looking at his future.
Talking about this, Shelton said, “Yeah, I’m looking ahead five years you know, I’d love to still be healthy. Still playing out here on tour, not having any physical injuries, and still have a love for the game.”
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Shelton will be eager for the next season of tennis to start. It’ll be interesting to see how he starts the new season and whether he’ll be able to handle the high intensity of the sport in 2024.
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