Ben Shelton believes removing the social media platform X from his phone was the “best decision” he ever made as the American star gears up for the U.S. Open in New York.

Qualifying rounds kick off on Monday at Flushing Meadows, followed by the revamped mixed doubles, but the main tournament gets underway on Aug. 24. Shelton will be confident of another strong showing in the year’s final Grand Slam.

Shelton, who has a famous girlfriend, emerged as a breakout sensation during the 2023 tournament. The unseeded player advanced to the semifinals before falling in straight sets to Novak Djokovic. Though he’ll need to recover from the harsh wake-up call delivered by Alexander Zverev in Friday’s Cincinnati Masters quarterfinal.

Nevertheless, world No. 6 Shelton will compete as one of the leading seeds, and he feels mentally prepared for the upcoming test. He credits stepping away from social media as a major contributor to his on-court success.

“I’m doing a good job. I remember two years ago, I ended up deleting Twitter from my phone, and that was the best decision I ever made. Now, two years have passed, and I’ve never read anything on that social network again,” he said in Cincinnati this week.

Shelton says he occupies his downtime watching tennis, rather than letting his mind get cluttered by “nonsense” that circulates on social media platforms. “I prefer to watch the highlights of certain matches,” he added.

“Currently, I watch a lot of the tennis matches I used to watch, whether it’s from the tournament I’m playing in or even from a Challenger tournament that’s happening that week.

“I have a team that helps me keep my feet on the ground; they would never let me get my head full of nonsense.”

Meanwhile, Shelton will take part in the revamped mixed doubles competition that acts as a warm-up for the singles action. The mixed doubles kicks off on Tuesday, with Shelton partnering fellow American Taylor Townsend.

Shelton’s thunderous serve is expected to be a major weapon for the pair, especially when he’s delivering against female rivals. Emma Raducanu, who will join forces with Carlos Alcaraz, confessed she’s intimidated by the thought of facing Shelton’s delivery.

“I think I’m most scared to play certain shots,” she joked. “Ben Shelton’s serve, that scares me. That’s probably one in particular.

“And then obviously all the guys. It’s very difficult to return their serves. Reilly Opelka? He’s serving from a stepladder. It’s incredible.

“But of course I’m very excited. It’s such a unique opportunity, and I thin a lot of the females will probably be feeling the same way. Returning the guys’ serve is quite difficult.”