Ben Shelton is moving on up in the tennis world following his run to the last eight of Wimbledon.
Shelton is up to seventh on the ATP Tour and he will go into the US Open brimming with confidence that he can get over the line and win a Grand Slam title.
Shelton struggled against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina at last week’s Washington Open, but he now moves to the Montreal Open looking to win some more matches.
At 22-years-old, Shelton has time on his side, and during 2025, he’s made great strides towards proving to people that he can eventually win the game’s big titles.
Ahead of the next tournament that gets going for Shelton tomorrow, a former American player has been praising the youngster for the improvements he’s shown on tour this year.
Photo by Daniel Kopatsch/Getty ImagesJack Sock hints at new weapon Ben Shelton now brings to the court
Sock has been speaking about Shelton on the latest episode of the Nothing Major podcast.
He’s been hailing the youngster for how he’s managed to kick on this year, and he believes it’s down to one aspect of his game that is now extremely strong.
He said: “Obviously, everyone knows that his serve and his forehand are all strengths of his. If that backhand is becoming a weapon, which it looks like it is, at times he can literally use it as a weapon and not have to run around it as much. If that is now becoming a strength, it is just going to make everything easier. It is going to make matches less physical for him if he is able to use that backhand side and dictate points.
“If he starts doing that, I think it is going to be pretty scary to be honest, especially on these courts, when you get on some faster, higher bouncing hard courts and he’s hitting the ball like that, I think he is going to be a very tough out every week this summer.”
What John Isner has said about Ben Shelton
Isner is also a pundit on the podcast and he essentially echoed what Sock said about Shelton.
He also admitted that he’s enjoyed watching the American climb the rankings and start to establish himself as a top 10 player in the world of tennis.
Isner said: “I am really impressed with Ben. I know he didn’t play his best in the semis, but I think his trajectory is going in completely the right direction. He is obviously top 10, but he is inching closer in my mind to the ultimate goal.”
Shelton is now set to face Adrian Mannarino in round one at the Montreal Open and he will be hoping to go all the way ahead of the US Open.