Ben Shelton: Top Facts About Rising US Tennis Star

The majority of the greatest athletes start young. Depending on the sport, many of the brightest stars show tremendous results by their early 20s. Ben Shelton is on the rise in tennis, with many experts predicting his great future. 

This article will cover the main aspects of Ben Shelton’s biography. We’ll provide information on how he started playing his sport, the main points of his career, important facts, and his off-court life.

Who Is Ben Shelton?

Shelton might be young, but he already shows impressive form and has made significant achievements for being a pro for just two years. He’s also quite open about his life in the interviews, so there’s a lot of information to uncover. The sections below will include some of the important points about his life, such as his background, early career, and some personal records.

Ben Shelton’s Background

Ben Shelton is 21; he was born in October 2002 in Atlanta, the most populous city in Georgia, USA. His family has a background in tennis, with his father being a former player and a coach. His mother had a junior career in the sport, and his uncle, Todd Witsken, is also a former professional player.

Ben Shelton’s Career

Ben Shelton started playing tennis early, at 12 years of age. Although it’s interesting to mention that he preferred football as a child and still enjoys fitness and some other sports. He was focused on local tournaments by following his father’s recommendation not to travel abroad and trying to become the best in the country. He has played in college since 2020. 

Shelton played some junior tournaments, reaching the levels of No. 3 player in the USTA Boys’ 18s division and No. 306 in ITF Junior. He continued to play the game in college, gaining a lot of success for his team, the Florida Gators. He continued to show impressive results in the ITA, 2022 Western and Eastern Open, as well as the 2023 Australia Open, which was his first major overseas success, with him reaching the quarter-finals. 

In 2024, he played at Wimbledon, showing solid results, although he didn’t reach any high places this time. Nevertheless, he surprised quite a few betting tennis experts with his capabilities.

Ben Shelton Serve Speed

Professionally, Shelton is a left-handed player with a rather aggressive playing style. His serving speed is impressive, and he actually scored the record for the highest one ever at a tennis game at Wimbledon in 2024: it reached 153 mph or 243 km/h.

Facts

Let’s check out some interesting facts about his life. While his career isn’t long yet, there’s a lot of curious stuff that we can find out. The sections below will provide interesting information.

Initial Sport

Although Shelton was born into a family with deep ties to professional tennis, his first sport of interest was football. His parents didn’t pressure him into following tennis or any other sport, but he still decided to pursue such a career a bit later and started playing the game regularly at the age of 12.

Mentality

While he may be aggressive on court, in real life, he’s a rather humble guy. He’s open about his experience, doesn’t hide the fact that tennis wasn’t his first choice in interviews, and is also open to further career growth. According to interviews, he thinks there’s a lot of room for improvement, and he hopes to see a great career ahead of him.

Tennis in DNA

As we’ve already stated, his whole family consists of former tennis players. 

His father, Bryan Shelton, retired from tennis in 1997 and continued his career as a coach up until 2023. His mother, Julia Witsken Shelton, didn’t pursue the sport professionally but was a powerful player in her junior years. His uncle, Todd Witsken, was a professional player but is now retired, and his sister, Emma, had some experience playing the game in college. 

Moreover, according to Ben, his sister was the biggest influence since he grew envious of the fact that she could travel more and see the world while playing the game and studying less. With such a background, it’s not surprising to see him become a professional athlete.

College Tennis Success

Ben started playing collegiate tennis for the Florida Gators team in the summer of 2020. His father coached him. He played a role in the team’s winning the Southeastern Conference title. He played in the 2021 NCAA Division I Tennis Championship, securing the National Champions title for his team that won the tennis tournament.

First Trip Overseas: 2023 Australian Open

The 2023 Australian Open was his second major tournament and the first time he played in a serious competition outside the US. He showed tremendous results, reaching the quarter-finals — an impressive result for a young athlete who had turned professional just a year before.

Off-Court Interests and Hobbies

Shelton is young, and, of course, he has a life outside of professional sports. He enjoys music and is active in charity organizations. For example, he delivered food for the Barons Court Project, a local British foundation that aims to help low-income families. He also raised money for various environmental projects.

Apart from tennis, he enjoys golf and basketball and still has an interest in football, a sport that he played as a kid. His favorite basketball team is Atlanta Hawks.

Conclusion

Ben Shelton is a rising tennis star in the US. Coming from a family of professional and hobbyist tennis players, he has shown tremendous results at his young age, and the future looks promising and bright, according to the experts. And if you want to know more about this athlete, then this article is for you.

We covered all of the important aspects of his career, his off-court life, and earlier years, as well as other information. We also mentioned some of his interviews, his lifestyle and mentality, and other interesting moments of his life. We hope that you found this article useful. Please note that the text didn’t cover the aspects of tennis betting or the ways to join a tennis club; we simply provided information about a rising star of the sport.