Ben Shelton is one of the more interesting young American players on the tour at the moment. Learn more about this hard serving player and find out what racquet specs Ben Shelton is using.
What is Ben Shelton’s racquet?
Ben Shelton has been a bit back and forth with both racquets and strings, but seems to have settled on the Yonex Ezone 98, which he strings with a combination of Yonex Poly Tour Strike in the mains at 57 lbs and Yonex Poly Tour Pro in the crosses at 54 lbs.
We will update this post as soon as we know more about Ben Shelton’s racquet specs like weight, balance and swing weight.
More on Ben Shelton
Ben Shelton is the son of a former tennis player, Bryan Shelton. While he has already surpassed his father’s achievements, the young American has got levels to get to if he’s going to fulfill his major potential. You could say that destiny made it so Shelton would become a tennis player.
Being born to a father who was a professional tennis player made tennis something Shelton encountered very early in his life. While other sports had his interest as well, it was ultimately tennis that he chose, and he didn’t make a mistake.
By far one of the most electric names in modern tennis, Shelton has already done a lot to solidify himself as a fan favorite, but his potential could see him become a multi-Slam champion.
Standing between him and that is hard work, a thing he has never feared or shied away from. Let’s take a closer look at who Ben Shelton the player is, and who Ben Shelton the person is.
Biography
Ben Shelton was born in the US to a father who was a solid professional tennis player. His mother was a fairly skilled junior player as well, so you could say that he was born into a tennis family.
That made it very easy for Shelton to get exposed to the sport, which he did very early in his life. He went on to play multiple sports as a child, which is fairly common in the US, and while he dreamed of becoming a professional football player, he ended up choosing tennis.
He wasn’t pressured by his parents to do so, but he wanted to beat his sister, who also played tennis, and to do that he had to practice. He ultimately proved himself to be quite a talent and stuck with it.
For most of his tennis journey, Shelton was closely overseen by his father, who ended up in the coaching world after his professional career. The influence of his father is something he credits for his development as a player.
Outside of the tennis courts, Shelton is known as a very reserved person who doesn’t stand out much in the crowd but also carries a competitive edge that shines through in his tennis.
Ben Shelton Professional Career Overview
Shelton’s serious journey in tennis began around age 12 when he committed to playing it more seriously. His father was a college coach, so when he started practicing tennis, Bryan Shelton took over coaching his son.
Fairly quickly, Shelton proved himself as a great talent, though he didn’t pursue the typical journey of a tennis youngster. He didn’t go to play ITF junior events but rather stayed locally in the US and played there.
That decision came on the advice of his father, and Shelton underlines it was vital for his development as he was able to use all of his time to practice. At 17, Shelton committed to playing college tennis in Florida, where his father worked as a coach.
He spent two years on the college circuit, improving quite a bit and posting some of the best records among all college athletes. He credits his competitive spirit to the rowdy atmosphere experienced in college tennis.
At 19, Shelton finally made his ATP debut at a couple of Challenger events in the US, with mixed results. His proper breakout came at the end of the year when he finished with back-to-back Challenger trophies in the US, which nearly catapulted him into the top 100.
Then at the Australian Open in 2023, Shelton made the fourth round, demonstrating incredible serving. He would continue to improve rapidly, making the US Open semi-final and winning his maiden ATP trophy in Tokyo.
He finished 2023 in the top 15, which was a huge step up from being outside the top 100 at the end of the previous year. Shelton continued his success in 2024, winning his first clay trophy in Houston, mirroring his father’s achievements.
He also became the US No 1 briefly, while stabilizing his ranking and solidifying himself as a top player.
Ben Sheltons’s Biggest Achievements
- US Open semi-final (2023)
- Maiden trophy at the Tokyo Open (2023)
- Career high ranking of 13 (2023)
- Undefeated in ATP-level finals, boasting a 2-0 record
What is Ben Shelton’s Playing Style?
Ben Shelton is, in many ways, a prototypical US player in the sense that his game is mostly centered around the baseline. The American has a powerful serve, arguably one of the most powerful serves in the world.
He’s hit some rockets since entering the sport and is very likely to break some serving records in the future. His lefty forehand is somewhat raw but very powerful, which he could develop into a signature shot in the coming years.
The backhand is pretty solid overall, so in essence, he is an aggressive baseliner with a really powerful serve. That’s quite in line with US tennis players, though he’s proven himself to be quite good at the net at times as well.
The movement could be better and is not the best, but the way he plays doesn’t require him to rely on his movement too much. It’s just about becoming that consistent hitter from the baseline, similar to Jannik Sinner.
Who is Ben Shelton’s Coach?
For most of his tennis life, Shelton primarily relied on his father, Bryan Shelton, for guidance. His father is a former player who knows the tennis tour well and is also a coach by profession, having worked in that capacity since retiring.
When Shelton finally turned professional, his father abandoned his position as a college tennis coach to help his son on the professional tour, so his father is his primary coach. That’s not going to change anytime soon, as Shelton views his father as a hero for him, and for good reason.
Shelton has yet to be disappointed by his father in that role, as his tremendous rise proves.
What is Ben Shelton Best Known For?
There are a few things Shelton is known for.
First of all, he’s known as a very good tennis player who is likely to carry US tennis for the coming decade. He’s also known for his famous serve, which has already broken some impressive milestones, such as peaking at 240 km/h.
He had a viral win celebration during his 2023 US Open run, which was famously copied by Novak Djokovic when the Serbian beat him in that semi-final. With his background in college tennis, Shelton can at times come across as quite brash on-court, bordering on disrespectful. He’s had a few more celebrations since then but generally doesn’t have a signature celebration anymore.
Outside of that, he’s known as a fan favorite due to the way he plays and the charisma he brings to the tennis courts.
Interesting Facts About Ben Shelton
- Didn’t want to play tennis initially, wanting to play American football but eventually got into the sport as a way to challenge his sister.
- Enjoy the competitive nature of sports, including some drama, which he always welcomes.
- He considers Roger Federer his idol when it comes to tennis and signed for a company Federer has invested in to provide him with match kits.
- Studied finance in college and considered it an area of interest. Has also expressed interest in working on Wall Street.
- Loves ice cream despite it not being the best food for an athlete.
- Enjoys reading cinema and loves music, with rap being his favorite genre. Outside of that considers himself a huge animal lover.
Ben Sheltons’s Social Media Presence and Fan Engagement
Shelton maintains a presence on social media, where he posts regularly about tennis and his life outside of tennis. He has about 770k followers on Instagram.
Ben Shelton Net Worth
Not much is known about Shelton’s net worth due to it not being public information. He has earned over $4 million from tennis prize money alone and boasts a few sponsorships deals.
He signed with Federer-backed On for match kits and shoes, while the racquets are supplied by Yonex.
Outside of that, Shelton also has an endorsement deal with Rolex.
1 comment
I had read previously and heard on air (TV) from those close to the family and Florida tennis that Ben was still not really interested in playing tennis at 12 and early teens – that it wasn’t until his mid-late teens that he started playing tennis.
Even when he started playing college tennis – Jimmy Arias said on air that his first year as a collegiate tennis player he was more of a danger to the crowd than his opponent.
So, by all indications I heard and read before this article, he did not spend most of his teens playing much tennis. But improved rapidly within a couple of years once he did – in his mid-late teens.