Ben Shelton has been destined for tennis greatness since he was a teenager. The 22-year-old budding superstar was an accomplished player before becoming professional, winning a singles title in the NCAA Division I Tennis Championships. He was also named Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) National Player of the Year, and he was coached by his father, former tennis player and tennis coach Bryan Shelton.
Now, Shelton, ranked #20 in the world, looks to make his first career singles grand slam final when he faces world #1 and two-time grand slam winner Jannik Sinner on Jan. 24 in the Australian Open semifinals. With a semifinals victory, he would join fellow Black American Madison Keys, who will play Aryna Sabalenka in the Australian Open women’s final on Jan 25.
An American man has not won a grand slam title since Andy Roddick at the 2003 US Open.
Shelton also made headlines as he advanced to the Australian Open semifinals when the Australian broadcast media asked him about no one cheering for him after his victory.
“I’ve been a little bit shocked this week with how players have been treated by the broadcasters, and I don’t think that the guy who mocked Novak (Djokovic) I don’t think was just a single event,” Shelton said.
“There were some comments that have been made to me in post-match interviews by a couple of different guys, whether it was, ‘Hey, Monfils is old enough to be your dad, maybe he is your dad,’ or today on the court, ‘Hey Ben, how does it feel that no matter who you play in your next match, no one’s going to be cheering for you?’ … I feel like there’s just been a lot of negativity, and I think that’s something that needs to change.”
Shelton can change that and a lot more if he wins two more matches at the Australian Open.
