An ace at 227 kilometers per hour. Another at 240 kilometers per hour. A winning service at 209 kilometers per hour. And a new ace at 240 kilometers per hour. In the middle of the third set of his fourth round at the US Open, Ben Shelton (47th in the world) panicked the radar of the Arthur-Ashe court, during a game dispatched in barely a minute.
“It’s cool, but it’s not so good for my tennis,” the American tempered after the match. The proof, I was broken twice in a row after that game. Hitting harder and harder, chasing the record [held by John Isner, who had served at 253 kilometers per hour during a Davis Cup meeting in 2016], it can scramble my rhythm. »
But that did not prevent him from getting the better of his compatriot Tommy Paul (14?) in four sets (6-4, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4) and qualifying for his second quarter-final. in Grand Slam, in just five appearances at a Major. He finds there the American number two Frances Tiafoe (10?) on the night of Tuesday 5 to Wednesday 6 September – while a little earlier, the Californian Taylor Fritz (9?) challenges the Serbian Novak Djokovic (2?).
A sign of the revival of American tennis, it has been eighteen years since the country had three representatives at this stage of the New York Grand Slam competition. “Americans are part of tennis culture and it’s nice to see this young generation,” rejoiced former French player Camille Pin with Le Monde before Roland-Garros. They have nice players, who have a good attitude on the pitch. »
From college tennis to the main circuit
Of the eight players in the top 50 in the United States, Ben Shelton is perhaps the most talented. A devastating serve, a blistering left arm, a constant aggression, a forward-facing game with many net climbs: from the height of his ninety-three meters, the athletic 20-year-old player with bulging muscles offers tennis as creative as it is unpredictable.
Son of Bryan Shelton, 55th in the world in the 1990s, the native of Atlanta (Georgia) did not set his sights on tennis until late. As a child, he preferred American football to the little yellow ball, which he eventually chose around the age of 12-13. In 2020, then number 1 American under 18, he chose to study finance at the University of Florida and play for the Florida Gators university team, managed by his father. “He was not ready to start on the circuit,” recalls the latter, who is still his coach, in the columns of L’Equipe.
Everything accelerates in 2022: after winning the university singles championship in the spring, Ben Shelton cuts his teeth on the high school circuit by reaching his first two Challenger finals, then winning his first ATP match in Atlanta. But it was in August, at the Masters 1000 in Cincinnati (Ohio), that he really revealed himself to the general public. After a victory against the Italian Lorenzo Sonego, he created a sensation against the Norwegian Casper Ruud, then 5th in the world and recent finalist at Roland-Garros, and entered the top 200. “It’s an important mark for me, and that proves to me that I am in the right direction,” he rejoiced.
showman spirit
The fiery American then decided to embark on the professional circuit while continuing his studies from a distance. A successful choice: he won the last three American Challenger tournaments of the season and reached the top 100… without ever having played anywhere but in the United States!
It was only at the end of December that he left the American continent for the first time, heading for Oceania. Here again, his left paw and his instinctive game, coupled with his showman spirit which thrives on hot atmospheres, wreaked havoc which led him to the quarter-finals of the Australian Open. “Honestly, if he plays like this every game, the guy is [in] the top 10 within six months (…). If he continues like this, he is an actor to be reckoned with, ”reacted his victim in the third round, Australian Alexei Popyrin (41?).
But from February to the US Open, the American tornado is no longer so impactful and fails to win two consecutive matches on the main circuit. This does not prevent him from continuing to show his enthusiasm on the ground. “You have to be in the right frame of mind,” Ben Shelton told L’Equipe. Having a smile helps make things fun. And when I have fun, I play my best tennis. “If the recipe is not 100% guarantee of success, it is again paying off in New York.
