by Ben Shelton is undeniably an entertaining tennis player, but sometimes his desire to impress clouds his progress in tournaments.
It’s a shame considering how much talent this 22-year-old has at his disposal.
However, his youth is a blessing and he still has plenty of time to develop into the true competitor many believe he can be.
However, competition across the board is only increasing.
Ben Shelton loves watching two of his rivals
In a conversation with Sky Sports today, the American actually wanted to take a look back at the current state of the men’s tour and praised some of his rivals.
When asked who his favorite players were, he particularly praised Carlos Alcaraz, but also named a somewhat surprising alternative alongside the Spaniard.
Ben Shelton claimed, “I love watching Alcaraz and I love watching Grigor Dimitrov.” I would say those two are my two favorites. Alcaraz is a great athlete, can hit any shot, entertains the crowd and always has a smile on his face. He’s a personality on the pitch, that’s what I like to see and he makes me feel like I’m watching an entertainer but also someone who plays the game at the highest level.
“Grigor plays the game so beautifully.” I think a lot of what he does is similar to what Roger used to do. Perfect technique, slice, the serve. He’s technically flawless in every shot, that’s why I love watching him.”
Could Ben Shelton break into the ATP top ten next year?
Shelton is currently ranked 17th in the ATP world rankings and 20th in the live rankings at the Race to Turin.
His participation in the latter event is almost impossible, but next year he will be more than in jeopardy for this and many other titles.
After all, the American is on the rise and has enjoyed a rapid rise that could definitely catapult him into the top ten in 2025.
His attempts to achieve this will surely be fueled by huge underperformance across the board in the sport’s highest-rated events, having only progressed past the third round at one of the four Grand Slams in 2024.
And then he went through the Masters 1000 events and his best run to the quarterfinals in Cincinnati was followed only by a fourth-round exit in Shanghai. The rest had to be eliminated in the third and even the second round, meaning they have few points to defend.
Still, Shelton has all the attributes to succeed as a big-serving left-hander who can hit a ball as well as hit a drop shot.
Should he iron out some of the flaws in his game, including his sometimes questionable shot selection and sloppy footwork, 2025 could be the year he explodes and announces himself as the other contender alongside Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.
That depends on the outcome of the drug case in question.
Andy Roddick has predicted how long Sinner’s ban could last.
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