Ben Shelton

Ben Shelton: a late starter with a pronounced attacking instinct

Ben Shelton came to tennis late for a professional – and that despite growing up in a tennis-mad family. His father Bryan was head coach of the tennis team at the University of Florida in Gainesville until 2023 and reached number 55 in the ATP rankings as a player. He gave up his college post to travel the tour full time with his son.

His mother Lisa was a successful junior player and is the sister of former professional Todd Witsken, who climbed to number 43 in singles and even number four in doubles. Born on 9 October 2002 in Atlanta, Shelton was nevertheless drawn to American football at first and showed talent as a quarterback, before the 1.93-metre left-hander picked up a racket for the first time at the age of twelve.

The push came from his older sister Emma, who played for the Florida Gators herself. Coached by his father, whom "Big Ben" calls his greatest inspiration, football, basketball and athletics quickly took a back seat. Off court, Shelton supports the Gainesville charity "Aces in Motion", which works with disadvantaged young people.

From successful junior to professional with potential: Ben Shelton's path

On his father's advice, "The Mountain", as he is known because of his imposing build, skipped the international ITF Junior Tour and concentrated on the national junior circuit in the USA – where number three was his highest ranking.

In 2020 Big Ben began studying at the University of Florida, where he played college tennis. In 2021 he won the national college team championship with the "Gators", and a year later he took the title at the NCAA Division Tennis Championships – his greatest success as a student. He was subsequently ranked number one by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA).

Serve and volley is the trump card – Ben Shelton's style of play

Like many US professionals, Ben Shelton prefers to play on hard courts. The left-hander with the two-handed backhand names Roger Federer as his greatest idol, yet lists the US Open rather than Wimbledon as his favourite tournament. Alongside a very strong first serve, his second serve, often delivered as a kick serve, is also a feared weapon.

Shelton has raised his serve speed benchmark several times: at the 2023 US Open he set a tournament record at 149 miles per hour (around 240 km/h), and at Indian Wells in 2025 he broke the magic barrier against Mariano Navone with exactly 150 mph (241.4 km/h) – still his fastest serve to date. Almost more impressive: at the Mubadala Citi DC Open in Washington in 2026 he served a second serve at 143 mph (around 230 km/h) for an ace against Martin Damm – one of the fastest second serves ever recorded. Add to that a powerful, consistent forehand and backhand as the basis for his frequent advances to the net: serve and volley is a central element of Big Ben's game.

Milestones in Ben Shelton's professional career

Shelton played the occasional professional tournament even as a student. He won his first title in 2021 on the third-tier ITF Future Tour, along with several Challenger finals. In 2022 he decided to turn professional and gave up his studies two years before graduating.

Good Challenger results earned Big Ben wild cards for ATP tournaments in the USA. At the very first of them, in Atlanta, he claimed his first win at that level against India's Ramkumar Ramanathan. Shortly afterwards he caused a minor sensation at the Cincinnati Masters, beating the then fifth seed Casper Ruud 6-3, 6-3 – in his first ever match against a top 10 player.

That earned him a wild card for the 2022 US Open. On his Grand Slam debut he went out in the singles after five sets against Portugal's Nuno Borges, but in the doubles he and compatriot Christopher Eubanks produced a creditable result against Stefanos Tsitsipas and his brother Petros.

Ben Shelton causes a stir: first ATP title and US Open semi-final

In 2023 Shelton reached the quarter-finals at the Australian Open and broke into the top 50 for the first time at number 44. At the US Open in September he then marched all the way to the semi-finals, where eventual champion Novak Djokovic finally stopped him. Shortly afterwards he won his first ATP title at the Japan Open – with his father Bryan he thus forms only the fourth father-and-son duo of the Open era in which both won at least one ATP title. In the rankings he climbed as high as number 15.

From talent to top 10 player: Shelton's breakthrough from 2024 to 2026

In 2024 came the title in Houston, his first success on clay, and the fourth round at Wimbledon. The definitive breakthrough came in 2025: the semi-finals at the Australian Open against Jannik Sinner, the quarter-finals at Wimbledon and, in August, his first ATP Masters 1000 title at the Canadian Open, in the final against Karen Khachanov. On 10 November 2025 he reached his best placing at number five and qualified for the ATP Finals for the first time.

2026 became the most successful season of his career so far: the title in Dallas against compatriot Taylor Fritz after saving match points, and victory at the BMW Open in Munich against Flavio Cobolli – making him the first American since Andre Agassi in 2002 to win a clay-court tournament at ATP 500 level or above. In Stuttgart he took his first grass title against Fritz, triumphing on all three surfaces in a single season. In August he defended his Masters 1000 title in Montreal with a win in the final over Brandon Nakashima – without dropping a single set. Ben Shelton is currently number six in the ATP world rankings.

Ben Shelton's equipment: racket, strings, shoes & outfit at Tennis-Point

At the very top of the sport, the small details often decide between victory and defeat – and equipment is as much a part of that as training and nutrition. Ben Shelton relies on two partners: Yonex for rackets, strings and bags, and On for shoes and clothing.

Ben Shelton's tennis racket: Yonex EZONE 98

Ben Shelton plays with a Yonex EZONE 98. The frame with its 98 square inch head is a classic tournament racket: small enough for precise control, large enough for a comfortable feel – exactly the mix an aggressive serving and net player needs. Ambitious players with clean technique and a fast swing will find the right counterpart to the pro setup in the EZONE line; the complete selection of Yonex tennis rackets is available in our shop.

Shelton's strings and tennis bag

The frame is strung with a hybrid setup: Poly Tour Strike in the mains for control and durability, Poly Tour Pro in the crosses for more comfort. You will find the matching Yonex tennis strings with us, as well as the Yonex tennis bags in which Big Ben carries his equipment to the court.

Tennis shoes and tennis clothing: Ben Shelton and On

In 2023 Ben Shelton became the first male tennis professional ever to be signed by the Swiss manufacturer On – today he is the face of the Roger Pro line and helps develop it himself. On court he wears the On The Roger Pro, whose third generation was released in April 2026. His shirts, shorts, jackets and headbands come from On too: the complete range of On tennis clothing is available at Tennis-Point, alongside our full selection of men's tennis clothing and men's tennis shoes.

So the rackets, strings and tennis clothing with which Ben Shelton is shaking up the tennis world are all available in our tennis online shop – at fair prices and with our 100-day money-back promise. Order your Ben Shelton tennis collection today and look forward to even more fun on court!