Ben Shelton has revealed that he chose to pursue tennis professionally despite it not being seen as a cool sport during his childhood.
Shelton’s rise during the last few years has been among the most dramatic in the sport. The 22-year-old is an Australian Open and US Open semifinalist, achieving those feats with a unique personality and explosive playing style.
Last year’s Houston Open champion possesses one of the best serves in tennis, powerful groundstrokes, variety such as drop shots, and a willingness to move forward to the net.
Shelton’s superb talent might make it surprising to some that he attended a public school that did not consider tennis to be a sport in the same league as others, such as American football, basketball, and baseball.
However, the young ATP star revealed that was the case during an interview with Vogue. He said his dad and sister loved tennis, but that sentiment was not widely shared in the school he attended.
“Tennis was my dad’s thing. It was my sister’s thing. And for me, growing up in American public schools, tennis wasn’t really cool. Football is cool, basketball is cool—even baseball is cool. But playing quarterback—being on that field, hitting people—for me, that was the most fun you can have in athletics.”
It is an interesting insight from Shelton. The fact that he chose to play tennis professionally despite it not being rated much in his school proves how much the 2025 Australian Open semifinalist loves the sport.
At the same time, Shelton’s one regret about choosing to play tennis instead of another sport is not getting that feeling of being up close and personal while playing a contact sport like American football or others.
“Oh, no, no, no—hitting. Actually hitting them. I love contact. That’s the one thing I regret about choosing tennis—not being able to play a contact sport.”
Shelton’s liking of American contact sports, which are often played in fearsome atmospheres, might partially explain his fiery personality, which can sometimes wind his opponents up and draw responses from them.
The most recent example was at the 2025 Mexican Open against David Goffin. He infuriated the Belgian by loudly celebrating after Goffin shanked a forehand into the air to lose a point.
Shelton’s veteran opponent responded by pointedly celebrating after winning the next point before smirking knowingly at his team. Goffin’s victory probably felt even better after his opponent’s antics annoyed him.
Novak Djokovic was also irritated by Shelton and his team during their 2023 US Open semifinal. The 24-time Grand Slam champion mocked the American’s dialed-in phone celebration after beating him on the Arthur Ashe Stadium and accused him of not showing the appropriate respect after the match.
Although Shelton’s personality is not loved by everyone, he certainly adds something unique to tennis. That is why large crowds usually come to watch his matches regardless of who he faces, especially at tournaments in the U.S.
