Ben Shelton could become one of the ‘Big Three’ on the ATP Tour, according to John McEnroe, but it may take some time due to his ‘late peak’.
It wouldn’t be an overstatement to say that the United States of America is possibly the greatest tennis country ever. The likes of Martina Navratilova, Serena Williams, Pete Sampras, and Andre Agassi shaped multiple tennis generations, and they are also some of the most successful tennis player of all time.
For some time, Sampras was the most successful tennis player in the history of the ATP Tour, but that didn’t last long, as certain Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic came and took over the sport for over two decades.
In doing so, they have won a total of 66 majors between them, rightfully earning themselves the nickname of the ‘Big Three’. With Federer now retired from the sport, Nadal struggling with injuries, and Djokovic yet to win a title in 2024, the search for the new Big Three started.
Obviously, the US tennis would love to have a player at the top again, as currently, 11th Taylor Fritz is the highest-ranked American on the ATP Tour, compared to Coco Gauff on the women’s side of the sport, who is ranked second, only behind Iga Swiatek.
According to John McEnroe, who is also one of those former greats, having won seven singles major titles, one of the upcoming greats might be Ben Shelton, as he told Nick Kyrgios on his ‘Good Trouble with Nick Kyrgios’ podcast.
“You look at the level and the depth of the modern day tennis game and you look at the modern ‘Big 3’ now. You’ve got probably, Djokovic is probably still one of the big players you’d expect to go far in a Slam and you’ve got Alcaraz. Who’s that next guy? Who will be the next member of the ‘Big 3’ moving forward in the next 10 years.”
“Well I was hoping it would be Ben Shelton. He’s made some great advancements and for us, in America, it’d be huge. He wasn’t just focused on tennis at 10 years old, he played American football. He’s a hell of an athlete.”
The 65-year-old sees incredible talent in his 21-year-old compatriot, who is currently the third highest-ranked American on the ATP Tour, but he also recognizes that Shelton might be a late bloomer.
The reason for that is simple. Early on in his career as an athlete, Shelton dedicated time to American Football, which meant that his progression in tennis started a bit later.
This trajectory is similar to Jannik Sinner, who started as an alpine skier, and only later in his childhood he has decided to become a professional tennis player. He, too, achieved success a bit later, compared to, for example, Carlos Alcaraz, but when it came, it was monumental, and McEnroe could see the same happening with Shelton.
“Went to college for a couple of years, hopefully he’ll peak later, 25 to 35. That’s the guy potentially, but to me, it’s really difficult to say.”
