Meet the real Ben Shelton

Words by Louise Hough.

“When I started playing tennis, I didn’t like it that much.” Sitting before me is Ben Shelton, a 20-year-old professional tennis player who, in a matter of months, has risen from U.S. minor league competitions, to playing the world’s biggest majors. Ranking outside the top 500 men’s tennis players in May 2022, Shelton rocketed to 35 in the world after the Australian Open in January 2023.

In August 2022, Shelton, already a one-to-watch for the sport’s insiders, caught the attention of fans globally after beating serial Grand-Slam finalist Casper Ruud at the ATP Masters 1000 Cincinnati in Ohio, U.S. In November, Shelton secured three consecutive Challenger even titles, enough to secure him a spot at the Australian Open. “I know I’m a fairly late bloomer when it comes to tennis, but I fell in love with it”.

At 1.93m (6ft4) he’s a tower of an athlete. His scruffy hair and boyish face match his warmth and enthusiasm as he sits up attentively on the sofa opposite me, curiously scanning the library we’re sitting in at On HQ. Books and magazines about adventure, running, and design line the shelves. Biographies and memoirs of industry greats – Leibovitz, Abloh, Federer. 

I thank him for making time during his hectic trip to chat with me, and his entourage for allowing us just a few minutes undisturbed. “It’s all good, I’m grateful I get to do all this,” he smiles. They leave the room with their filming paraphernalia. “It’s nice to be around people who aren’t just talking about tennis the whole time.” I glance at my list of questions.

The sport may have been an initial slow burn for Shelton, but with a tennis-coach father, and student-athlete sister on the court, the talent runs in his blood. But where did it start? “Honestly?” he looks mischievous, “I saw my sister – she was getting to play all these tournaments, traveling to all these different places. I was like, ‘Man, she can get out of school to play sports, travel, and stay in hotels’”. What began as a familiar teenage desire to study less and play more, quickly revealed his undeniable talent and a fire was lit.

A powerful left-handed forehand and an unwavering fighting attitude from the moment he walks onto the court define Shelton’s play. “I try to be unique with my playing style and do things other players aren’t. I've taken a few things from Nadal because he's left-handed, but I try to work with my assets and be unique.”

I ask about mental and physical preparation. “I’m not a superstitious ritual guy. My warm-ups vary. I eat different things. I do like to listen to aggressive hip-hop to hype myself up before I go on court, but it just comes down to hard work. Hard work is not something that I'm just ‘whatever’ about. When it's time for me to really put in work, I'm fine being the first guy to show up to the facility or the last guy to leave.”

Shelton is open-minded too. “I'm trying to have a growth mindset. I’m competitive and I want to win but I have to remind myself that I'm nowhere near where I want to be with some things.” It seems realistic to still be figuring it out at the age of 20. “Yeah, hopefully I have a long career ahead of me and time to fine-tune my style”.

Shelton’s style exists off the court too, seen at press conferences in a Burberry tee, layered chains, and high tops. “I get style inspiration from different people, other athletes, and Instagram,” he shares. “Roger is one of those guys who can do it all. He can do it on the court, he can do it off the court, he can do it at the Met Gala, he can do it at Wimbledon.” Shelton is visiting Zurich to feed back on upcoming designs and get to know the home of his new sponsor. I only have a few minutes before he’ll be rushed off to his next meeting to discuss new tennis apparel. 

“There’s this great tradition and rich history in tennis. A lot of the brands other players are wearing – they don't make much outside of traditional clothes, so my buddies on tour are definitely jealous of the gradient kit I've been wearing. They all want to touch it.”

Shelton’s trip to Australia in January was his first venture off US soil. Before tennis, his first love was American Football. “I think one of the biggest surprises for me is how huge tennis is overseas. It’s not even one of the top three sports in the United States. The Australian people really started to cheer for me as one of their own as I went deeper and deeper in the tournament. It’s crazy – I’m so far from home, but people know who I am.” 

I witnessed it just a few hours earlier – Shelton answering questions from an eager crowd in an auditorium and entertaining a queue of hopeful fans wanting a selfie. “I'm starting to get used to it,” he looks around the library thoughtfully, “but you never fully get used to it.”

It wasn’t long ago that Shelton was in college, playing what felt like a different game. “It's the only time in your life that you have a long-term team in tennis. It’s an individual sport and can be a lonely sport, but in college I had 10 or 11 teammates that were all my best friends.” 

“I keep in touch with them all, but now I have three or four people that I'm really close with. I don't get to see them all the time, but it makes it more fun when I do. Often we just hang out at my apartment, or go to the movie theater because it doesn’t take any energy. Plus,” he beams, “I love movie theater slushies and popcorn.”

Shelton wasn’t your typical college student. “I tried to keep partying to a minimum. Every once in a while I like to go out, see people, and do different things, but on a normal day, I'm just fine staying inside. I don't like going to overcrowded, loud places. I've never been to a concert in my life.” 

I think back to the athlete I saw on the stage earlier – charismatic, quick to entertain provoking questions from the audience, and entirely natural doing it. So how will the athlete handle bigger crowds as he continues to take center stage? 

“I think it's different because you have your space. On the tennis court, I don't feel like I'm in it or like the crowd's on top of me. I think I play some of my best matches in front of the big crowds, I love that whole vibe.”

Ben Shelton is full of contradictions. He’s competitive and aggressive on court, but he’s also humble, even a little shy at times. He’s fueled by the energy of a crowd of spectators, but you won’t find him in one. He’s extroverted and introverted. He doesn’t entertain strict routines or obsess over tiny details, but Shelton does have a plan, and he knows what he has to do.

“I know that I'm not perfect. I have flaws and a lot to improve, but that's what keeps me working. I can't do great things in this game if I don't work as hard, or harder, than everyone out there. I’m a competitor. I want to win every match. I want to destroy whoever is on the other side of the net”.