Gainesville's Ben Shelton has come of age Down Under at Australian Open - despite losing in quarterfinals
Please forgive Bryan Shelton if he’s looked a bit wrung out the past couple of weeks. It’s been a tiring time around the Shelton house.
Tiring, but exhilarating.
When it’s the middle of the night in Gainesville, it’s the middle of the afternoon in Melbourne, Australia. That’s when Shelton and his wife, Lisa, have been getting up to watch their son play tennis.
“It’s like date night, every night,” Bryan said.
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Their Australian Open dates have gone on longer than anyone expected. Just three years after he was getting dropped off at Buchholz High, Ben Shelton has become the toast of the tennis world.
He won his first four matches, becoming the first American man in 20 years to reach a major quarterfinal before turning 21.
Unfortunately for Ben, he fell to fellow American Tommy Paul in the quarterfinals Tuesday night. Paul defeated Shelton 7-6 (6), 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 to reach his first Grand Slam semifinal.
The match started 11 p.m. Gainesville time, meaning his father again will be showing up bleary-eyed for his day job as Florida’s tennis coach.
“Thank goodness there’s not that much tennis on that side of the world,” Bryan said.
Not that he’s complaining. What’s a few hours of missed sleep when you can watch your son grow up before your very eyes?
“I did see this coming,” Shelton said, “but not this soon.”
Ben Shelton a winner since stepping on UF campus
Everybody knew Ben had a special set of tennis skills. As a freshman, he won the match that made Florida the 2021 NCAA tennis champion. As a sophomore, he won the NCAA singles title.
But the last NCAA singles champ to make the following year’s Australian Open quarterfinal was Arthur Ashe. In 1966.
It’s not just the deep tournament run that has people buzzing, it’s how he’s done it. Shelton bounces around the court like a guy who just got Miss Australia’s phone number. He’s a grinning ball of exuberance and emotion.
“He wears it on his sleeve,” Bryan said.
Florida fans at the Alfred A. Ring Tennis Complex saw it the past two years. The Rod Laver Arena is a whole new stage.
“From what I hear from friends over there, the Australian fans are fully behind him,” Bryan said. “They love his demeanor and the way he competes, and the passion.”
Ben’s a unique story in a sport where prodigies spend their teen years chasing junior titles around the world. This is his first trip abroad. He’d never even used a passport before heading Down Under.
He’s taking two online courses – international business and entrepreneurship – determined to still get a business degree from UF.
“You want to finish, to get that degree,” Bryan said. “We want our kids to be well-rounded. If you just go out there and play tennis and video games all day, it doesn’t help you develop as a person.”
It makes for a refreshing tennis story, but everything starts with his play. His big left-handed serve and forehand have always been lethal.
He’s hired a trainer, and it’s paid off with two five-set wins in the summer heat of Australia. Ben has a traveling coach, Dean Goldfine.
His support staff doesn’t take up much space compared to the entourages that fill some player’s courtside boxes. But an uncle, Rick Witsken, flew in from Indiana this week to beef up the cheering section.
And his father isn’t just sitting on the couch back in Gainesville enjoying date nights. Bryan is constantly texting Goldfine with analysis. They study upcoming opponents and devise strategy.
Then it’s up to Ben.
'A 6-4 lefty with a live arm'
“He has his own unique style, which makes him very difficult to play against,” Bryan said. “He’s a 6-4 lefty with a live arm who can make the ball do tricks. That’s pretty tough to play against.”
That said, nobody expects Ben to win a Grand Slam anytime soon. His return of serve needs work, and he’s still getting comfortable attacking the net.
But he’s gone from playing No. 4 for UF's tennis team to No. 89 in the world. He’ll be in the top 50 when the rankings come out next week.
And he’s 20 years old. You get the feeling there are going to be a lot more tennis-watching date nights and days at the Shelton house in the coming years.
“The kid’s got his own pace, and he’s hitting the accelerator,” Bryan said
After what he’s shown the past couple of weeks, there’s no telling how far this kid could go.
David Whitley is The Gainesville Sun's sports columnist. Contact him at dwhitley@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @DavidEWhitley
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Ben Shelton's pro tennis future is shining after Australian Open
