Dialled-in Shelton eyeing American No. 1 ranking

Peter Staples/ATP Tour

A year after Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton’s lone Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting at the BNP Paribas Open, the two Americans are locked in a different competition: vying for the title of being the top player in the United States, a country that boasts 12 players inside the Top 100 of the PIF ATP Rankings.

After Shelton’s quarter-final appearance last week in Acapulco, the 21-year-old climbed to World No. 16, leapfrogging Frances Tiafoe and Tommy Paul to become the American No. 2. Shelton’s next task is overhauling World No. 12 Fritz, who is defending quarter-final points in California and 1,225 points through Wimbledon.

Meanwhile, Shelton is defending just 265 points through Wimbledon. Reflecting of just how far Shelton has come, the biggest chunk of points he has to defend until mid-July stems from an ATP Challenger Tour 175 event in Cagliari, Italy during the first week of May. The American was a semi-finalist at the clay-court Challenger, collecting 60 points.

Though Shelton has an opportunity to become the American No. 1, his hunger will not stop there, as he revealed in season 2 of Netflix’s docuseries Break Point.

“There’s people out in front of me, so I want to push further,” Shelton said. “I believe that I do have a lot of confidence to give some of the guys at the top trouble.”

Shelton, seeded 16th in Indian Wells, two years ago had not even turned pro. The lefty was instead in the midst of a standout collegiate season — in which he won the 2022 NCAA singles title — at the University of Florida under the tutelage of his father and former World No. 55 Bryan Shelton, who is now his full-time coach.

Tennis fans were quickly introduced to Shelton’s thunderous firepower and robust athleticism. Shelton instantly burst onto the scene in 2022, capturing his first tour-level win in Atlanta and following it with his maiden Top 5 victory against Casper Ruud in Cincinnati.

Shelton then announced his decision to officially turn pro ahead of his US Open debut. The Atlanta native closed the 2022 season by winning 15 consecutive matches and three titles on the ATP Challenger Tour to crack the Top 100. “It’s definitely gone quick,” Shelton said of his Top 100 debut.

Shelton’s meteoric rise continued, and accelerated, in 2023, a season which marked many ‘firsts’ for the American. Shelton enjoyed an impressive quarter-final run at the Australian Open in his first trip outside the United States.

“I was asking my dad about playing some ITFs or playing outside the country [in the juniors] and he asked me if I was the best player in the United States,” Shelton recalled last year. “I told him, ‘No, I’m not.’ And he said, ‘So why would we go to another country when you’re not the best player here?’ I think it was pretty good advice looking back at it.”

Now, Shelton could soon challenge Fritz for the American No. 1 spot and legitimately call himself the best player in the United States.

A career-changing moment came at the US Open, where Shelton became the youngest American to reach the last four of his home Slam since Michael Chang in 1992. The two-week run was noticed by more than just the tennis world, in part due to his magnetic charisma and signature celebration, pretending to slam a phone down on the receiver. “It's kind of like I'm saying I'm dialled in,” said Shelton, who struck serves as fast as 149 mph at last year’s US Open.

Roughly six weeks after falling to eventual champion Novak Djokovic at Flushing Meadows, Shelton’s hands were placed around his maiden ATP Tour trophy in Tokyo, Japan, sealing his place in the Top 15 of the PIF ATP Rankings. Shelton crossed off three new continents in one season and several career milestones.

“I have surpassed my expectations for the year,” Shelton said following the ATP 500 crown. “It has been a dream year for me and being able to do well at tournaments and now win a tournament. It has all been a blessing and I have really enjoyed my first full year on Tour.”

So what does a second full year on Tour hold for a more experienced Shelton? Perhaps he will soon have a single digit by his name and be the highest-ranked American.