Ben Shelton | Bio | ATP Tour

Personal
Career

Began playing tennis at age 10 with his father and coach, Bryan, whom he calls his "biggest inspiration." Bryan left the Univ. of Florida after 11 years in June 2023 to travel with Ben on the ATP Tour.
Father reached career-high No. 55 in PIF ATP Rankings, winning Newport title in 1991 and 1992.
“It’s become a really good situation where he doesn’t even have to tell me things and I know what he’s thinking or he knows what I’m thinking,” Shelton said of his father, who was also his college coach. “He’s really helped me work on developing my game and not worry about quick success, but being in it for the long run.”
Clinched 2021 NCAA men's team title for University of Florida and added 2022 NCAA singles title before turning pro in June 2022.
Says that competing for Gators was a huge success and an important part of his development.
Took 2 online classes with UF during spring 2023 semester: entrepreneurship and international business.
Mother, Lisa, is sister of former World No. 4 doubles player Todd Witsken; sister, Emma, is a senior on University of Florida women's tennis team.
Broke into Top 100 in 2022 without ever traveling outside USA. Used passport for 1st time and played qualifying at 2023 Adelaide-1.
Favourite shot is serve, surface is hard, tournament is US Open and city on tour is New York.
Tennis idol is Roger Federer.
Also enjoys track-and-field and playing pick-up basketball, but says that his secret talent is throwing a football. Played quarterback before focusing on tennis.
"Going into the end of middle school, there were a lot of huge kids in football, and I hadn’t really hit my growth spurt yet," Shelton told The New York Times. "I was maybe a little tired of getting bashed up all the time.”
Hero is former NFL wide receiver Calvin Johnson and favourite superhero is Iron Man.
Favourite actor is Damson Idris, TV show is Suits and movie is Top Gun: Maverick.
Lists Rigatoni Bolognese as his favourite food and ice cream as his guilty pleasure.
Favourite book is The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton and musician is A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie.
Supports Gainesville-based charity Aces in Motion, an after-school youth development program that puts tennis' best practices in action.
Dream job is working on Wall Street and favourite school subject is math.
Says that his best quality is passion and worst is laziness.

(UPDATED 18 SEPTEMBER 2026)

Broke into Top 200 in August 2022, Top 100 in November 2022 and Top 20 in September 2023, achieving career-high No. 4 in September 2026 after run to 1st Grand Slam final at US Open.
Ousted defending champion No. 3 Alcaraz for biggest win of career and countryman Tiafoe in all-American SF to reach 2026 US Open final.
Defeated countrymen Paul and Tiafoe en route to 2023 US Open SF, becoming youngest American man in US Open SF since Chang, 20, in 1992 and beat No. 4 Sinner for 1st ATP Masters 1000 QF at 2023 Shanghai.
Became youngest American ATP Masters 1000 champion in Toronto since Roddick, 21, at 2004 Miami and defended the title in Montreal the following year without dropping a set.
Captured 1st ATP Tour title at 2023 Tokyo, joining Bryan Shelton as 4th father-son duo to win a tour-level championship in Open Era (Phil & Taylor Dent, Ramanathan & Ramesh Krishnan, Petr & Sebastian Korda).
Advanced to 2023 Australian Open QF at age 20 and on his 1st trip outside USA, becoming youngest American man in Aus. Open QF since Giammalva Jr., 19, in 1982, and in Grand Slam QF since Roddick, 20, at 2002 US Open.
Won titles in Dallas, Munich, Stuttgart and Montreal in 2026, becoming first American since Querrey in 2010 to lift ATP Tour titles on clay, grass and hard courts in a season.
Upset No. 5 Ruud to reach 2022 Cincinnati 3R in ATP Masters 1000 debut at age 19, becoming youngest American man to earn Top-5 win since Roddick, 18, at 2001 Montreal (d. No. 1 Kuerten).
Ended 2022 season on ATP Challenger Tour with 3 indoor hard titles in as many weeks at Charlottesville, Knoxville and Champaign to break into Top 100.
Posted 65-10 singles record in 2 seasons for University of Florida, clinching 2021 NCAA team title and 2022 NCAA singles title while being coached by his father Bryan, a former World No. 55.

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