Ben Shelton is US tennis’ rising star tipped to be next Pete Sampras but until recently was not even the best athlete in his relationship with Anna Hall

The talented 21-year-old American enjoyed a memorable run to the US Open semi-final in 2023 where he ultimately lost to eventual champion Novak Djokovic.

It was first time in his career that he made the last four of a Grand Slam and he took out compatriots Tommy Paul and Frances Tiafoe along the way, while it put him in the top 20 rankings.

Remarkably, it was just his second appearance at the US Open as he had previously been still playing for Florida Gators in College, clinching the 2022 NCAA singles title.

When the 2024 edition of the US Open begins, he will be hoping to go one step further and become the first American man to reach the US Open final since Andy Roddick in 2003.

There’s plenty of comparisons to be made between Roddick and Shelton, not least his serve with the youngster firing down 149mph aces on a regular basis.

Against Tiafoe, such was his confidence that he was hitting 140mph second serves, which is virtually unheard of.

There is plenty of hope that Shelton can be the USA’s next Pete Sampras, arguably their greatest ever male player with 14 Grand Slam

Shelton’s father was his coach at Florida and gave up his job at the college to become Ben’s full-time tour coach.

Bryan Shelton was a pro himself and spoke earlier in 2023 about his son and gave some comparisons to Sampras.

“I remember Pete Sampras the first time he came over [to Wimbledon] and I actually got to hit some balls with him and took him a little bit to get used to but once he did, his game was perfect for this court and I think Ben has something that he’ll bring to this surface that’ll make him really really effective,” he stated.

But he wasn’t even planning to play tennis professionally given his love for NFL. He played a variety of sports and had dreams of becoming a pro football players.

“I played until I was 12 and that’s when I started to take tennis a bit more seriously – probably because my sister was having some success, she’s a year and a half older and I wanted to follow in her footsteps,” he told the Mail.

At just 21, he still has plenty of time to fulfil that potential he clearly has yet until recently, candidly admitted he wasn’t even the most talented person in his relationship.

That’s because Shelton had previously dated USA athletics star Anna Hall, who was recently seen as part of Team USA’s Olympic squad where she competed in the heptathlon.

The 23-year-old’s effort in the final was notable for leaving it all on the track during the 800m where she was gunning for a big finish to win a medal. She won the race in two minutes and 4.39 seconds, but it wasn’t enough to break the top three and she finished fifth.

Speaking to the Tennis Channel in 2022, he said: “Yeah, she’s better than me. She got a bronze medal at the World Championships this year and she definitely keeps me humble.

“I’m not even the best athlete in my relationship. So, [that’s] something to work on.”

The two, who had been dating since 2021, have since parted ways but Shelton also spoke about how the two pushed each other when they were at the start of blossoming careers.
And it won’t be long until Shelton – tipped with Coco Gauff to be the face of US tennis for the next decade – is mentioned in the same breath as the game’s greats, according to Scott Perelman, who was assistant to Bryan at the University of Florida.

“I remember vividly telling Bryan that coaching Ben in a match situation is like riding the horse Secretariat (the legendary, Triple crown Winning American thoroughbred).