Bryan Shelton, a tennis coach from Florida, is leaving the Gators to mentor his son Ben as he seeks a professional career.
Shelton coached Orlando’s Sam Riffice to the singles title and guided the Gators to their first national team championship in 2021. A year later, Ben Shelton took home the individual title and quickly made the decision to become pro.
He rose to number 36 in the world rankings after making it all the way to the quarterfinals of the Australian Open. He is sixth among American players in a country where the men’s game is thriving, with eight players in the top 50.
As Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras, and subsequently Andy Roddick led the American game, Bryan Shelton rose to No. 55 in the world.
Ben published the following post on Instagram, happy to have his father coaching him.
Ben Shelton in 2023
Currently the world no.36, Shelton played his last match on the 28th of May when he lost to world no.48 Lorenzo Sonego 6-4 3-6 6-3 6-3 in the 1st round of the French Open (draw).
During this season Ben achieved an overall 10-15 win-loss record. Ben Shelton’s most significant result of the current season was getting to the semifinal in the Cagliari Challenger.
He is also scheduled to play in Wimbledon (Wimbledon) after Mallorca. The main draw will start on the 25th of June.