After an incredible 2023 season, Ben Shelton finished the year ranked No. 17 worldwide. Shelton was one of the young talents of the season, as he advanced to the Australian Open quarterfinals just a year after never having competed in a professional event outside of his native country.
The young player will make his tournament debut at the ATP 250 Brisbane Open and Auckland Open in January. He will be training for the Australian Open with both events, and his goal will be to hold onto the valuable points he won in the year’s first Grand Slam.
Since tennis is not one of the top three sports in the US, he expressed surprise at finding such passionate tennis fans worldwide. Shelton expressed his thoughts about this and said: “I think one of the biggest surprises for me is how huge tennis is overseas. It’s not even one of the top three sports in the United States.”
Shelton also expressed gratitude for all of the support he has received, particularly in Australia. He added: “The Australian people started to cheer for me as one of their own as I went deeper and deeper in the tournament. It’s crazy. I am so far from home, but people know how I am.”
Ben Shelton in 2023
Currently the world no.17, Ben played his last match on the 30th of October when he capitulated to world no.26 Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 7-6(4) 5-7 6-3 in the 1st round in Paris (draw).
Currently, during this season the American has achieved a 28-26 record. This year, Shelton conquered 1 title in Tokyo.
Shelton will play next in Brisbane (Brisbane International). He will start the tournament from the main draw that will commence on the 31st of December.