‘Big’ Ben Shelton is new face of American tennis on Andy Roddick pace and with Trinity Rodman in his corner
Ben Shelton walked onto No.1 Court wearing white headphones, then draped a trademark Wimbledon towel over his chair.
The future of American tennis was back in south west London.
With Trinity Rodman and his suddenly famous sister, Emma, who received an extended summer holiday from Morgan Stanley.
With Taylor Fritz (No. 5 seed) already representing the United States in the quarterfinals, but No. 10 Shelton producing the energy and optimism that has been so badly missing from the country’s men’s game in past years.
“I got all the people here with me that I could want,” Shelton said.
“It’s been an enjoyable experience being able to share these wins with them. To be honest, a lot of times that I’m at tournaments, I’m enjoying the group of people that I have there with me, enjoying the off-court moments as well as the on-court.
“Those tend to be the places I play the best. I have a good formula here in Wimbledon. It’s not always that you get to stay in a house with your family and do things together. We spend a lot of time together.”
“Come on, Big Ben!” proudly yelled a fan from the stands, on a day when the second-best court at Wimbledon belonged to a 22-year-old from Atlanta.
The 6ft 4in Shelton has the talent and passion to help carry his sport into the next decade.
On Monday, he answered first-set frustration against Italian Lorenzo Sonego (No. 47) with an inspiring four-set victory (3-6, 6-1, 7-6, 7-5).
Shelton reached the Wimbledon quarterfinals for the first time in his career, and became the youngest American to advance that far since Andy Roddick achieved the feat in 2004.
“Seems like everything that I’ve done, it’s the first to be done since him,” Shelton said.
“He’s got me beat pretty much in every category. It’s pretty cool to be mentioned in the same sentence as him. Yeah, definitely look up to him and think very highly of him.”
Shelton played off a supporitve crowd, while employing blazing serves and unreturnable forehands to end Sonego’s tournament.
The 2022 NCAA singles champion at Florida will face No. 1 seed Jannik Sinner in the quarters after Grigor Dimitrov’s heartbreak on Monday.
But Shelton was still soaking in his biggest Wimbledon win and didn’t want his personal moment to be rushed.
“Once you start playing at (grand) slams, you kind of know who you got two days out after each match,” Shelton said.
“For me, that’s perfect — enough time to watch tape, think about it, talk about it with my team, but also not dwell at it.”
Last week, Shelton was backed by fans and commentators across the globe after being unable to finish his second-round match due to Wimbledon’s strict curfew rule.
“I would be pretty unhappy, as well,” Wimbledon tournament director Jamie Baker said.
“But, yeah, he’s in a good position.”
Those words proved prescient, as Shelton answered his frustration with three quick aces and a final game that barely required a minute to finish.
“I guess I’m the opposite of (John) Isner, right?” said Shelton, referring to a legendary 2010 Wimbledon match at that required three days to complete.
“He got the longest. I got the shortest. USA.”
Shelton reached the semifinals at the 2023 US Open and 2025 Australian Open, but his previous best at Wimbledon was the fourth round.
On a day that began with pelting rain and dark clouds, Shelton took the court beneath temporary sunshine.
He dropped the first game and was quickly reminded of what separates the good from those who keep advancing at Wimbledon.
A drop shot by Sonego exposed his defensive depth, then Shelton overhit the final point.
But all it took was a classic Shelton serve to steady his day.
Speeds varied between 140 and 145 miles per hour, and a sharp 111 mph forehand evened the initial set at 1-1.
Shelton fired off a 145 mph ace in the fourth game, but Sonego possessed the smoother attack and it was soon 5-1 for the Italian.
“Come on, Ben!” chants swirled around No.1 Court and attempted to lift up the young American.
Wimbledon Men's Quarterfinals
Jannik Sinner (1) v Ben Shelton (10)
Flavio Cobolli (22) v Novak Djokovic (6)
Taylor Fritz (5) v Karen Khachanov (17)
Cameron Norrie v Carlos Alcaraz (2)
But mental errors and first-serve struggles undercut Shelton’s push for the quarterfinals, and Sonego took the first set 6-3.
Shelton was more himself in the second set, winning 6-1 and riding his serve.
Then a 7-6 (7-1) third set in Shelton’s favor changed the match.
While Sonego fell to the grass and dealt with an injury, Shelton only became stronger.
“This has been really cool for me and special to be as deep as I’ve ever been at Wimbledon, deeper than I’ve ever been, and have all these people here with me,” Shelton said
He kept playing to the crowd and took over No.1 Court.
A 22-year-old was just touching his potential and moving on to the quarters, again linked to Roddick in American tennis history.
