Ben Shelton
Born 2002 · Age 23
American professional tennis player; left-handed power server; NCAA singles champion turned ATP top-10 player with multiple tour titles including the 2025 Canadian Open (Masters 1000). Coached by his father Bryan Shelton.
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Life & Career Timeline
Born in Atlanta, Georgia
Benjamin Todd Shelton born to Bryan and Lisa Shelton in Atlanta while his father was coaching Georgia Tech women's tennis.
Began playing tennis regularly (age 12)
At age 12 Shelton began focusing on tennis under coaching from his father, moving away from earlier participation in American football.
Won USTA Junior National Championship (doubles)
Shelton won the 2016 USTA junior national championship in doubles.
Won USTA Boys 16s Doubles Clay Court
Shelton won the 2019 USTA Boys 16s Doubles Clay Court tournament.
Finalist at USTA Boys 18s Winter Nationals
Shelton was a finalist at the 2020 USTA Boys 18s Singles Winter Nationals.
Committed to University of Florida / began college tennis
Shelton enrolled at the University of Florida and joined the Florida Gators men's tennis program (played 2020–2022), majoring in finance.
ITA All-American Championships winner (fall)
Shelton won the ITA All-American Championships in the fall of 2021 without dropping a set.
Clinched Florida's first NCAA team national championship
As a true freshman Shelton won the deciding fifth singles match at the 2021 NCAA Championships to secure Florida's first team national title.
Youngest American in Top 250 (end of 2022)
By the end of 2022 Shelton was the youngest American inside the Top 250.
Named ITA National Player of the Year and SEC Player of the Year
Following his NCAA singles title, Shelton was named ITA National Player of the Year and SEC Player of the Year for 2022.
Won 2022 NCAA Division I Men's Singles Championship
Shelton defeated August Holmgren to win the 2022 NCAA singles title and finished the season as the nation's top-ranked collegiate player.
Reached first ATP Challenger final (Georgia's Rome Challenger)
Shelton reached his first Challenger final at Georgia's Rome Challenger, losing to Wu Yibing.
Indy Challenger semifinal (beat Tim van Rijthoven)
Reached the semifinal at the Indy Challenger the week after Rome, including a win over world No. 103 Tim van Rijthoven.
ATP Tour debut at Atlanta Open (wildcard)
Made his ATP Tour debut at the Atlanta Open as a wildcard; recorded his first ATP main-draw win over Ramkumar Ramanathan and then lost to John Isner in three sets.
Began professional coaching relationship with father Bryan Shelton
Bryan Shelton, former pro and college coach, continued as Ben's primary coach as he transitioned to the professional tour; Dean Goldfine listed as traveling coach.
Breakthrough at Cincinnati Masters (wildcard); beat Lorenzo Sonego, Casper Ruud
At the Cincinnati Masters Shelton scored his first top-100 win (Lorenzo Sonego) and his first top-10 win over world No. 5 Casper Ruud in straight sets.
Announced turning professional and signed agent
On August 23, 2022 Shelton announced he would turn pro and be represented by Alessandro Sant Albano of TEAM8.
Grand Slam main-draw debut – 2022 US Open (wildcard)
Received a wildcard to the US Open main draw (Grand Slam debut); lost in five sets to Nuno Borges and recorded a 149 mph (240 km/h) serve—the second-fastest of the tournament. Also reached doubles 2R with Christopher Eubanks (defeated Stefanos & Petros Tsitsipas in R1).
Three consecutive Challenger titles (Charlottesville, Knoxville, Champaign)
Won three straight ATP Challenger Tour titles in Charlottesville, Knoxville and Champaign–Urbana, becoming the youngest player in Challenger history to win three titles in three weeks.
Debuted inside ATP top 100 (world No. 97)
Following his late-2022 Challenger run, Shelton entered the top 100 at world No. 97 (Nov 21, 2022).
Reached US Open mixed doubles semifinal (2023)
Shelton reached the mixed doubles semifinal at the 2023 US Open (Grand Slam mixed doubles result recorded as SF).
Moved into ATP top 50 (career-high No. 44)
After his Australian Open run Shelton moved up 45 places to a career-high at the time of world No. 44.
Grand Slam breakthrough – Australian Open quarterfinal
In only his second major, Shelton reached the Australian Open quarterfinals (defeated Zhang Zhizhen, Nicolás Jarry, Alexei Popyrin, J.J. Wolf), losing to Tommy Paul in four sets.
Endorsement deals with On (clothing/shoes) and Yonex (racquets)
As of March 2023 Shelton was sponsored by On for clothing and shoes and Yonex for racquets.
Indian Wells appearance (beat Fabio Fognini, lost to Taylor Fritz)
At Indian Wells Shelton beat Fabio Fognini in R1 and lost to Taylor Fritz in the second round.
Reached first Grand Slam semifinal – 2023 US Open
Shelton advanced to the semifinals of the 2023 US Open (his home major), losing in straight sets to eventual champion Novak Djokovic.
Broke into ATP Top 20 (world No. 19)
Following his US Open run Shelton reached the top 20 for the first time at world No. 19 (Sept 11, 2023).
Won first ATP Tour title – 2023 Japan Open (Tokyo)
Shelton won his maiden ATP title at the Japan Open, defeating a sequence of opponents including Aslan Karatsev to lift his first tour-level trophy.
Defeated Jannik Sinner in Shanghai; first Masters 1000 quarterfinal run
At the 2023 Shanghai Masters Shelton defeated 4th seed Jannik Sinner en route to his first Masters 1000 quarterfinal appearance.
Entered ATP Top 15
Following his Tokyo title Shelton reached the top 15 in the ATP singles rankings (Oct 23, 2023).
Represented University of Florida academically and shifted to online courses
After returning in 2022–23 for his junior year to complete his finance degree, Shelton continued some coursework online while touring professionally.
Signed partnership with Rolex
Shelton announced a partnership with Rolex on January 14, 2024.
Won U.S. Men's Clay Court Championship (Houston)
Shelton won the U.S. Clay Court Championships (Houston), his second career ATP title and first on clay, defeating Frances Tiafoe in the final (April 7, 2024). He was the youngest champion at the event since Andy Roddick in 2002.
Reached career-high ranking No. 14
Shelton achieved a new career-high ATP singles ranking of world No. 14 (April 8, 2024).
Became American No. 1
Shelton became the No. 1 American men's singles player ahead of Taylor Fritz on April 15, 2024 — the youngest American No. 1 since Andy Roddick (2004).
Career-high doubles ranking No. 68
Shelton reached a career-high doubles ranking of world No. 68 (May 20, 2024).
Starred at Laver Cup 2024 (Team World)
At the 2024 Laver Cup Shelton played five matches (most of any participant), won 6 of Team World's 11 points, and posted notable wins including doubles with Taylor Fritz and a singles win over Daniil Medvedev.
Reached Swiss Indoors final (Basel)
Shelton reached the final of the Swiss Indoors in October 2024 (defeated Arthur Fils in semis) and lost the final to Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard.
Career prize money reported
As of July 28, 2025 Shelton's career prize money was reported at US$9,188,940 (ATP bio).
Began dating soccer player Trinity Rodman
Shelton publicly began dating Trinity Rodman in March 2025 (relationship 'hard launch' noted March 18, 2025).
Auckland Open upset — lost R16 as top seed
Seeded first at the Auckland Open, Shelton lost in the round of 16 to Jakub Menšík (Jan 9, 2025).
Reached Australian Open semifinal (2025)
Shelton advanced to the semifinals of the 2025 Australian Open after wins over Nakashima, Carreño Busta, Musetti and others; lost to defending champion Jannik Sinner in the semis (Jan 24, 2025).
Reached Indian Wells quarterfinals (first time)
Shelton reached the quarterfinals at Indian Wells for the first time, becoming the youngest American to reach the IW quarters since Andy Roddick in 2004.
Made ATP Top 10 debut (Stuttgart Open)
Shelton made his Top 10 debut after a quarterfinal win over Jiří Lehečka at the Stuttgart Open (June 16, 2025 reference).
Reached Washington Open semifinal (defeated Frances Tiafoe)
Shelton defeated hometown favorite Frances Tiafoe to reach the Washington Open semifinal (July 26, 2025). This run helped push his ranking higher.
Achieved career-high ranking World No. 7
By reaching the Washington Open quarterfinal, Shelton secured a career-high ranking of world No. 7 on July 28, 2025.
Won first Masters 1000 title – 2025 National Bank Open (Canadian Open)
Shelton won his third career ATP singles title and his first Masters 1000 at the 2025 Canadian Open, defeating Karen Khachanov in the final (6–7(5–7), 6–4, 7–6(7–3)). He became the youngest American to reach an ATP 1000 semifinal/final since Andy Roddick (2005).
Reached Cincinnati Open quarterfinals (2025)
Shelton advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2025 Cincinnati Open with straight-set wins over Camilo Ugo Carabelli, Roberto Bautista Agut and Jiří Lehečka before losing to Alexander Zverev.
Recorded 100th career win (Toronto)
Shelton recorded the 100th win of his professional career with a victory over Flavio Cobolli at the 2025 National Bank Open (Canadian Open) on Aug 4, 2025.
Achieved career-high singles ranking World No. 6
Shelton reached a career-high ATP singles ranking of world No. 6 on August 4, 2025.
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