In his podcast Advantage Connors, Jimmy Connors talked about Ben Shelton and his current coaching situation. The rising star is coached by his father Bryan, a former player. The legendary American said having a parent as a coach is not always easy and could cause issues.
Connors compared Shelton’s arrangement to his own. He trained under his mother during his early years and revealed he, too, experienced ups and downs having a parent doubling down as a coach. Many players throughout history have had their family members on their staff, with mixed results. It seems to be working well for Shelton so far, despite Connors’ apprehensions.
Ben Shelton had a breakthrough 2023 season under the tutelage of his father. Bryan worked as the men’s tennis coach at the University of Florida before joining his son’s team full-time in June 2023. Ben has since been on the rise, scaling new heights. Announcing himself with a semi-final finish at the US Open, he won his first ATP title at the Japan Open. Connors, however, cautioned against the conflicts that could arise out of having family members on one’s coaching staff, drawing an example from his career.
The American legend said Bryan Shelton is a former player so there could be ego clashes when coaching Ben. He mentioned his mother, Gloria, who coached him during his early years and taught him the basics of the sport. He said it is sometimes a difficult situation to have a parent also be coaching you.
“Ben’s dad is his coach and who has the experience of being out on the tour and playing himself. So, you know their ego again, which is good. I know how it was with my mom. Sometimes, that could be a tough relationship if you are listening to your mom or you are listening to your dad and they’re trying to coach you to become a better player.”
However, Connors believed that parents are the biggest supporters of their children. Hence, the trust in a parent-coach is second to none for a player.
“But I mean, there’s nobody that’s in your corner more than them. So, the trust there is pretty special.”
Apart from Connors and Shelton, many players have had their parents coach them. While some train their children in their early days before letting professional coaches take over, some continue the partnership well into their ward’s playing careers. The likes of Stefanos Tsitsipas, Coco Gauff, and Serena Williams have all been trained by their parents at some point in their careers.
Ben Shelton is not alone in being coached by his father
Tsitsipas and Alexander Zverev, arguably two of the best players from this generation to not have won a Slam so far, are both coached by their respective fathers. Stefanos and Apostolos Tsitsipas have often not been on the same page. The World No.6 even fired his father in August 2023, only to re-hire him two months later.
The Greek duo are regularly seen arguing during Stefanos’ matches. Zverev, meanwhile, is in a similar situation with his father-coach, Alexander Zverev Sr. Both talented players are evidently far from their best working under their fathers. They would like to learn from Gauff, who recently pushed her father into the backseat. She got Pere Riba and Brad Gilbert onboard and saw a change of fortunes. She bagged her first WTA 1000 title and Grand Slam after the coaching change.
However, having a parent as a coach is not always negative. The most famous example is the Williams, Serena and Richard. The latter travelled with his daughter for most of her playing career, coaching her since childhood. She retired as the most successful women’s player, a legend on and off the field. Having a parent as a coach can have mixed results. It remains to be seen which path Ben Shelton’ association with his father go on, although they have been pretty successful so far.
