In a short career, Ben Shelton has already made himself a feared opponent due to his big-serving ability, especially on outdoor hard courts. When the second set was evenly poised at 1-1 and Shelton was on the verge of conceding a vital break point to his opponent Christopher O’Connell of Australia, the American youngster fired an ace which will be remembered for years to come.
Ben Shelton clocked a remarkable 200 km/hr, that too on his second serve. He understandably let out a roar and even the otherwise partisan Melbourne crowd could not raise their voices to counter Shelton’s against an Australian. Ben Shelton impressed everyone, including fans, pundits and commentators for his fearlessness as well as his capability of winning almost every point on his serve during his second round match at the KIA Arena on Wednesday.
A 200km/h ace. On second serve. Down break point @benshelton • #AusOpen • #AO2024@wwos • @espn • @eurosport • @wowowtennis pic.twitter.com/x4IlRiX3zs
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 17, 2024
It proved to be a vital moment in the match as Ben Shelton went on to win that second set, 6-1 as it seemed to deflate O’Connell. Prior to that, Shelton showed his all-round prowess by clinching a break of serve against the Australian in the first set, winning it 6-4. At the time of writing this report though, Shelton was broken in the third set, trailing 2-5 as the local boy aimed for an unlikely comeback.
Ben Shelton in the spotlight at Australian Open 2024 due to Djokovic and Federer comments
Ben Shelton’s game and in particular, fiery serves, are not the only reason why he is being talked about at the Australian Open 2024. Shelton is winning more hearts for someone his age after maturely moving on from the Novak Djokovic controversy at the US Open 2023. The 20-year-old distanced himself from reacting to Djokovic’s recent claims in a L’Equipe interview that he behaved in an ‘unsportsmanlike’ manner in their New York City semifinal, which the Serb won eventually.
Ben Shelton is also benefiting largely from his association with Roger Federer currently. Shelton claimed in the same interview that he has always adored Federer more than Nadal and Djokovic, since his childhood. The American rising star landed a deal recently with Swiss watchmaker Rolex via Team8, the sports management company backed by Roger Federer and his long-time agent, Tony Godsick. The Ben Shelton net worth figure must have surely crossed the estimated $2 million mark, which was said to be a few months ago.
Ben Shelton also has a sponsorship with On, another Swiss brand and Roger Federer has a 3% stake in it. Shelton is considered widely as the next big American thing in men’s tennis, perhaps after Andre Agassi. And his style and personality certainly is helping him go a long way already.
