“Reminds Me of…”: Nick Kyrgios Talks Up American Youngster Who Has Potential to Win Grand Slam in 2024

Nick Kyrgios showered praise on Ben Shelton in a post on X (formerly Twitter). He predicted the fast-ascending teenager would win a Grand Slam in the upcoming season. The Australian seemingly compared the American to himself, but left fans guessing with an incomplete sentence.

Going pro only in 2022, Shelton made headlines in 2023, his first full season. He reached the US Open semifinals, going down only to Novak Djokovic. He also bagged his first tour title, the ATP 500 Japan Open.

The 21-year-old closed the year as World No.17, a big leap from his 2022 Year-End rank of No.96. He has been one of the breakthrough stars of 2023 and is pegged for an even better campaign in the coming year.

Such performances have compelled Kyrgios to root for Shelton. He said he dreamt that the latter won a Slam and asked whether 2024 was the year his dream would come true. The 2022 Wimbledon finalist then touched upon certain aspects of Shelton’s game, especially his serve. Kyrgios seemingly hinted that it reminds him of himself, but did not complete the sentence.

Kyrgios is renowned for his aggressive playstyle and big-serving prowess. Hence, he could likely be drawing parallels between him and Shelton. Considered one of the most talented players on the tour, Kyrgios has not translated it into major on court success. Fitness and temperament are two areas the Australian needs to work on.

The 2022 Australian Open men’s doubles title remains his biggest achievement. He peaked at No.13 in singles, a clear sign of his potential, but is currently unranked, playing only one game in June 2023. If he was truly comparing Shelton to himself, he will hope the American does justice to his talents.

Fans discuss Nick Kyrgios-Ben Shelton comparison; others suggest different names

Ben Shelton has already forged a reputation for his headline-grabbing antics. His phone call celebration has become famous and even Djokovic imitated it, which created much controversy. His mercurial nature has already seen him be labelled the ‘New Kyrgios’ of tennis. The Aussie also purportedly made this comparison with his post.

However, since Kyrgios left the sentence incomplete, fans were left thinking who he compared Shelton with. Andy Roddick and Boris Becker emerged as the foremost guesses. The duo also had booming serves like Kyrgios mentioned Shelton had.

Pete Sampras was also mentioned a few times and some users said Shelton reminds them of Denis Shapovalov during his rising days.

A few names like Goran Ivanisevic and Marin Cilic also came up. However, the fans who assumed Kyrgios was comparing Shelton to himself were divided over his words. They argued about who was the better player from the duo.