Tomorrow will be Friday Ben Shelton against Novak Djokovic contest his first semi-final in a Grand Slam tournament. Father Bryan has previously chatted a little out of the box.
by Jens Huiber
last edited: 07.09.2023, 2:58 p.m
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Ben and Bryan Shelton at Wimbledon this year
By Jens Huiber of New York City
Bryan Shelton seemed very satisfied at his spontaneous press conference on Wednesday afternoon. The father of the semi-finalist of the US Open 2023, Ben, had a special smile when he remembered one of his two tournament victories. A greeting from Alex Antonitsch was received, against whom Shelton sr. Won the 1992 Newport final.
Interest in Bryan Shelton was great, of course driven by the successes of his son, who will play in the semifinals of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time against Novak Djokovic on Friday (for Djokovic it will be number 47, that’s just by the way). How does he determine that Ben only really gained a foothold here in New York City after his strong performance at the Australian Open at the beginning of the year? It’s all a question of the experiences that Ben has gained this year. Even with defeats.
In fact, by the turn of the year, Ben Shelton hadn’t been outside the US, let alone played tennis. According to Bryan Shelton, there were a lot of new impressions, for example playing on European sand for several months.
Bryan Shelton coaches son Ben at the University of Florida
When asked whether it wouldn’t be expedient for US youth players to die earlier than is currently the case, Shelton almost replies with a plea for the status quo. There are pros and cons in all systems, but the college system in the US is built on hard courts and you can’t go wrong assuming that Bryan Shelton thinks that’s a good thing: “I think that’s the greatest thing System of the world.” Especially since his son is not the only professional who has outgrown the university environment.
Ben played for the University of Florida, his father coached him there. However, not alone, two other coaches would also have taken care of his offspring. That has now changed, Bryan Shelton is exclusively responsible for the announcements on the court.
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The fact that these do not always arrive was evident in the match against Frances Tiafoe. Dad Shelton had explained loudly and clearly that his son was quite good at it even without full power. Whereupon Ben made a double fault that saw the second serve wide scratch the 140mph mark. “I always prefer things to go that way,” Shelton said of Ben’s offensive approach. “It’s always more difficult to get someone who’s shy to come out.” With his son, it’s all about catching him a little every now and then.
Here is the men’s individual tableau
2023-09-07 16:56:00
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