"I’m the coach's son, he has to show that there’s no favoritism" - Ben Shelton on 'tough' experience of being coached by his father Bryan in college
Ben Shelton opened up about his "tough" experience of being coached by his father, Bryan, in college. Bryan Shelton is a former tennis player and was head coach of the Florida Gators, a team the World No.14 had been a part of.
Shelton is currently competing at the 2024 Wimbledon Championships. He is seeded 14th at the tournament and began his campaign by defeating qualifier Mattia Bellucci 4-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 and another qualifier Lloyd Harris 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-7(5),6-3, 7-6(7).
Shelton recently overcame Denis Shapovalov 6-7(4), 6-2, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 in three hours and four minutes to secure his place in the fourth round where he will face top seed Jannik Sinner.
During the post-match press conference, Shelton was asked if his father and coach, Bryan Shelton, a former tennis player, used to talk about his playing days while he was growing up.
In response, Ben Shelton stated that his father does not like to talk about himself and therefore didn’t talk much about his playing days. However, since joining his team full-time in 2023, Shelton revealed that Bryan has shared valuable advice based on his experiences.
“He’s not really a guy who likes to talk about himself. So he didn’t really volunteer that information when I was younger and I was playing other sports. I could’ve cared less about tennis and his playing days when I was younger (laughs). It’s not something we really talked about, but within the last couple years when I came out here on tour, it’s more like advice given the experience that he had, rather than him just storytelling,” Shelton said.
Shelton also talked about the challenges he faced while playing for the Florida Gators, a team his father guided. Shelton stated that it was "tough" being the coach's son as he had to work harder and push himself more because Bryan didn't want to show "favoritism."
“We started working really well together when we got out here on tour. He was obviously my coach in college and that was tough because there are 11 other guys on the team. I’m the coach's son, so he has to show that there’s no favoritism, which I understand. But also I’m running more sprints than everyone else when I do something wrong or show up late. I’m getting chewed out for more. If I lose a match it’s a bigger deal than everyone else (smiling),” Ben Shelton said.
Ben Shelton also stated that when he transitioned to the professional tour, Bryan was still working at the university. He revealed that the time apart from Bryan made him miss his father's guidance and appreciate the wisdom and support he had always provided.
“I understand why he had to do that to keep the team in the right place. So, things were much more difficult then than when we got on tour. After not working with him or traveling with him for 8 months while he still had the job at the university and then he came out on tour with me, I kind of really started to appreciate everything he brought to the table for me because I was missing it for that time,” the young American added.
Ben Shelton gave a shoutout to his father Bryan after his Wimbledon 2024 3R win
Ben Shelton gave a shoutout to his father Bryan, after his third-round win at the 2024 Wimbledon Championships.
Shelton defeated Denis Shapovalov in the third round to advance to the fourth round. Like his son, Bryan had also reached the fourth round at SW19 in 1994 before falling to Christian Bergstrom.
Following his win over the Canadian, during the post-match on-court interview, Shelton Shelton gave a shoutout to his father Bryan, who was present in the players' box, for sharing a similar Grand Slam experience.
“We’re back big dog (smiles)," Shelton said.
Ben Shelton will next face top seed Jannik Sinner in the fourth round. The World No.1 has defeated the likes of Yannick Hanfmann, Matteo Berrettini, and Miomir Kecmanovic on his way to the Round of 16.
Sinner and Shelton have faced each other three times on the ATP Tour, with the Italian winning two matches.