Is Ben Shelton coached by his father? All you need to know about the American star's team set-up ahead of Wimbledon clash against Jannik Sinner
World No. 14 Ben Shelton is currently in action at the 2024 Wimbledon Championships in London. He entered the event after a quarterfinal finish at the Mallorca Tennis Championships, where he lost to Paul Jubb in a close encounter.
Shelton is making his second appearance in the main draw at the All England Club. He started his campaign with hard-fought wins over Mattia Bellucci and Lloyd Harris and then outlasted Denis Shapovalov in the third round. The American won a thrilling five-setter, 6-7(4), 6-2, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2.
Shelton is one of the most exciting young talents on the men's tour. The 21-year-old was coached in his initial touring years by Dean Goldfine, who has also assisted the likes of Andy Roddick and Sebastian Korda. However, in June last year, Shelton joined forces with his father Bryan Shelton as his full-time coach.
Bryan, who is also a former tennis player, previously operated as the head coach of the Florida Gators. He stepped down from his role in college gate tennis and became his son's full-time coach on tour. The father-son duo spoke about their partnership and are delighted to be working together on the men's tour.
Here is what they had to say:
“The dream team is back together baby‼️” Ben Shelton wrote on Instagram. “Can’t wait to have you out on tour with me, and see what we can accomplish together.”
“Thankful that I have another opportunity that's really exciting that's about to get started,” Bryan Shelton told ATPTour.com. “I feel like a little bit of a kid again. At this stage in life, to be able to start something new and fresh and exciting is incredible. So I think that those are the things that are probably pouring out of me right now. Just gratitude and excitement.”
Bryan Shelton also spoke about how he's managed to build a player-coach relationship with his son over the years. During their time together at the Florida Gators, Shelton won the 2022 NCAA Singles Championships.
“I think in his mind, he's always thought that ultimately, we'd be able to do this together. We started together on the court and I think we've kind of built that coach-player relationship through the years as we continue to build our own relationship as father-son. And those two kind of went side by side along the way," Bryan Shelton added
Shelton also added strength and conditioning coach Gabriel Echevarria to his team late last year. The Argentine is highly regarded for his knowledge of positioning, movement and maintaining balance on court. Echevarria has also worked with the US Tennis Association and Tennis Australia in the past.
He hopes to help Shelton develop efficient ways to move on different types of courts and maximise his potential.
“If we learn the skill, then we can develop the skill, but the first thing is to learn the proper way, Once you learn the proper way, the model pattern, then we can develop that skill,” Gabriel Echeveria said
Ben Shelton will square off against Jannik Sinner in the R4 of the Wimbledon Championships
Ben Shelton will take on Jannik Sinner in the fourth round of the Wimbledon Championships on Monday. Sinner leads their head-to-head 2-1. He defeated Shelton most recently in the 2024 BNP Paribas Open.
While Shelton edged past Denis Shapovalov in the third round, Sinner cruised past Miomir Kecmanovic, outfoxing the Serbian 6-1, 6-4, 6-2.
Considering their record on grass, Sinner will be the favourite to come out on top. He reached the semifinals last year, before falling to Novak Djokovic in a three-set bout.
The winner between Sinner and Shelton will take on either Grigor Dimitrov or Daniil Medvedev in the quarterfinals.