"There is not a single newcomer on tour more talked about than Ben Shelton, he plays with a bravado than you either love or hate" - Tennis analyst
Ben Shelton won over an army of fans with his tennis and showmanship over the course of the 2023 season.
The youngster’s deep runs at the Australian Open and US Open as well as the title-winning performance at the Tokyo ATP 500 event also managed to impress many independent observers.
Gill Gross, for one, believes that no other newcomer came even close to Shelton in terms of their tennis and on-court presence this year. The analyst made the comments while naming Shelton as the Monday Match Analysis podcasts’s 2023 Newcomer of the Year.
"There is not a single newcomer on tour who is more talked about, or who is more impactful at the biggest events other than Ben Shelton," Gill Gross said.
"At the start of the year, he was No. 96 in the world, ended at No. 17 in the world," he continued. "And he did it did in style, he's an attention-grabbing player, eye-catching explosive athleticism and shotmaking, plays with the confidence and a bravado that you either love or you hate."
Gross also took note of 2023 being Shelton’s first full season on the ATP Tour, saying that him reaching the Australian Open quarterfinals on his first trip abroad made for an incredible story.
"This was Ben Shelton's first full season on tour and it didn't take long for him to make headlines," Gill Gross said. "What a story it was, he had never left the United States until traveling to Melbourne for the Australian Open and then he made the quarterfinals."
"His year would take a strange twist, never won back-to-back matches until the last major of the year," he continued. "So there was not a lot of success at ATP level. There was a learning curve for Ben Shelton."
"Ben Shelton worked hard on adjustments with his father" - Gill Gross
Gill Gross also highlighted the lull between Ben Shelton’s runs at the Australian and US Opens, saying that the American, sensing that he had to change things up, worked hard on making “adjustments” to his game with father and coach Bryan Shelton.
He went on to dub the youngster’s run in New York far more impressive that his sensational debut in Australia.
"He'd worked hard on adjustments with his father, Bryan, who took over as head coach and in New York he had a run that was far more impressive than even the one that we saw in Australia," Gill Gross said.
Gross heaped further praise on Shelton for his run to the title in Tokyo, saying the American made sure that he ended his season with at least one big result outside of Grand Slam events.
"He made sure not to end the season without having a successful event outside the Slams because he won his first title serving lights out at the ATP 500 in Tokyo, a win over Jannik Sinner and that one that would age really really well," he added.