"We're back, big dog" - Ben Shelton celebrates with father Bryan after reaching Wimbledon 3R 30 years after his dad did the same
Ben Shelton booked his spot in the fourth round at Wimbledon for the first time, beating Denis Shapovalov in a marathon five-setter on Saturday. The American has now matched his father Bryan Shelton's best run at SW19, when he reached the second week of the 1994 edition.
Unseeded in 1994, Shelton, a qualifier, took out second seed Michael Stich in the opener on his way to reaching the fourth round, Unfortunately, he fell in five sets against Christian Bergstrom, with the final set ending 10-8 in favor of the Swede.
On Saturday, his son Ben lost the opener against Shapovalov but came back to take the next two sets in emphatic fashion. Despite losing the fourth, he held strong for the win, eventually sealing it 6-7(4), 6-2, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2.
Speaking at his on-court interview afterwards, the World No. 14 was reminded that it has been 30 years since his father's similar fourth-round run at Wimbledon. He was understandably elated, and celebrated the moment with Bryan, who was there in his players' box as his coach.
“We’re back big dog," Ben Shelton said with a wide smile.
At his press conference afterwards, the 21-year-old expanded further on the moment, stating that he really admired his father for helping foster the curiosty for athletics in him. Shelton revealed that he was initially not so interested in tennis, despite which he got a lot of good advice from his father, and was thankful to him for the same now.
"It's great to be able to share this moment with him. I feel that he helps me a lot and the fact that he can now give me instructions on the court is being key to my progress. I really admire what he did with me when I was little because he never put pressure on me, but instead let me try many sports," Ben Shelton said.
"I wasn't interested in tennis until that suddenly changed and I only received good advice from him. Now I appreciate more and more what he does for me," he added.
"He's not a guy who likes to talk about himself" - Ben Shelton on his father Bryan
During the press conference, Ben Shelton shed further light on his father's personality, stating that he was not someone who spoke about themselves. The American joked that he himself was not big on tennis in his younger days and probably might not have listened to his father even if he had.
“He’s not really a guy who likes to talk about himself. He didn’t really volunteer that information when I was younger and I was playing other sports. I couldn't have cared less about tennis and his playing days when I was younger," Ben Shelton said.
"It’s not something we really talked about, but 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," he added.
Up next, Shelton will take on World No. 1 Jannik Sinner in the fourth round at Wimbledon, in their fourth meeting on tour (2-1 lead for Sinner at the moment).