Unless you have been waking up before dawn to watch the Australian Open, or you happen to be a diehard Florida Gators tennis fan, you probably have been missing the emergence of Ben Shelton, one of the most compelling stories in American tennis in a long time.
A year ago, Shelton was ranked No. 569 in the world and getting ready for his sophomore season at the University of Florida, where his father, Bryan, a former pro who reached the fourth round of Wimbledon, is the men’s tennis coach.
Shelton’s main goal at that time was to win the NCAA title, which he did last spring. The 6-4 lefty with tousled hair, a booming serve and all-around game dabbled on the pro tour during the summer as a wild-card entry and proved he belonged. He grabbed international headlines in mid-August after cruising past fifth-ranked French Open runner-up Casper Ruud 6-3, 6-3 at the Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati.
