Big-serving Ben Shelton made a dream Laver Cup debut in Vancouver and didn’t drop a set as he helped secure six of the 13 points that Team World needed to claim victory. In Berlin, the impressive 21-year-old will strive to make a similar impact as the men in red eye a three-peat.
How it’s going
No player has burst onto the scene quite like Shelton, who turned professional a little over two years ago. He reached a career-high world No.13 in August and in April captured his second ATP title in Houston, defeating his Team World teammate Francis Tiafoe in the final. In just his second full season, the self-assured left-hander reached the fourth round at Wimbledon for the first time, surviving three five-set battles to follow in the footsteps of his father, who made it to the Round of 16 in 1994. At the 2024 US Open in New York, Shelton fell to Tiafoe in the third round in a memorable five-set battle, a rematch of their 2023 quarterfinal won by Shelton.
The motivation to play Laver Cup
The talented American enjoys delivering big performances on the sport’s biggest stages, and where better than Laver Cup? “It was special for me being a part of it for the first time the last year, getting the nod from John McEnroe,” said Shelton.
“[It’s] just an iconic event that you’ve seen a lot of the top players in the sport be a part of, so to be a part of it and compete, feel that team energy and team atmosphere that I love so much, it’s been really cool for me and I’m excited again to be on the team this year.”
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The Florida resident said Team World is hungry to defend the Laver Cup title.
“We want to win bad,” said Shelton. “We beat them down last year and they brought all the big guns to Berlin, so we’re excited for the challenge,” he added.
“We’re a pretty confident group and looking forward to it.”
Shelton said the tournament gives him a special insight into how some of the greatest ever tennis players operate. “Some giants in our sport have had big moments in this event,” he said, referencing Roger Federer’s unforgettable retirement in London 2022. ”I’ll just be there, watching, observing, competing [and] having a lot of fun.”
The key to winning Laver Cup
Shelton said the leadership of Team World Captain John McEnroe, who he described as “a legend in general” as well as of the game, is key.
“It’s not every day that you get a Captain who’s as invested, if not more invested than you,” he said. “His will to win and really wanting to beat up on the European guys was something that I thought was really cool, and I already had a huge amount of respect for Johnny Mac and I gained even more last year.”
“To be able to spend a little bit of time with him for the first time, [learn] how cool, down to earth he is, it was amazing,” said the southpaw. “And yeah, hopefully we can make this last year for him really special.”
Role on Team World
Shelton, whose laser focus on the court contributed to a 3-0 Laver Cup record, enjoys the camaraderie, which can’t be replicated during any other week of the year.
“[There’s] a lot of banter, a lot of trash talk between the two teams, a lot of jokes with you and your own team,” he said. “It’s a tennis vibe and atmosphere that you don’t get when you’re just at the normal tournament going through the draw.”
Shelton believes he provides good motivation from the bench, describing himself as a “hype man” that can get his side on their feet. “I’m also good at encouraging people, I think I have a little bit of value to add to the team, even if I’m not playing on the court,” he said.
“There [were] a couple of moments throughout the tournament in Vancouver last year where one of our guys, whether it was me or Taylor, played a crazy point, came up with the crazy shot and all of us [were] just standing up, going nuts…I think that’s the Laver Cup energy for the guys who are sitting on the sidelines, and those were the moments that kind of made Laver Cup for me.”
Read Ben Shelton’s full Team World profile
