Up-and-coming American Ben Shelton, 19, revealed that growing up he admired Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Shelton is one of America’s most promising talents, having reached two Challenger finals this summer, as well as the last 16 of the Cincinnati Masters.
Growing up, Shelton admired Federer in many ways, as he considered the Swiss to be the perfect example of how to behave on and off the court. “Definitely, he admired Federer. Nadal is the clearest option because I am also left-handed.
I liked the class of Fed, the aura around him and the way he carries himself on the court in victory and in defeat,” Shelton said, according to Sportskeeda. “He was a good role model on the court, off the court, how he handled the press, a classy person.
I definitely enjoyed watching him play tennis growing up.” After upsetting Lorenzo Sonego in the Cincinnati first round, Shelton cruised to a stunning 6-3 6-3 win over fifth-ranked Ruud in his next match. Shelton admitted that he was a little nervous at the beginning of the game because he was facing a Top 5 player, but he did his best not to show it.
“I think you have to fake it until you make it, right? If I’m not completely comfortable at first, I’m going to do my best to show that I am until I’m in a place where I’m settled. Once I got into the second set today, I wasn’t even thinking about it.
I was just trying to play my game and execute my game plan. It gets easier for me the more I find myself in these situations, lowering my heart rate and feeling calmer on the court,” Shelton reflected.
Shelton on King Roger
American teenager Ben Shelton is the latest player to speak about his admiration for Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
“I definitely looked up to Federer. Nadal is the clear choice because I’m a lefty, as well. I liked kind of the classiness of Fed, the aura around him and the way he carries himself on court in victory and defeat,” he said.
“He was kind of like a good role model on the court, off the court, how he handled the press, just a class act. I definitely enjoyed watching him play tennis growing up,” he added. “I feel great definitely in [an] exciting atmosphere out there. I’m glad to be moving on and happy to be here, for sure,” he said.
