ATLANTA (AP) — The phrase “future of American men’s tennis” mostly inspires grumbling these days, as 74 Grand Slams have come and gone since Andy Roddick lifted the US Open trophy in 2003.
Invariably, the load Much of that drought falls to young Americans who quickly rise up the rankings, start to make an impact on the ATP Tour, and then run into the Grand Slam wall that Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic have erected over the last two decades. .
So let’s not burden Ben Shelton, only 19 years old, with that kind of albatross. But we can say this: The rising youngster from the University of Florida, who won the NCAA singles title in May, is very, very good. And he’s on the brink of a career-defining summer that he might as well put on a very different path than the one that seemed outlined for him just a few weeks ago.
Shelton, whose father Bryan is a former top 100 player and is now the head coach at Florida, played his first ATP-level match on Tuesday, at the Atlanta Open. He won it fairly easily, beating veteran pro Ramkumar Ramanathan 6-2, 7-5 and letting out a big scream when he hit a high shot on match point.
“It’s really special,” said Shelton, who was just blocks from his childhood courts at Georgia Tech, where his father coached until 2012.
But with every tournament he’s played, the bigger story is that Shelton himself could be special, and his performance could force some decisions about his future much quicker than anticipated.
As of now, Shelton is scheduled to return to Florida in the fall. But after performing well in several Challenger-level events and impressively winning his first round here, he is on a fast track to the top 200 in the world rankings. Brad Gilbert, ESPN’s longtime pro player, coach and analyst, wrote on Twitter that Shelton will be “safely in the top 50.” And the US Open has already given him a wild card to the main draw, which would be a guaranteed $75,000 prize in the first round, if he turns pro.
“That will definitely be a conversation later in the summer with my parents and my team and we will make a decision based on where my development is and what will be best for me, not only on the court but also off the court. Shelton said. “There are no real results or rankings that are going to influence my decision to any great extent.”
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There is much, of course, that could bring Shelton back to college. It’s a comfortable place for him, he wants to complete his career in finance and it’s certainly a big deal to play for his father on one of the most successful teams in the country.
But as he goes through the process this summer, it certainly seems possible that Shelton and those around him will conclude that he’s too good to go back to school.
“I’m just a college kid having fun,” he said. “I don’t put too much stress on my matches. I’m focused and I want to do my best, but it’s not life or death for me here.”
Shelton will get a better idea of where he stands on Thursday when he takes on No. 25-ranked John Isner, who has won the Atlanta event six times. After going 11-4 against pros ranked primarily in the 150-300 range, this will be Shelton’s first chance to see how he stacks up against a top 100 player.
But however it goes against Isner — and it’s certainly a big step up in its class for someone who hasn’t turned pro yet — it’s Shelton’s explosive game at 6-foot-3 that is drawing as much attention as the results. .
With a big lefty serve that averaged 126 mph against Ramanathan and the ability to get a big kick on his first and second serves, Shelton already has a legit weapon that can win him games. But he also appears to be very solid on both of his groundstrokes and is very comfortable coming into the net to finish points behind the power and cut from him. Shelton won 15 of 22 points when he came in on a volley or over the head.
“I love getting to the net, being able to use some of my manual skills, athletic skills and going up to get the ball (to save overhead) is one of my favorite things to do,” Shelton said. “I could have done a better job today of incorporating my serve and volley and getting to the net quicker on points, but I think that’s a big part of my game and a big part of my development.”
Only the most hardcore tennis fans would have been watching Shelton on a Tuesday afternoon in Atlanta, but it was easy to see why he has been a dominant college player, going 37-5 in singles last season. It was also a great advertisement for other tournaments this summer and fall to offer him a wildcard entry, like Atlanta did. Every tournament wants to brag that it helped launch a great career.
It’s too early to project that Tuesday’s match was the debut of the next great American champion, but at least Shelton appears poised for an interesting and successful professional career. Shelton may have a few things that push him to return to college for another year, but if he continues to play like he has in recent weeks, it will be hard to turn down the opportunities he’s creating for himself right now.
Follow USA TODAY sports columnist Dan Wolken on Twitter @DanWolken
