Ben Shelton has the potential to be a BETTER player than Andrew Roddick

[Rovesciarete]

So far he is a bit of a lefty Kyrgios in my stat mind. Apart from his serve he poses some problems as a lefty which changes things up from the base with loopy and crushing forehands with a good deal of slices. For his return performance is the stat to watch. Nick never got over a level which would have made him a consistent top player.

 

[Kralingen]

Ah the famous Gorillatis match from Fed’s Greek Era.

 

[CoolCoolCool]

 

[Zardoz7/12]

I'm starting to like Shelton, he's top 10 material and could reach the top ten by the end of this year or by the middle of next year.

 

[insideguy]

I'm starting to like Shelton, he's top 10 material and could reach the top ten by the end of this year or by the middle of next year.

Lots of people eating crow on this board thats for sure. Not that they would ever admit it.

 

[smalahove]

I will admit I had my doubts about his top 10 potential. That being said, the tennis he's producing nowadays is a far cry from what I saw then. In Tokyo, he's been strong from both wings, and his ground stroke tactics are starting to look a lot like Nadal (hard&flat BH, strong TS FH pulled out wide). Then again, sometimes he loses or is exposed by, what is on paper, weaker players. Not sure what that is about. But as always, the true test lies in meeting Novak in form. Imo, Novak still has the edge on honing in on, exposing and leveraging Shelton's weaknesses.

 

[Master_Funk]

I will admit I had my doubts about his top 10 potential. That being said, the tennis he's producing nowadays is a far cry from what I saw then. In Tokyo, he's been strong from both wings, and his ground stroke tactics are starting to look a lot like Nadal (hard&flat BH, strong TS FH pulled out wide). Then again, sometimes he loses or is exposed by, what is on paper, weaker players. Not sure what that is about. But as always, the true test lies in meeting Novak in form. Imo, Novak still has the edge on honing in on, exposing and leveraging Shelton's weaknesses.

I mean thats not specific to shelton, Novak pretty much exposes every players' weakness.

 

[MichaelNadal]

https://x.com/TennisTV/status/1716016951070179741?s=20

 

[smalahove]

I mean thats not specific to shelton, Novak pretty much exposes every players' weakness.

For sure. It's just that Shelton, atm, similar to Karatsev a few years ago or Alcaraz a little while ago, is looking pretty flawless playing super aggressive tennis - and we start thinking the sky's the limit. Until they meet Novak in form ;-)

 

[ibbi]

It's crazy that at the beginning of this year the kid had never left the US, and by years end he's an Aussie Open quarter-finalist, and champion in Japan. Great stuff. Look forward to seeing how he handles expectations next year.

 

[yokied]

I've haven't seen enough to have an opinion really, just a good chunk of one match ... but the potential is definitely there. He's definitely not my cup of tea personality-wise, but you can see Nadal-with-attacking-efficiency in an embryonic form. If he develops Nadal-like mental strength, the tour better look out.

 

[Smecz]

I don't know,he has a big potential,
similar in game to Shapovalov, but he seems more solid and confident because, unlike Denis, he is more motivated and cares!.

He has the serve, he has the forehand, he is aggressive, but we will see if he has character and determination.

Andy Roddick had it on the court, and whether Ben Shelton will have it, we'll see.

I actually like his game and his style, especially since he plays with his left hand, but I'm just afraid that he may underestimate himself and not work hard for success, as today's generation of young tennis players tend to do.

 

[Dominic & Andrey]

So it begins. I thought Shelton was kind of "meh" when I saw him playing Novak, but from what I've seen the last few weeks I am quite impressed tbh.

 

[Kralingen]

Just reading about his rise… apparently Team8 signed him back in 2022, before the US Open, then soon followed with an On sponsorship deal.

In other words, Federer knows ball.

 

[mental midget]

agree w premise of this thread. i don’t know if the whole phone thing got people distracted but shelton has serious potential: the serve of course, good mover, technically sound groundies, can play all-count tennis…and has belief.

 

[mental midget]

I don't know,he has a big potential,
similar in game to Shapovalov, but he seems more solid and confident because, unlike Denis, he is more motivated and cares!.

He has the serve, he has the forehand, he is aggressive, but we will see if he has character and determination.

Andy Roddick had it on the court, and whether Ben Shelton will have it, we'll see.

I actually like his game and his style, especially since he plays with his left hand, but I'm just afraid that he may underestimate himself and not work hard for success, as today's generation of young tennis players tend to do.

i get the feeling he’s pretty dedicated, does not seem to have any of the kyrgios-type attitude.

 

[InsuranceMan]

Just reading about his rise… apparently Team8 signed him back in 2022, before the US Open, then soon followed with an On sponsorship deal.

In other words, Federer knows ball.

Surprise surprise

 

[Holmes]

Just reading about his rise… apparently Team8 signed him back in 2022, before the US Open, then soon followed with an On sponsorship deal.

In other words, Federer knows ball.

Benny's allowance is going to increase. He should be able to take his lady out to a movie, finally.

 

[Smecz]

i get the feeling he’s pretty dedicated, does not seem to have any of the kyrgios-type attitude.

It seems that he has more ambition and motivation than Kyrgios, but I also know that today's young tennis players have it too good and they simply lose their enthusiasm and willingness..

The ease with which they lose and allow themselves to be pushed around is sometimes beyond imagination, so Ben looks promising, as long as he is not consumed by fame and the modern world.!!

 

[jimdontcare]

For sure. It's just that Shelton, atm, similar to Karatsev a few years ago or Alcaraz a little while ago, is looking pretty flawless playing super aggressive tennis - and we start thinking the sky's the limit. Until they meet Novak in form ;-)

I just don't think a player needs to match Novak stroke-for-stroke to be worth getting excited about

i get the feeling he’s pretty dedicated, does not seem to have any of the kyrgios-type attitude.

He must feel like he's playing with house money. To go from "idk if I can make it as a pro" to two GS semis and a 500 title in two years is pretty insane. The next step is keeping your foot on the gas when you're no longer the underdog.

 

[ChaelAZ]

The appeal of Roddick wasn't his tennis overall, it was his serve and his press conferences. Been won't match either.

 

[Mainad]

Potential is one thing, results are another. He's made a good start today but still has a long way to go to match Roddick's career. Let's wait and see.

 

[Dunlop300g]

Let's talk about this after he wins his first major. Ok he just won his first ATP title today (or yesterday) which is quite wonderful. It's too early though to make such a comparison; it's quite unfair to both players. it's all "ya buts" and "what if's"; let's just enjoy this ride because surely it's gonna be a good one!

 

[insideguy]

He is up to 14 in the rankings now.

 

[jimdontcare]

The appeal of Roddick wasn't his tennis overall, it was his serve and his press conferences. Been won't match either.

Courts are slower, but fastest serve currently on tour is a good brand (idk who actually is the fastest I just know he hit 149 mph)

 

[mental midget]

It seems that he has more ambition and motivation than Kyrgios, but I also know that today's young tennis players have it too good and they simply lose their enthusiasm and willingness..

The ease with which they lose and allow themselves to be pushed around is sometimes beyond imagination, so Ben looks promising, as long as he is not consumed by fame and the modern world.!!

yep. i think he really wants it, which is a nice first step. being able to move past losses is ok, as long as the fighting spirit and drive to improve doesn't wane.

he certainly has the game. we've seen plenty of players, with really nothing more than a serve like that, at least hover in the 20's...it's a weapon that counts for a lot. typically though the really great servers are often really tall guys with shaky ground games and so-so movement at best. shelton actually has a pretty solid ground game, and is a good mover, if not an elite one. just that cocktail of skills makes him very dangerous. now add the fact that he can come forward comfortably and can finish when he gets there, and seems to be a real competitor...we'll see what happens but that's a recipe for a top-10 player at the very least.

i was really excited the first time i saw him play last year, but you never know...so far he's looking solid.

 

[MichaelNadal]

Benny's allowance is going to increase. He should be able to take his lady out to a movie, finally.

Or help Gambill get a nickel for his grandma

 

[nolefam_2024]

yep. i think he really wants it, which is a nice first step. being able to move past losses is ok, as long as the fighting spirit and drive to improve doesn't wane.

he certainly has the game. we've seen plenty of players, with really nothing more than a serve like that, at least hover in the 20's...it's a weapon that counts for a lot. typically though the really great servers are often really tall guys with shaky ground games and so-so movement at best. shelton actually has a pretty solid ground game, and is a good mover, if not an elite one. just that cocktail of skills makes him very dangerous. now add the fact that he can come forward comfortably and can finish when he gets there, and seems to be a real competitor...we'll see what happens but that's a recipe for a top-10 player at the very least.

i was really excited the first time i saw him play last year, but you never know...so far he's looking solid.

Djokovic will retire in next 2/3 years I think. Shelton would just be entering his prime.
I think you are always more suspect vs your contemporaries. Just see how Sinner struggles vs older players till now but has equal footing vs Alcaraz.

Shelton will have to play well to beat Alcaraz, Sinner, Rune and their age players. Not the oldies like Dimitrov and the rest. He is at least playing well vs Sinner/Rune. Let's see vs Alcaraz in the future.

Yes, he can likely win a slam or more. But its very hard to predict at such young age. There are issues like injuries and mental exhaustion.

 

[mental midget]

Djokovic will retire in next 2/3 years I think. Shelton would just be entering his prime.
I think you are always more suspect vs your contemporaries. Just see how Sinner struggles vs older players till now but has equal footing vs Alcaraz.

Shelton will have to play well to beat Alcaraz, Sinner, Rune and their age players. Not the oldies like Dimitrov and the rest. He is at least playing well vs Sinner/Rune. Let's see vs Alcaraz in the future.

Yes, he can likely win a slam or more. But its very hard to predict at such young age. There are issues like injuries and mental exhaustion.

for sure. let's see how his shoulder holds up too...already was getting treatment at the uso this year. at the very least he's an interesting new player to have in the mix.

 

[TheRed]

It seems that he has more ambition and motivation than Kyrgios, but I also know that today's young tennis players have it too good and they simply lose their enthusiasm and willingness..

The ease with which they lose and allow themselves to be pushed around is sometimes beyond imagination, so Ben looks promising, as long as he is not consumed by fame and the modern world.!!

I don't think ambition and motivation is Kyrgios's problem, though he pretends it is. K's got some inadequacy/self esteem issues so he tries to make it seem like "he doesn't care or lost simply because he gave up/threw a tantrum...But he's really talented and would win if he applied himself." Just a way of guarding his ego if/when he loses. Fact is, K is moderately talented. An A+ serve, B forehand (powerful only when he has time), C backhand (pusher) and C net play and B in movement (not beating anyone on speed but fast enough so that movement isn't a liability). He's essentially Roddick with a more accurate backhand and less humility (later career Roddick). K's talented but not anywhere near a generational talent.
Shelton will be interesting to watch. He's got none of the mental issues of Kyrgios and seems to really enjoy tennis. Massive serve but not consistent enough yet. Comfortable at the net and improving but not solid enough yet. Big forehand and pretty smart about using it (not Shapovalov). He's improved a lot in the past 6-9 months and no one mentions how intelligent he is as a player in mixing up pace and spin and using his power fairly judiciously. In 2 years, we will see his true potential. If he's still about the same, then that's it. He's not doing the things to be a better player. But if he shores up his backhand, uses the forehand to be an even bigger weapon and solidifies his volleying, he will be a top 5-10 player easily.

 

[atatu]

Snappy rejoinder but nobody but Bryan Shelton was watching Ben play "four or five years ago."

He was watching the show Young Sheldon maybe.

 

[insideguy]

I don't think ambition and motivation is Kyrgios's problem, though he pretends it is. K's got some inadequacy/self esteem issues so he tries to make it seem like "he doesn't care or lost simply because he gave up/threw a tantrum...But he's really talented and would win if he applied himself." Just a way of guarding his ego if/when he loses. Fact is, K is moderately talented. An A+ serve, B forehand (powerful only when he has time), C backhand (pusher) and C net play and B in movement (not beating anyone on speed but fast enough so that movement isn't a liability). He's essentially Roddick with a more accurate backhand and less humility (later career Roddick). K's talented but not anywhere near a generational talent.
Shelton will be interesting to watch. He's got none of the mental issues of Kyrgios and seems to really enjoy tennis. Massive serve but not consistent enough yet. Comfortable at the net and improving but not solid enough yet. Big forehand and pretty smart about using it (not Shapovalov). He's improved a lot in the past 6-9 months and no one mentions how intelligent he is as a player in mixing up pace and spin and using his power fairly judiciously. In 2 years, we will see his true potential. If he's still about the same, then that's it. He's not doing the things to be a better player. But if he shores up his backhand, uses the forehand to be an even bigger weapon and solidifies his volleying, he will be a top 5-10 player easily.

Good post. But you think kyrios is as good as roddick? Man maybe talent wise but I don’t see it anywhere eles

 

[Holmes]

Ah the famous Gorillatis match from Fed’s Greek Era.

Is that the one where the Big Guy taught Roddick how to hit a backhand?

 

[TheRed]

Good post. But you think kyrios is as good as roddick? Man maybe talent wise but I don’t see it anywhere eles

No, I think Roddick is better. Certainly more consistent. As good as Kyrgios’s serve is, Roddick’s is better. Better second serve and higher 1st serve percentage (something Roddick is probably best ever for a big server).
I made the comparison because they essentially win the same way. Big serves, stay consistent otherwise and get lucky with a few big forehands.

 

[THUNDERVOLLEY]

Translated: one of the worst examples of a hype machine in tennis history. He was a player who never lived up to the kind of BS Roddick butt-cleaners like Patrick McEnroe predicted ad nauseam.

 

[a10best]

Not since Roddick has there been an American player who reached the quarterfinals and semifinals of Major tournaments at a young age.
I think his future is promising but as always, it will depend on him having the dedication to continue learning and polishing his virtues.

Francis ____

 

[DSH]

Francis ____

No, Shelton achieved it both very good performances before he turned 21, while Tiafoe was a quarterfinalist at the Australian Open at age 21 and a semifinalist at the US Open at age 24; "the phone boy" has clearly surpassed him in precocity.

 

[TennisDawg]

I’d put Ben Shelton ahead of Federer.

And since Federer=Roddick, by substitution, we get Shelton>Roddick.

In 2021, FAA crushed peak Fed in Halle,which is Fed’s best tournament and his best surface. Now granted, that was peak FAA as well. But I think Shelton is pretty much at peak FAA’s level now. Time will tell.

Federer? That must be a typo

 

[TennisDawg]

Hear me out, everyone. If Shelton were in Roddick’s place in 2003, I can seriously see a case where Federer wins zero slams. He’d prevent Federer from gaining confidence right at that Wimbledon 03 SF, and Federer would be a mere footnote in tennis history no better than Paradorn Srichaphan.

 

[MichaelNadal]

Translated: one of the worst examples of a hype machine in tennis history. He was a player who never lived up to the kind of BS Roddick butt-cleaners like Patrick McEnroe predicted ad nauseam.

He was really unlucky to have peak Federer around to steal slams from him though

 

[Poisoned Slice]

You sound at peace.

 

[TheFifthSet]

Translated: one of the worst examples of a hype machine in tennis history. He was a player who never lived up to the kind of BS Roddick butt-cleaners like Patrick McEnroe predicted ad nauseam.

Bit much, few were pencilling him in to be an All-Time Great, and he delivered on the early hype by winning the US Open, getting to #1 in a worthy field and then remaining a perennial Top 10 player.

Donald Young, Nick Kyrgios, Kournikova...those are failed hype machines. Not Roddick. Anyone that thinks Shelton wouldn't do well to match (much less surpass) his feats needs to have a healthier perspective on what constitutes a successful pro career. Truly.

 

[TheRed]

Bit much, few were pencilling him in to be an All-Time Great, and he delivered on the early hype by winning the US Open, getting to #1 in a worthy field and then remaining a perennial Top 10 player.

Donald Young, Nick Kyrgios, Kournikova...those are failed hype machines. Not Roddick. Anyone that thinks Shelton wouldn't do well to match (much less surpass) his feats needs to have a healthier perspective on what constitutes a successful pro career. Truly.

95% or more of pro players would kill to have the type of career Roddick had. PMac hypes up every American player so you gotta take what he says with a grain of salt but I seriously do not remember anyone saying Roddick was going to be an all-time great. I think people in the know thought he could get 4-5 slams if things aligned up well but remember, when Roddick came on the scene, a player was an all time great if he got 5-6 slams. Becker and Edberg "only" got 6 slams. Fed, Nadal and Djokovic have skewed fans' perspective so much that you have these keyboard warriors slam anyone who doesn't get 13-14 slams.

I appreciate that Roddick was humble and honest for most of his career. He laid it all out there and couldn't get over the Federer hump. Then you have a guy like Kyrgios, who gets much less hate for being overhyped because he plays the "I'm so talented I could beat anyone if I want but I'm just choosing not to apply myself" card so people think he still has time to live up to his potential. Fact is, Kyrgios' grandslam potential is pretty much 0, unless he gets lucky and hot at Wimbledon and somehow he avoids guys Djokovic, Alcaraz or Medvedev for most of the tournament. Outside the serve, he's not good enough to hang with most top 10 players.

 

[mental midget]

I don't think ambition and motivation is Kyrgios's problem, though he pretends it is. K's got some inadequacy/self esteem issues so he tries to make it seem like "he doesn't care or lost simply because he gave up/threw a tantrum...But he's really talented and would win if he applied himself." Just a way of guarding his ego if/when he loses. Fact is, K is moderately talented. An A+ serve, B forehand (powerful only when he has time), C backhand (pusher) and C net play and B in movement (not beating anyone on speed but fast enough so that movement isn't a liability). He's essentially Roddick with a more accurate backhand and less humility (later career Roddick). K's talented but not anywhere near a generational talent.
Shelton will be interesting to watch. He's got none of the mental issues of Kyrgios and seems to really enjoy tennis. Massive serve but not consistent enough yet. Comfortable at the net and improving but not solid enough yet. Big forehand and pretty smart about using it (not Shapovalov). He's improved a lot in the past 6-9 months and no one mentions how intelligent he is as a player in mixing up pace and spin and using his power fairly judiciously. In 2 years, we will see his true potential. If he's still about the same, then that's it. He's not doing the things to be a better player. But if he shores up his backhand, uses the forehand to be an even bigger weapon and solidifies his volleying, he will be a top 5-10 player easily.

yep. gotta say, loving his shot tolerance...takes some big cuts but not afraid to trade groundies. that right there puts him above pretty much every other 'serve bot' and makes him a waaay more dangerous player.

agree he could get even more out of his serve, doesn't always hit his spots but i love that he mixes it up.

 

[TheFifthSet]

95% or more of pro players would kill to have the type of career Roddick had. PMac hypes up every American player so you gotta take what he says with a grain of salt but I seriously do not remember anyone saying Roddick was going to be an all-time great. I think people in the know thought he could get 4-5 slams if things aligned up well but remember, when Roddick came on the scene, a player was an all time great if he got 5-6 slams. Becker and Edberg "only" got 6 slams. Fed, Nadal and Djokovic have skewed fans' perspective so much that you have these keyboard warriors slam anyone who doesn't get 13-14 slams.

I appreciate that Roddick was humble and honest for most of his career. He laid it all out there and couldn't get over the Federer hump. Then you have a guy like Kyrgios, who gets much less hate for being overhyped because he plays the "I'm so talented I could beat anyone if I want but I'm just choosing not to apply myself" card so people think he still has time to live up to his potential. Fact is, Kyrgios' grandslam potential is pretty much 0, unless he gets lucky and hot at Wimbledon and somehow he avoids guys Djokovic, Alcaraz or Medvedev for most of the tournament. Outside the serve, he's not good enough to hang with most top 10 players.

Yep, spot-on. He can be a dangerous player when “on” but even at his best he possesses a borderline Top 100 return game. More reps or dedication or whatever won’t turn how many weaknesses into strengths. I’ve said this before but a guy like Tsonga was twice as talented and infinitely more charming but received a quarter of the hype, Berdych was a bit more talented and garnered almost no hype after roughly ‘06-‘07 (even after he eventually broke through), etc. Kyrgios is lucky he didn’t “peak” (“”’s because it’s unclear as to what his peak actually is) at a time when the field was top-heavy and even the uber-consistent gatekeepers like Jo-Willy, Berdych and Ferrer were basically afterthoughts in Majors.

 

[jackson vile]

Going to need a whole lot more maturity and consistency

 

[Pheasant]

Hear me out, everyone. If Shelton were in Roddick’s place in 2003, I can seriously see a case where Federer wins zero slams. He’d prevent Federer from gaining confidence right at that Wimbledon 03 SF, and Federer would be a mere footnote in tennis history no better than Paradorn Srichaphan.

Fed would have switched careers immediately after getting triple-bageled in the semis vs Shelton in 2003. Ben Shelton would have won consecutive calendar year grand slams in 2004 and 2005, then retired, due to getting bored with that weak competition. Tennis, as we knew it, would have ended by 2007. But pickleball would have swept the globe by 2008, with Federer working diligently to be ranked in the top 500 in that sport.

 

[Sudacafan]

Roddick had a 3-21 record against Federer when he retired.
If Shelton achieves a better record than 3-21 against Alcaraz when it's all said and done, I would say that this thread kind of makes sense.

 

[a10best]

No, Shelton achieved it both very good performances before he turned 21, while Tiafoe was a quarterfinalist at the Australian Open at age 21 and a semifinalist at the US Open at age 24; "the phone boy" has clearly surpassed him in precocity.

okay so he did it 3 yrs earlier than Tiafoe, as if that's GOAT-like. Not in this weak era.
Do you expect him to make the final in the next 3 years or even win it? Not me, Not a chance.
Does he have a top 10 forehand, backhand, volley, or great defensive skills? No.
I give him the same chance of making a slam final as Fernandez or Radacanu making a slam final again.
He was incredibly lucky just as those two were.
He can't even make a M1000 semi or final in this weak era.