Shelton is an athlete who happens to play tennis.

[er0]

The guy is almost all athleticism right now, pure athlete! His tennis acumen is raw, he has decent tennis instinct, but little tennis mind at the moment. His game is among the least efficient on tour.

He's one of the few top American male players who could have probably had a pro career in football, maybe even basketball, but chose tennis. I think this may be a first. His potential is crazy high, if he learns the game and technique of tennis enough to match his physique and power.

 

[Aabye5]

The guy is almost all athleticism right now, pure athlete! His tennis acumen is raw, he has decent tennis instinct, but little tennis mind at the moment. His game is among the least efficient on tour.

He's one of the few top American male players who could have probably had a pro career in football, maybe even basketball, but chose tennis. I think this may be a first. His potential is crazy high, if he learns the game and technique of tennis enough to match his physique and power.

Doesn't seem like a basketball player. Not really that fast. Baseball, sure.

 

[Subway Tennis]

I agree, he is a phenomenal athlete, and he brings a level of intensity to the court that few other players can match at the moment.

With a few tweaks to things like his serving accuracy (to match his power and spin) he will really open up some efficiency avenues.

People say tennis doesn’t attract the best athletes as a way to limit what achievement means in this sport compared to the most popular sports loke football and basketball etc etc but here is a guy who is a world class power athlete and tennis still presents a colossal challenge because it is about so much more than just athleticism, and will even force the limits of your athleticism and mental abilities in a way that only a very physical individual sport can.

 

[johnmccabe]

The guy is almost all athleticism right now, pure athlete! His tennis acumen is raw, he has decent tennis instinct, but little tennis mind at the moment. His game is among the least efficient on tour.

He's one of the few top American male players who could have probably had a pro career in football, maybe even basketball, but chose tennis. I think this may be a first. His potential is crazy high, if he learns the game and technique of tennis enough to match his physique and power.

Athleticism is overrated in tennis. Watch Shapo. Well trained 12 year old girl or 70 year old coach can beat very athletic 18 year old boys all day long.

 

[sandiegoman]

The Shape of things to come

 

[Rosstour]

Doesn't seem like a basketball player. Not really that fast. Baseball, sure.

A lot of basketball players would actually look pretty slow if you asked them to play tennis. Not the little point/combo guards but the bigger wings and forwards

 

[Aabye5]

A lot of basketball players would actually look pretty slow if you asked them to play tennis. Not the little point/combo guards but the bigger wings and forwards

Hmm, it's a different type of speed. More continuous bursts of energy. I equate it to doing suicides.

 

[Kralingen]

His serve technique is way too good and way too variable to call him just an athlete. He’s a big guy which helps but the way he hits his serve is nearly perfect

Start viewing the serve as a skill!

 

[Rosstour]

Hmm, it's a different type of speed. More continuous bursts of energy. I equate it to doing suicides.

Exactly. I was gonna say suicides

The NBA players accelerate fantastically in the open court but tennis players have to do a lot more stopping and restarting and changing directions.

Notably the requirement for real NBA size (6'3" and up) is just the point you start to see tennis players lose their speed and coordination. Murray and Safin are the tallest ever #1 players at 6'4", and our best players ever have all been between 6'1" and 6'3"

 

[vokazu]

Ben Shelton is the successor of Diego Schwartzman in the Jason Bourne series:

Diego Bourne:

Ben Bourne:

 

[Aabye5]

Ben Shelton is the successor of Diego Schwartzman in the Jason Bourne series:

Diego Bourne:

Ben Bourne:

This post hurt my brain

 

[Aabye5]

Exactly. I was gonna say suicides

The NBA players accelerate fantastically in the open court but tennis players have to do a lot more stopping and restarting and changing directions.

Notably the requirement for real NBA size (6'3" and up) is just the point you start to see tennis players lose their speed and coordination. Murray and Safin are the tallest ever #1 players at 6'4", and our best players ever have all been between 6'1" and 6'3"

Sinner is at least 6'4", no? And Murray was 6'3", I thought.

 

[NYTennisfan]

The guy is almost all athleticism right now, pure athlete! His tennis acumen is raw, he has decent tennis instinct, but little tennis mind at the moment. His game is among the least efficient on tour.

He's one of the few top American male players who could have probably had a pro career in football, maybe even basketball, but chose tennis. I think this may be a first. His potential is crazy high, if he learns the game and technique of tennis enough to match his physique and power.

He likely won't ever learn. You either have a strong tennis mind or don't, it's not something that just develops over time.
He's like Monfils in a way, supreme athlete but just doesn't have the Tennis IQ to be an elite player.

 

[ghostofMecir]

The guy is almost all athleticism right now, pure athlete! His tennis acumen is raw, he has decent tennis instinct, but little tennis mind at the moment. His game is among the least efficient on tour.

He's one of the few top American male players who could have probably had a pro career in football, maybe even basketball, but chose tennis. I think this may be a first. His potential is crazy high, if he learns the game and technique of tennis enough to match his physique and power.

I see what you’re saying, but you cannot be all athleticism in a sport like tennis and have anywhere near the type of success that Shelton has had.

 

[metsman]

Exactly. I was gonna say suicides

The NBA players accelerate fantastically in the open court but tennis players have to do a lot more stopping and restarting and changing directions.

Notably the requirement for real NBA size (6'3" and up) is just the point you start to see tennis players lose their speed and coordination. Murray and Safin are the tallest ever #1 players at 6'4", and our best players ever have all been between 6'1" and 6'3"

Safin was 6'5" and Murray was 6'2", and Safin was still more coordinated.

No #1 players taller than 6'3" besides Medvedev which doesn't count. Just goes to show what an anomaly Safin was.

 

[metsman]

Sinner is at least 6'4", no? And Murray was 6'3", I thought.

Murray is 6'2", Sinner is maybe 6'3" but definitely not 6'4". Maybe standing on DeManure's shoulders he is.

 

[johnmccabe]

I see what you’re saying, but you cannot be all athleticism in a sport like tennis and have anywhere near the type of success that Shelton has had.

All depends on who you compare him to. Could aruge he's as athletic as Alcaraz.

 

[johnmccabe]

He likely won't ever learn. You either have a strong tennis mind or don't, it's not something that just develops over time.
He's like Monfils in a way, supreme athlete but just doesn't have the Tennis IQ to be an elite player.

Of course everyone can develop, unless you only care about like top 3.

 

[Bride of Alcaraz]

Ben Shelton is only 6'4" so unless he's a really great ball-handler or shooter, unlikely to ever come close to professional basketball
You need real skills to make it in basketball, especially if you are a guard (which 6'4" is).
And even athletically, Shelton is nowhere near as fast as Alcaraz or De Minaur.

 

[Subway Tennis]

Shelton is one of the few guys I actually enjoy watching at the moment. I am a hardcore tennis fan and I like him a lot but I also think he has the potential to bring a lot of new fans to the sport as well because he has huge crossover appeal and is entertaining to watch even if you don’t necessarily know a huge amount about tennis.

When you factor that along with his home audience being a big traditional tennis market he is probably a very important player for the health of the sport at the moment.

He seems to realise that. Literally every time I have seen Ben he is bringing it. Always entertaining and always with the 1000% physical intensity.

 

[travlerajm]

His serve technique is way too good and way too variable to call him just an athlete. He’s a big guy which helps but the way he hits his serve is nearly perfect

Start viewing the serve as a skill!

He’s a poor man’s Goran.

 

[Shaolin]

Dumb post. A lot of guys in the gym look like Shelton but could never hit the ball like him.

I have a friend built like an NBA player. He asked me to reach him tennis a while back and was falling down trying to hit a ball. No knee bend, no hand eye, no ability to control the swing.

He could dunk a basketball easily though and do all kinds of athletic things. Just having an athletic body does not mean you can step on a court and play at a high level.

 

[Kralingen]

Lebron is an athlete who happens to play basketball.

The guy is almost all athleticism right now, pure athlete! His basketball acumen is raw, he has decent basketball instinct, but little basketball mind at the moment. His game is among the least efficient in the NBA.

He's one of the few top American male players who could have probably had a pro career in football, maybe even tennis, but chose basketball. I think this may be a first. His potential is crazy high, if he learns the game and technique of basketball enough to match his physique and power.

 

[MichaelNadal]

Shelton is one of the few guys I actually enjoy watching at the moment. I am a hardcore tennis fan and I like him a lot but I also think he has the potential to bring a lot of new fans to the sport as well because he has huge crossover appeal and is entertaining to watch even if you don’t necessarily know a huge amount about tennis.

When you factor that along with his home audience being a big traditional tennis market he is probably a very important player for the health of the sport at the moment.

He seems to realise that. Literally every time I have seen Ben he is bringing it. Always entertaining and always with the 1000% physical intensity.

I like him too, one of the few that brings that PIZAZZ to the court.

 

[travlerajm]

Lebron is an athlete who happens to play basketball.

The guy is almost all athleticism right now, pure athlete! His basketball acumen is raw, he has decent basketball instinct, but little basketball mind at the moment. His game is among the least efficient in the NBA.

He's one of the few top American male players who could have probably had a pro career in football, maybe even tennis, but chose basketball. I think this may be a first. His potential is crazy high, if he learns the game and technique of basketball enough to match his physique and power.

There’s still hope for him.

 

[er0]

Lebron is an athlete who happens to play basketball.

The guy is almost all athleticism right now, pure athlete! His basketball acumen is raw, he has decent basketball instinct, but little basketball mind at the moment. His game is among the least efficient in the NBA.

He's one of the few top American male players who could have probably had a pro career in football, maybe even tennis, but chose basketball. I think this may be a first. His potential is crazy high, if he learns the game and technique of basketball enough to match his physique and power.

Imagine if LeBron had encouraged and supported Bronny to play tennis instead of basketball!

 

[Subway Tennis]

I like him too, one of the few that brings that PIZAZZ to the court.

Very few players now can get lost in the moment and let that emotional feeling make their level seemingly go higher. Nadal had it. Safin had it. Alcaraz has it. I’m a Sinner fan boy but I’m not convinced he has it. Fans gravitate to these sort of players imo.

 

[InsuranceMan]

Very few players now can get lost in the moment and let that emotional feeling make their level seemingly go higher. Nadal had it. Safin had it. Alcaraz has it. I’m a Sinner fan boy but I’m not convinced he has it. Fans gravitate to these sort of players imo.

McEnroe as well

 

[atatu]

Imagine if LeBron had encouraged and supported Bronny to play tennis instead of basketball!

There are examples of pro athletes with offspring who played tennis, Julius Irving, Mike Tyson and Bob McAdoo all had daughters who were/are serious players. Sloane Stephens' dad was a pro football player, I don't think it necessarily translates into success on the tennis court.

 

[Subway Tennis]

McEnroe as well

Absolutely. It’s a very GOATy quality and very scary for an opponent playing someone who can get lost in their own world and turn a match on its head from nowhere. Alcaraz did it to Sinner a couple of times last year

 

[Subway Tennis]

There are examples of pro athletes with offspring who played tennis, Julius Irving, Mike Tyson and Bob McAdoo all had daughters who were/are serious players. Sloane Stephens' dad was a pro football player, I don't think it necessarily translates into success on the tennis court.

Doesn’t suprise me at all about Sloane. I bet she could run a very impressive 40 flat herself.

 

[TennisGrandpA]

His serve technique is way too good and way too variable to call him just an athlete. He’s a big guy which helps but the way he hits his serve is nearly perfect

Start viewing the serve as a skill!

He’s a servebot for a reason.

 

[mcs1970]

This thread cracks me up.

LeBron is an athlete that happens to play hoops and his basketball acumen is raw? The guy is considered one of the best playmakers ever and his fade away jump shot is also one of the best. There is a certain lack of grace to the way he plays which might blind haters to his elite skills but his basketball skills and IQ are off the chart. Casuals don’t even understand what it takes to be so a consistent player for so many years let alone be consistently great. There are plenty of great athletes in hoops who are just journeymen in the NBA if they even make it to the NBA. Just check out the And1 guys.

Ben Shelton is a top 15 player. That itself means he is an elite tennis player. He doesn’t need the validation of anyone on this site. If one wants to say he is a serve bot that is fine but he is not just a serve bot like an Isner or a Karlovic. His groundstrokes are solid too. Can his IQ be even better? Sure. I used to feel the same way about Thiem. He and Ben are mindless ball bashers but mindlessly bashing the ball and yet consistently keeping it between the lines enough to be a top 20 professional also requires a lot of tennis “skills”.

 

[TheFifthSet]

This thread cracks me up.

LeBron is an athlete that happens to play hoops and his basketball acumen is raw? The guy is considered one of the best playmakers ever and his fade away jump shot is also one of the best. There is a certain lack of grace to the way he plays which might blind haters to his elite skills but his basketball skills and IQ are off the chart. Casuals don’t even understand what it takes to be so a consistent player for so many years let alone be consistently great. There are plenty of great athletes in hoops who are just journeymen in the NBA if they even make it to the NBA. Just check out the And1 guys

Someone took the bait.

 

[Winner Sinner]

Murray is 6'2", Sinner is maybe 6'3" but definitely not 6'4". Maybe standing on DeManure's shoulders he is.

Sinner is 1m93 tall, he said it when asked, and it is also noticeable next to other tennis players/athletes on whom there are certified heights.
For example, the legendary goalkeeper Buffon is declared 1m92, in these images Sinner appears taller than him.

 

[Oval_Solid]

ill have to agree lebron being a pure athlete that plays basketball in the nba
he basically a freak of nature that could have played any sport (maybe not tennis if he started too late)
he has the speed and agility of a small guy with the size and power of someone 6'8
most athletes only have one or the other (speed or size)
old lebron isnt as explosive but can shoot jump shots now

 

[Aabye5]

Murray is 6'2", Sinner is maybe 6'3" but definitely not 6'4". Maybe standing on DeManure's shoulders he is.

Check him out next to Tsitsipas at the AO this year. He has to be very close, because Stef is taller than that, and they were fairly close in height.

 

[a10best]

Most tennis players are very good at other sports. Isner's good at BB, Most elite level basketball players have transitioned to tennis easily during or after their BB careers, Kobe, Nash and others. Nowitzki started playing tennis first before BB.
Lebron is a freak and makes me shake my head with his stats. Plus, at age 40 he's shown no huge sign of decline. Just incredible.

 

[er0]

There are examples of pro athletes with offspring who played tennis, Julius Irving, Mike Tyson and Bob McAdoo all had daughters who were/are serious players. Sloane Stephens' dad was a pro football player, I don't think it necessarily translates into success on the tennis court.

But Bronny has proven himself to at least be an NBA caliber athlete.

What I would like to see is America's greatest young male athletes think about tennis as a professional option. Truth is, in the USA, they do not

 

[er0]

Most tennis players are very good at other sports. Isner's good at BB, Most elite level basketball players have transitioned to tennis easily during or after their BB careers, Kobe, Nash and others. Nowitzki started playing tennis first before BB.
Lebron is a freak and makes me shake my head with his stats. Plus, at age 40 he's shown no huge sign of decline. Just incredible.

Isner, even at his peak, was no where close to being a 'good' NBA player!

Don't try it

 

[a10best]

Isner, even at his peak, was no where close to being a 'good' NBA player!

Don't try it

new user, probably a FL gator. Let's stop this Shelton hype as if he is some freak prodigy and NBA or G-league quality. Dude is likely worse than LeBron's son.

 

[DSH]

Imagine if LeBron had encouraged and supported Bronny to play tennis instead of basketball!

It would have been better for Lebron's son.

 

[Lleytonstation]

Someone took the bait.

Wait till I tell him about how Michael Jordan would have been a much better baseball player if he stuck with that. As a basketball player, he was only good due to his athleticism.

 

[InsuranceMan]

Wait till I tell him about how Michael Jordan would have been a much better baseball player if he stuck with that. As a basketball player, he was only good due to his athleticism.

 

[Lleytonstation]

 

[RaulRamirez]

I'm not sure at what point Shelton concentrated on tennis, but also keep in mind that his dad was an ATP player. Ben is a bit raw, still, but I expect that he'll have a terrific career. We've yet to see his best.

 

[Rosstour]

Safin was 6'5" and Murray was 6'2", and Safin was still more coordinated.

No #1 players taller than 6'3" besides Medvedev which doesn't count. Just goes to show what an anomaly Safin was.

I have only seen Murray listed at 6'3 or 6'4"

Think Safin is closer to 6'4" as well

How tall are the Russian players?

I thought Karen Khachanov and Daniil were the same height (6'6"), but here he is looking around the same height as Marat Safin, who is supposed to be 6'4"?

tt.tennis-warehouse.com

 

[FedForGOAT]

I have only seen Murray listed at 6'3 or 6'4"

Think Safin is closer to 6'4" as well

How tall are the Russian players?

I thought Karen Khachanov and Daniil were the same height (6'6"), but here he is looking around the same height as Marat Safin, who is supposed to be 6'4"?

tt.tennis-warehouse.com

I have NEVER seen Murray listed at 6’4”, or even 6’3.5”.

Can you point me to any sources? I’ve always understood that he’s ~6’2.5”

 

[bokettoboketto]

The height of players is different day to day and depends on the amount of sunlight, fertilizer and water the player has been getting. Also if the player had a haircut recently.

 

[fafa]

Exactly. I was gonna say suicides

The NBA players accelerate fantastically in the open court but tennis players have to do a lot more stopping and restarting and changing directions.

Notably the requirement for real NBA size (6'3" and up) is just the point you start to see tennis players lose their speed and coordination. Murray and Safin are the tallest ever #1 players at 6'4", and our best players ever have all been between 6'1" and 6'3"

Medvedev is the tallest number 1. Followed by Safin, Sinner, Guga, Becker and Andy.