ben shelton

Biography

Overview
Four years ago, Shelton was playing college tennis for the University of Florida under the guidance of his father, Bryan Shelton, helping the Gators win the NCAA team title before capturing the NCAA singles championship in 2022. By the end of the following season, he had broken into the world’s top 20. This year, he returns to Laver Cup for a third time, currently as the top-ranked American man in tennis and one of the centerpieces of Team World’s bid to win a fourth title in London. It will mark Shelton’s first Laver Cup appearance at The O2, his first under new Team World Captain Andre Agassi and Vice Captain Patrick Rafter, and his return after injury denied him the opportunity to compete in San Francisco.

Off Court
Shelton is coached by his father, Bryan, a former world No.55-ranked professional who now travels full time with his son after a long career at the University of Florida. Shelton began playing tennis at age 10 and enjoys track and field and playing pick-up basketball. He was an American football quarterback before opting solely for a professional tennis career. He studied entrepreneurship and international business remotely and says his dream job is working on Wall Street. Ben has been dating American soccer star Trinity Rodman since early in 2025. His tennis idol is Roger Federer.

Career
On his first overseas trip, Shelton advanced to the 2023 Australian Open quarterfinals and, at the age of 20, became the youngest American man to reach the last eight in a Grand Slam since Andy Roddick’s 2002 US Open run at the same age. He relished the spotlight again at the 2023 US Open, with a sensational run to the semifinals, proving once again that he plays his best tennis in high-stakes matches. In 2025, he reached the semis at the Australian Open and the quarterfinals at Wimbledon. He captured his first ATP Masters 1000 title in Toronto in 2025 and added three more in 2026 on three different surfaces: Dallas (Hard), Stuttgart (Clay), and Munich (Grass). He is the first American man since Agassi in 2002 to win an ATP 500-level event or higher on clay.

2026 Highlights
Won: Dallas, Munich, Stuttgart
Quarterfinals: Auckland, Australian Open, Houston, Halle
3R: Indian Wells