Ben Shelton, one of the very young Americans who is standing out in this period in the ATP Tour, recently talked about himself in an interview with Eurosport. The American immediately clarified and revealed about the tennis career he wants to pursue.
He explained: “Nick Kyrgios or Gael Monfils are not references for me. I don’t think I want to be a showman. I’m just trying to compete at the top level, whatever that is. I’m not out there trying to be this ‘flashy guy’ who does acrobatic tricks.
I’m really focused on my tennis. On this aspect, the player I admired was Rafael Nadal, even if we have different ways of expressing ourselves on the court. I’d like to face Rafa or maybe Novak Djokovic, this year. I think he would be one of the targets I would put on my bucket list.”
Ben Shelton’s words
On the Indian Wells adventure: “I’m still a rookie.
It’s my first time here. I’ve never actually been here, so I’m really enjoying every moment. I’ve been in a fair number of tournaments with these guys. And now I’m not a tourist when I’m at these tournaments. They are trying to achieve the same goal as me. So I’m pretty sure where I am, who I am as a person, not just as a tennis playe, and I’m ready to compete against anyone.” Prior to the Australian Open, the 20-year-old had never left the United States to compete and admitted: “I’ve never played a tournament on clay before.
I’ve trained but I’ve never played an official event. I think it will suit my game well and I’m not going to go down there with crazy expectations for my very first game. I hope that during this season on clay I will learn a lot and improve. So hopefully by the time we get to the Roland Garros I’ll feel really comfortable.”