Ben Shelton was overburdened with expectations after his Australian Open run that led to his poor results before the US Open claims top coach Darren Cahill

Darren Cahill throws light on what might have happened to Ben Shelton prior his 2023 US Open success.

Ben Shelton was overburdened with expectations after his Australian Open run that led to his poor results before the US Open claims top coach Darren Cahill

(L) Ben Shelton; (R) Darren Cahill (Via: Tennis.com/tennisnet.com)

American tennis professional Ben Shelton rose to fame earlier this year with his debut at the Australian Open. The 20-year-old recently set the record for the fastest smash at the US Open. Jannik Sinner‘s coach at the US Open and former tennis player Darren Cahill talked about Shelton’s performance at tournaments prior to the last Grand Slam in the latest episode of Advantage Connors Podcast.

Shelton also became the youngest American to reach the Men’s singles semis at the US Open since Michael Chang in 1992. However, his meteoric rise at the Flushing Meadows also led critics to point out and question his poor track record at the tournaments prior. The 20-year-old failed to reach past the Quarter-final round at all but one tournament at the Challenger Cagliari, IT, where he lost to Serbia’s Laslo Djere.

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“Shelton is incredibly brave in big moments. At the US Open he was playing for the crowd and enjoying it. But again you have to put those results in week after week to be a Top 10 factor,” Cahill stated. “I think Ben is very young, maybe he’s not used to it, maybe too many expectations fell on his shoulders after the Australian Open. We will now see Ben consistently improve each week. I’m not saying he’s going to compete in the Top 5, but I think he will eventually be a Top 10 player,” he added.

At the Australian Open earlier this year, Shelton lost to 14th seed, Tommy Paul in the quarter-finals with a score of 6-7, 3-6, 7-5, 4-6. The two clashed again at the Arthur Ashe Stadium for a ticket to the quarter-finals of the 2023 US Open. This time around, Shelton ousted the 26-year-old out of competition with a score of 6-4, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4. He reached the semi-final round, losing to no one other than this year’s US Open champion, Novak Djokovic.

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Ben Shelton uses social media to fuel himself

Ben Shelton has been under scrutiny ever since his debut at the Australian Open when he managed to reach the quarter-finals despite it being his first Grand Slam. The tennis player had revealed earlier that he uses the comments on social media, including the positive ones as well as the negative comments, to fuel himself up or to better his game on-court.

Ben Shelton
Ben Shelton (Image via Sporting News)

“I’m not gonna lie, I check social media from time to time. I can use that for fuel, and it really helps me play much better with a little bit of a chip on my shoulder,” Shelton said in a conversation with GQ.

The 20-year-old stunned the tennis world when he beat World No. 14, Tommy Paul, and 10th seed, Frances Tiafoe to reach the semi-final round against the now 24-time Grand Slam winner, Novak Djokovic. Shelton put up his best fight against the 36-year-old, but his skills were no match against the Serb’s prowess.

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