John McEnroe claims Ben Shelton has got more ‘upside’ than any of the contemporary American male tennis players while talking about his cockiness

John McEnroe claims Ben Shelton has got more ‘upside’ than any of the contemporary American male tennis players while talking about his cockiness

John McEnroe and Ben Shelton (Image via: Sportingthailand)

Tennis legend John McEnroe recently praised youngster Ben Shelton for his tremendous performance so far in the 2023 US Open. The seven-time Grand Slam champion said that the 20-year-old has the most upside among all the American male tennis players and that he will inspire many. 

Ben Shelton has already reached the quarterfinals of the US Open and has performed phenomenally so far in the tournament. He is being particularly praised for his service. In the Round of 16, one of his serves clocked a speed of 149 MPH, which is one of the highest ever recorded in the history of the US Open. 

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Talking about that, John McEnroe told Eurosport, “The serve is amazing. He’s a great kid, he looks to be in really good shape. He’s finally come around, he’s doing his thing. He got a little cocky here when he saw the 149mph. I would be too. That would be what I normally do in kilometres!”

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The veteran also added that Ben Shelton is finally showing his true potential in the US Open. “This guy has got more upside than any other American, I believe. I thought that was in Australia. He’s had some growing pains. But I tell you what, this guy is going to be the real deal,” he said. 

John American is optimistic about Ben Shelton’s quarterfinal match as he will be taking on another American, Frances Tiafoe. He said that it will inspire many kids to take up the sport in days to come and will be good for the American Tennis fraternity in general. 

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Ben Shelton faces Frances Tiafoe in the quarterfinals

Frances Tiafoe (L), Ben Shelton (R)
Frances Tiafoe (L), Ben Shelton (R) (Source: The New Yorker, Field) Level Media

Ben Shelton faces fellow American Frances Tiafoe in the quarterfinals of the 2023 US Open. Frances has been in great form lately and is the No. 10 seed in the tournament. However, the way Ben Shelton has played his previous rounds, there is no doubt that he will give stiff competition to Tiafoe. 

The two have never met in a competitive match before and this will be the first of its kind. Although Frances Tiafoe is the stronger player on paper, Ben Shelton has been the crowd favorite so far this season, and he is expected to maintain that position.  

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