Shelton draws inspiration from Nadal over tennis showmen such as Monfils and Kyrgios

Upcoming American tennis star Ben Shelton has revealed that although he loves to get the crowd behind him, he is not aiming to be a showman like Nick Kyrgios or Gael Monfils.

Shelton, who is currently playing the Indian Wells Masters, also reckoned that although he and 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal have different ways of expressing themselves on the court, he has always looked up to the Spaniard.

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The 20-year-old asserted that he was focused on his game while trying to compete at the highest level and not be a "showy guy" who executes trick shots.

"Nick Kyrgios or Gael Monfils are not references for me in this respect. I don't think I am trying to be a showman. I'm just trying to compete at the highest level, whatever that may be. I'm not out there to try to be this ‘showy guy’ who is doing trick shots.

"I'm really focused on my tennis and trying to compete at the highest level. So I would say the guy in that aspect that I looked up to was Rafael Nadal. Even though we have different ways of expressing ourselves on court," he told Eurosport.

Shelton further admitted that he would like to lock horns with Nadal and Novak Djokovic this year, joking that it would be nice to complete one of his bucket list items.

"I would like to face Rafa or maybe Novak this year. I think that would be a check on the bucket list for me if I got to play one of those," Shelton added.

The tennis sensation from Atlanta thrilled American fans by reaching the quarterfinals of the Australian Open earlier this year after earning his first ATP point in June 2021. After winning the NCAA singles championship last year, Ben Shelton registered his maiden ATP title win under the watchful eye of his father and coach Bryan Shelton.