"We could have an American male Grand Slam champion here pretty soon" - Lindsay Davenport backs Ben Shelton for Major glory

With the United States yet to see a male Grand Slam champion since 2003, former World No.1 Lindsay Davenport believes rising American tennis star Ben Shelton may be the man to tick that elusive box. Shelton has had an almost meteoric rise on the ATP Tour, turning pro in 2022. The Atlanta native has since burst into the spotlight, reaching the semifinals at the US Open the following year.

Subsequently, Shelton has impressed with his exciting style of play on tour. The left-handed tennis phenom relies on big serves, deep groundstrokes and his athleticism to not only wow the crowd, but overcome most of his opponents.

Shelton is having his best year on tour during the 2025 ATP season. The 22-year old reached the semifinals at the Australian Open in January, before making his quarterfinal debut at Wimbledon last month. Shelton is coming off the biggest title win of his career, as he won the Canadian Open last week.

With the US Open only a few weeks away, several in the tennis community have picked Shelton as an underdog to lift the trophy. Davenport, who prevailed at Flushing Meadows in 1998, is of the opinion that the Shelton could end the Grand Slam title drought for American men. Andy Roddick was the last male U.S star to win a Grand Slam title, at the 2003 US Open.

"Ben Shelton has that type of game where he can take the racket out of his opponent’s hand," said Davenport, who is also an analyst for The Tennis Channel. "He’s got big weapons. He’s such an explosive athlete. He lights up the stadium as well.
"So all of a sudden, if you get on a roll in New York and you’re Ben, he had the crowd behind him in Canada. If he can play that high level tennis and have the crowd behind him… we could have an American male Grand Slam champion here pretty soon."

Furthermore, Davenport chimed in on the revamped US Open mixed doubles event, which has drawn mixed reviews for it's new format.

"The US Open has this great initiative," added the retired American pro. "They’re trying to make mixed doubles a huge focal point of that lead-in week. All the top stars are playing.
"Will they get more people watching or coming out to the US Open during fan week? Hopefully. The winning doubles team will get $1 million in prize money. We want to make it the most popular sport in the world."