"We're going to see him winning a Slam" - Tennis legend Rod Laver's 2023 prediction about Ben Shelton on the verge of coming true
ATP
American tennis sensation Ben Shelton has surprised many after reaching the semifinals of the 2025 Australian Open. However, Aussie tennis legend Rod Laver had envisioned the Atlanta native's success almost two years ago.
Shelton overcame Italian Lorenzo Sonego in four sets to reach his maiden Australian Open semifinal. The 21st seed will face another Italian in the final four, as World No.1 Jannik Sinner awaits in what should be an enthralling showdown. Sinner holds a 4-1 lead in career meetings against the American, with the Italian winning their last four consecutive meetings.
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Laver believed in Shelton before many others
Although Shelton reached his first Grand Slam semifinal at the 2023 US Open, many did not see the young American as a serious contender for Grand Slam success. However, Laver, during a Q&A session at the 2023 Laver Cup, picked Shelton as a future Grand Slam titlist.
"Shelton is the new player on the tour," wrote Laver when asked to list his favorite young players on tour at the time." We’re going to see him winning a Slam, he’s got one of the biggest serves, a big left-hander, he doesn’t make many mistakes. He sees an opening and he goes for it."
Shelton would go on to impress with a spectacular performance at the Laver Cup, earning six points for Team World, with one singles win and two doubles win as they cruised past Team Europe 13-2 in Vancouver. The 22-year-old, who once reached a career-high 13th in the world, would go on to win ATP titles at the 2023 Tokyo Open and again in Houston last year.
Growing up in a household where soccer was king, my earliest memories are filled with chants from packed stadiums and the rhythm of a ball being passed across neighborhood streets. But somewhere along the way, the quiet elegance and raw emotion of tennis pulled me in. What began as a curiosity became a lifelong passion; not just for the sport itself, but for the stories it tells: of grit, of heartbreak, of improbable comebacks and human resilience.
As a tennis writer, I bring the observational lens of someone who didn’t grow up in the sport, but fell in love with it as an outsider; a perspective that lets me see both its technical beauty and its emotional depth. Over the years working with TennisUpToDate, I’ve had the privilege of reaching more than 3.5 million readers worldwide, with one of my features ranking among the site’s top three articles.
With a background in storytelling and a creative mind always searching for meaning beyond the scoreboard, I aim to craft narratives that go deeper than results and rankings. Whether it’s a rising star breaking through or a veteran fighting off Father Time, I try to capture the heartbeat behind the headlines.
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