With American players winning the first two Grand Slams of the season on the WTA circuit, and four American men in the ATP top 15,
Ben Shelton is full of optimism regarding the future of US tennis.
American's
Madison Keys and
Coco Gauff prevailed at this year's Australian Open and Roland Garros respectively, with compatriot Jessica Pegula already winning two titles this season. On the men's side,
Taylor Fritz, Frances Tiafoe and Tommy Paul have all produced strong results, and the future looks bright for fans of American tennis.
Shelton thrilled to be a part of the revolution
The Atlanta native is currently competing at the 2025
Stuttgart Open, where he defeated Czech star Jiri Lehecka in the quarterfinals. Although Shelton faces World No.3 Alexander Zverev in the semifinals, the 22-year old shared his enthusiasm at being involved in the latest surge of successful American players.
"It's been a long time coming," said Shelton. "We have so much talent, so many great players who can shine on the big stage. Everything happened at once in Paris. I know we hope to go even further in the Grand Slams: the round of 16, the quarterfinals, the semifinals—we want to win.
"I'm excited about American tennis. We're in an excellent position. There's a lot of hype around American tennis and I love being a part of it."
Fritz, who is also competing in Stuttgart, echoed his countryman's sentiments. The 2024 US Open runner-up credits the success of his compatriots to their willingness to push each other, on and off the court.
"I think we now have several generations of players," said Fritz. "In my generation, we have improved a lot over the years by pushing each other. I think that helped us all.
"I guess we all came up at the same time, and when one person achieved a good result, the others knew they could do it too. That's what got us where we are today and perhaps also motivated the next generation."