The meteoric rise of Netflix star Ben Shelton

Two and a half years ago, Ben Shelton did not own a Pepperstone ATP Ranking.

Now the American is one of the biggest stars in all of tennis. The lefty’s rapid ascent was documented in Season 2 of Netflix’s hit docuseries Break Point.

“Tennis, like every other sport, has a new crop of players that enter the fray every year,” former World No. 1 Jim Courier said in the show. “That machine keeps turning. Someone great is coming into the scene. You’ve got to be ready for it. There is no mercy out there.”

Two episodes in the season focussed on the battle for supremacy among American men on the ATP Tour. Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe were focal points of Season 1 and Tommy Paul joined them.

Ben's father, Bryan Shelton, always told him that if he was not the best in the country, there was no reason for him to compete internationally. Ben competed at the University of Florida under the tutelage of his father, who was the head coach at the time.

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In the spring of 2022, Shelton, who was still outside the world’s Top 500, won the NCAA singles title. Shortly thereafter — following a win in Cincinnati against Casper Ruud — he turned professional.

Before the 2023 season, Shelton had never left the United States. But at the Australian Open he stormed to the quarter-finals and by the US Open, he was already a star.

“If you told me a year ago I would have been playing main draw US Open off my own ranking, I wouldn’t have believed you,” Shelton said.

It’s time for @BenShelton to get to work 💼 🤩

Catch all of #BreakPointS2 on @netflix 🎥 pic.twitter.com/R9bpaaiasc

— ATP Tour (@atptour) January 14, 2024

The lefty certainly would not have believed what happened at Flushing Meadows. Shelton took down a who’s who of stars — from 2020 champion Dominic Thiem and 2021 Australian Open semi-finalist Aslan Karatsev to Paul and Tiafoe — to reach the semi-finals.

The run captured plenty of attention throughout the world, with fans entranced by his huge serving and vibrant energy.

“Ben is this fresh-faced kid who’s all optimism like a puppy dog running around, just excited to be in the room. And why wouldn’t you be?” Courier said. “This kid burst out of the college scene over a year ago and has now already made a major quarter-final. The talent is unmistakable.”

One and a half years after being outside the Top 500, Shelton entrenched himself in the world’s Top 20. He won his first ATP Tour title at the ATP 500 event in Tokyo last November.

But Shelton is hungry for more.

“There’s people out in front of me, so I want to push further,” Shelton said. “I believe that I do have a lot of confidence to give some of the guys at the top trouble.”

It is not just about Shelton’s serve, either. It is also his mentality.

“Where does Ben Shelton go from here?” Shelton repeated a question from a producer. “Ben Shelton goes back to work.”