Ben Shelton has praised his compatriots
Christopher Eubanks,
Taylor Fritz, and
Frances Tiafoe for looking out for him on the ATP Tour and in the
Davis Cup environment.
20-year-old Shelton had a breakthrough run at the US Open earlier this month, reaching the semi-finals and subsequently leaping up to World No. 19 in the ATP Ranking. He also reached the quarter-final of the Australian Open earlier this year.
Recently, Shelton credited his success to his older teammates who have helped him to settle and to feel comfortable on the Tour.
Shelton's compatriots took him under their wing
Shelton is currently competing at the
Laver Cup as part of Team World alongside Tiafoe and Fritz, as well as Tommy Paul, Canadian player Felix Auger-Aliassime, and Argentinian player Francisco Cerundolo. They smashed Team Europe with a perfect score on Day One, as Shelton defeated Arthur Fils in straight sets.
The rising talent has also paired up with Eubanks in men's doubles on multiple occasions. Most recently, they competed at the US Open together, although they were eliminated in the first round.
"Yeah, you know, the three guys who are probably on me and then most during the match were Chris Eubanks, Frances, and Taylor Fritz, guys who have kind of, you know, taken me under their wing since I have been out on tour, giving me advice when I have played players that they have played before," Shelton said at the Laver Cup press conference.
"So to be able to have them in my corner during the match, you know, top American guys, guys who have had great results this summer, beaten a lot of top players, to be able to kind of see how their minds work during the match, something that I haven’t been able to see before, was really cool and special for me.
"Now it’s time to go out and cheer for my team," he continued.
