Ben Shelton is headed to his first Wimbledon quarterfinals after making a comeback in his Round of 16 match vs. Lorenzo Sonego on Monday. Sonego definitely put up a strong fight against Shelton, but the American was able to clinch the win 3-6, 6-1, 7-6, 7-5.
Shelton captured this career milestone with his dad, mom, sister and girlfriend Trinity Rodman in the crowd. During his post-match interview, though, Shelton made sure to give his dad a sweet shoutout.
His dad, Bryan Shelton, is a former professional tennis player who reached the Round of 16 back in 1994, eight years before his son was born. The elder Shelton's best singles major finish was at that '94 Wimbledon tournament. Now, Shelton's dad acts as his tennis coach.
"Definitely my dad," Shelton said, when asked for his biggest inspiration. "He was in the Round of 16 here, 31 years ago? Give or take. He was a serve and volleyer ... He'd like to see me coming forward a little bit more than I am, but my argument is that I think I'm better than him from the baseline. ... He kind of inspires the way I'm playing on grass."
Doing it in front of those who taught you how 🥹
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 7, 2025
Ben Shelton is enjoying a fantastic grass court season - and he credits his father, former professional Bryan, as his inspiration for playing on the surface ♥️#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/w0DX0VZtuO
The 22-year-old will have a tough opponent in the quarterfinals. He'll either play World No. 1 Jannik Sinner or No. 19 Grigor Dimitrov, depending on who wins the Monday match. Shelton's reached two major semifinals in his career, at the Australian Open and U.S. Open, so we'll see if he can add Wimbledon to that list.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Ben Shelton Gives Sweet Shoutout to His Dad After Winning Intense Wimbledon Match.
