Is Ben Shelton, the next ‘Pistol Pete‘? Well, his father, Bryan Shelton, had already drawn a comparison of his son with the American tennis legend, Pete Sampras, last year during Wimbledon. And now, renowned tennis podcaster, Craig Shapiro compares Shelton’s emotion-gauging trails with Sampras while sharing a comment of Mark Knowles on the 21YO American.

American tennis fans have high hopes surrounding Ben Shelton. They believe he can end their long-awaited desire to see an American men’s tennis player lifting a Grand Slam title. Pete Sampras did it 14 times in his career. Can Shelton do it? Well, time will tell. But till then, let’s look at some of the comments surrounding this massive comparison.

Despite a tough loss, Ben Shelton bags a massive Sampras comparison

Ben Shelton recently matched the record of his father Bryan Shelton by making it to the quarterfinals of the Mexican Open. His father did it 30 years ago. But his dream run in Acapulco didn’t last long as he went down to the Norwegian tennis star, Casper Ruud in the QF of the tournament on Friday. Ruud defeated Shelton by 6(7)-7, 6-4, 6-4 to book his place into the semis against Holger Rune.

But irrespective of the result of the match, Ben Shelton successfully caught the attention of the fans. And this time it was his emotional runs during the matches which were put under the light. Reflecting on a comment of Mark Knowles, Shapiro tweeted, “Great observation and comment from Mark Knowles re Shelton in crunch time, ‘he gauges the emotion of matches.’ Spot on. Sampras-esque.“

As we have said earlier, this isn’t the first time Pete Sampras has been drawn into a discussion that is about Ben Shelton. Bryan Shelton believes that his son can achieve immense success at Wimbledon once he gets used to the surface. Quite similar to Pete Sampras? Yes, absolutely, according to the Shelton Sr.

READ MORE: Ben Shelton Enjoys ‘Brother of Mexico’ Tag as He Becomes Fan Favorite at Acapulco Open

‘Ben has something..’ Shelton’s father speaks highly of his son’s potential on the grass court

The 21-year-old American tennis sensation made his professional debut in 2022. He has won only one title so far in his career. But 2023 has been a breakthrough year for the youngster. Ben Shelton reached the semi-finals of the US Open last year and also broke into the Top 20 in men’s singles ranking. But his campaign at the Wimbledon was cut short in the second round in 2023. 

His father gave an interview last year where he revealed, “I remember Pete Sampras the first time he came over [to Wimbledon] and I actually got to hit some balls with him. And took him a little bit to get used to but once he did. His game was perfect for this court. I think Ben has something that he’ll bring to this surface that’ll make him really really effective.“

What do you think of this comparison between a rising talent and a legend of the game? Does it create an unnecessary pressure on the youngster? Share your thoughts in the comment box.

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