Ben Shelton Reveals the ‘Lucky Charm’ Behind Wimbledon Run and It’s Not His Girlfriend Trinity Rodman

Ben Shelton is on cloud 9 at the moment. The American sensation is in the pre-quarterfinals of the Wimbledon Championships after some thrilling wins. Keeping the American hopes alive in the tournament, Shelton defeated Marton Fucsovics earlier today to equal his best performance at Wimbledon. While Shelton gave his all on the court, he had a ‘lucky charm’ present inside the stadium that kept his ship sailing at Wimbledon.

Shelton’s girlfriend, U.S. soccer star Trinity Rodman, has also been traveling with the team and offering vocal support throughout the week… But guess who got to take the “lucky charm” crown this time?

The 22-year-old was involved in a candid post-match interview after defeating Fucsovics. During that conversation, Ben Shelton thanked his family for backing him in the tournament and had a special message for his sister, Emma Shelton, who has been watching each of Shelton’s matches.

The American sensation revealed, “I have been playing well this week. It’s not just me here; I have a great team. My parents are here, and my girlfriend is here. Also, my sister is here; she’s been here in every match I played in this tournament. She’s been my lucky charm, but she has work back in the US, so on Monday, she works for Morgan Stanley. So when you have something next, so… give her a couple of extra days off so she can really give this role, and that’d be great.”

Like Ben Shelton, Emma was also a college tennis player before going on to pursue other career ambitions. She now works at Morgan Stanley, and Shelton requested that her employer give Emma some paid time off so that she can continue supporting him during his matches.

Further, Shelton is also making the headlines after completing his match against Rinky Hijikata earlier in just 70 seconds when the play resumed. The American sensation wasn’t happy with Wimbledon’s decision to suspend play when he was on the cusp of victory. Nonetheless, that didn’t deter Shelton, and he kept his ship sailing in the tournament and opened up about a major improvement in his game.

Ben Shelton highlights what he’s improved the most

Ever since he emerged onto the tennis stage with a semifinal appearance at the US Open a couple of years back, Shelton has seen massive improvements in his game. As a result, he has also been able to win a couple of titles on the ATP Tour, apart from some impressive performances on the Grand Slam level. During an interview at Wimbledon, Shelton revealed how he worked on his backhand, which he sees as his biggest improvement.

The American sensation revealed, “I can hit passing shots, which I used to only really be able to hit the lob off the backhand; I couldn’t pass well off that side. I think it’s part of my evolution. It’s not where I want to be yet. No shot in my game is where I want it to be ultimately, and it’s just a work in progress. I am always out there competing and trying to figure out the answers, and I like to see my game evolving every day a little bit.”

Ben Shelton next faces Lorenzo Sonego in the round of 16. The match can be followed on EssentiallySports’ Live Blog. It’ll be interesting to see how Shelton performs in the upcoming games, which will be a big test for his improved skills.