Ben Shelton has been on the rise lately, keeping hopes alive of a resurgence for men’s tennis in America. Compared to the WTA landscape, it’s been over two decades that a homegrown ATP player won the slam. Andy Roddick was the last one to do so, in 2003. While the likes of Taylor Fritz, Tommy Paul, and Frances Tiafoe look promising, Shelton has emerged as the best contender to bring slam glory to America, once again, according to a top expert. In fact, he also feels the 22-year-old’s college tennis skills are so good that he may eventually replicate his compatriot and former American icon John McEnroe’s rare milestone.

Speaking with host Mitch Michals, in an episode of the Inside-In podcast, dated October 10, performance expert Dr. Mark Kovacks discussed a lot on how American tennis is getting the benefit of having great players at the college level. Coming onto the topic of winning a slam, he also shared his take on which American college tennis player can make it happen to end a long wait. When Michals cited that after John McEnroe no American college tennis player has been able to clinch a major trophy, Kovacs shared his prediction while saying, “Ben Shelton is obviously the one that you look at and say, probably, has the best chance in the short term to get that done if you are looking at level.” However, he also added that “you are going to see, you know, more and more players.” Especially when it comes to the college level.

Shelton has been an alumni of NCAA where he went on to win the title back in 2022. Speaking of that rare milestone of McEnroe, he remains the only NCAA player in the country to have won a slam after leaving college. Back in 1978, he bested John Sadri in the NCAA singles final at the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia. It was an epic clash, comprising five sets. McEnroe went on to capture the trophy after winning three out of four sets in thrilling tiebreaks.

Just a year later after his NCAA glory, McEnroe also won his maiden slam. During the 1979 US Open, he beat Vitas Gerulaitis in the summit clash with a score line of 7-5, 6-3, 6-3.

Continuing with his focus on college tennis, Dr. Kovacs mentioned that young players these days have better opportunities to grow. Not just skill-wise, but also on the financial level, thanks to various programs. “I mean you see feeder systems such as, you know, TCU (Texas Christian University) has done a great job on the men’s side of having this feeder system. They do a phenomenal job. But you see what is happening. Stanford starting to really get some of the best juniors now going there. So you are seeing these programs that are obviously recruiting unbelievably well and they are able to offer these kids now more than what some of the agents can offer them from a pro deal.”

He further mentioned, “if you are getting plenty of money, plus all the facilities, plus all the training, plus you can play a three quarter pro schedule in your college now. So you can leave school right around 150 if you are good. So if you play a year or two in college, play the right schedule, you can actually leave ranked around 150 to 200 which means that you should be inside the top 100 if you are good enough within 6 to 12 months of leaving school.”

According to him, now is the best time for aspiring players to choose the path of college tennis before turning pro. Especially given how much there is for them to earn and get better at the junior level. Per Kovacks, “it makes zero sense to me why you wouldn’t go to college unless someone is dangling a big, million-dollar plus check in front of you to sign.”

Coming back to Shelton emerging as the biggest hope for American tennis moving forward, some other notable figures also think he can be the one to end the longtime slam drought.

Ben Shelton backed to bring slam glory for America

The consistency at which Ben Shelton has played in 2025 is something to marvel at. Back in January, down under, he became the youngest American man to reach the Australian Open semis in 22 years. Then in Paris, he managed to reach the fourth round before losing to eventual winner Carlos Alcaraz.

At Wimbledon, Shelton succeeded in entering the quarterfinals before his defeat to eventual champion Jannik Sinner. A month later, he earned his maiden Masters 1000 title in Toronto. During the Canadian Open, he bested Karen Khachanov in the final despite trailing initially, to capture the biggest title of his career so far.

Even in New York, he was in sensational form. Sadly, an unexpected injury halted his campaign. Shelton had to withdraw from the US Open due to a left-shoulder injury against Adrian Mannarino in the third round. While he is yet to fulfil his slam dream, Serena Williams’ former coach Patrick Mouratoglou believes the youngster has what it takes to accomplish the goal.

After seeing his heroics in Toronto, Mouratoglou said, “For Ben Shelton, winning a Masters 1000 is huge. This is the last stage before winning a Grand Slam, so it’s big. Praising the 22-year-old’s playing style, he noted, “Ben (Shelton) has things that the others don’t. He has this incredible serve, second of all, he’s a lefty, which is a big advantage too. I would say, third, he’s really unpredictable, and he has the belief.”

After recovering from the shoulder injury, Shelton recently resumed action on the court. However, he couldn’t make any impression in his first event following the withdrawal in New York. In Shanghai, last week, he lost in the first round against David Goffin.