People often tend to appreciate progress with all their hearts. When you see someone at their best and then go back to see what they were, there’s a certain kind of respect that comes from within. In tennis, most players attain their peak very early on. So, their transformative journey is not much to talk about. But that isn’t the case with Ben Shelton, as an old video of America’s rising star recently emerged on the web and mesmerized the tennis world.

By the looks of it, it seems that both fans and critics are equally amazed. Shelton remains the talk of the town, no matter what he does. While some have high expectations of him, others have a lot to say about his personality.

Glow-up lessons by Ben Shelton

Shelton has come a long way in his tennis career. The 21-year-old is currently at the spot of World No.20 and chances are he will move further up in the coming year. Considering his burgeoning popularity, a 2018 video of him burning it out against Alex Hyman is garnering a lot of attention on Instagram. Almost every comment talks about what an explosive transformation he has gone through.

It is important to realize how much Shelton has improved his physicality. As one comment says: “Puberty IS CRAZY!!! Dude looked like JAG. Now he’s a fit to be an NFL Safety. Good work Ben!” Although the growth spurt is noticeable, there is definitely a lot of training involved in this journey. Yet, this comment captures the feelings of many fans accurately. In the video, Shelton is a 15-year-old boy, although he appears a year or two younger than that. This next comment highlights that quite well: “The definition of a late bloomer!”READ MORE: Rising American Star Ben Shelton Clubbed With Prodigies Coco Gauff and Carlos Alcaraz as 61YO Tennis Legend Dishes Out a Staggering ‘Lead the Charge’ Verdict

One comment on this post, however, summed up Shelton’s journey in just a few words.

“Crazy how he went from this to beating top 4 players so quickly.” It is indeed quite surprising how Shelton, in just a few years, managed to beat some of the best players on the tour.

Shelton’s journey in 2023

Shelton got a chance to compete against the World’s No.1, Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals of the US Open. Even though the youngster lost against the Serb by 3-6, 2-6, 6-7(7), it is still an amazing feat, nonetheless. This wasn’t the first time as he also went up against the World’s No.2 Carlos Alcaraz. In the round of 32 of the Canadian Open, Shelton lost to Alcaraz in straight sets of 3-6 6-7(3). 

However, Shelton did manage to win against one of the top 5 players recently. In his match against the World’s No.4, Jannik Sinner at the round of 16 of the Shanghai Masters, Shelton claimed an incredible victory in three sets of 2-6, 6-3, 7-6(5).

Undoubtedly, Shelton has set a good example for anyone who is looking to start their transformation journey. This video, however, prompted a rare event with all the compliments, since netizens mostly like to bash Shelton for his supposed attitude problems.

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