Stepping into 2023, no one expected the 20-year-old Ben Shelton to take center stage as he did during the Australian Open. Following that, he continued to progress and peaked at the US Open, going against Novak Djokovic. Though he could not take down the Serbian tennis legend, he surely made it to the headlines as one of the most promising young tennis stars. Now, as his US Open swing comes to an end, he is excitedly gearing up for his Laver Cup swing.

Fresh off college, Ben Shelton is going to step into his first team tournament. Proving all apprehensions about him wrong, Shelton is now looking forward to showcasing his skills in Roger Federer‘s team event.

Right after tasting defeat against Novak Djokovic, Ben Shelton pulls up his socks for the Laver Cup 

The 20-year-old tennis sensation gave the performance of the tournament while swiftly cruising into the semi-finals of the US Open. Taking down Frances Tiafoe in the quarter-finals, he became the last American hope to get the US Open title home. However, the Serbian tennis legend cut short his US Open swing. Nonetheless, Shelton is only looking forward to new challenges.

During his post-match conference, he stated, “I’m really excited for the opportunity to play Laver Cup.” He further expressed how people were questioning his capability on the Team World for the Laver Cup.

He stated, “When the announcement first came out, I see all these comments on Instagram, Oh, oh, why did you take him? Why? Why this guy? There’s so many higher-ranked guys.” However, instead of this taking a toll on his performance, it became his motivation to perform well at the US Open.

Shelton added, “Coming into the US Open it was like, okay, I really have something to prove. I wanted to show people that maybe I deserved to be on the team.”

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Proving the critics wrong with his astounding performance at the US Open, Shelton declared peace with his run. Now, he is rubbing his hands for a thrilling Laver Cup swing.

Despite Djokovic mimicking him, Shelton is planning to be emotional at the Laver Cup 

Ben Shelton became a crowd favorite, not only because of his astounding performance. His on-court vibrant aura and cold telephone celebration won the hearts of his fans.

So, even if in the end Djokovic imitated his celebration after defeating him, Shelton is promising to stick to his form. He expressed his excitement at being in a team event since he left college. He stated, “I’m pretty pumped to be in the team atmosphere. I’m going to be just as amped and emotional as I was here in Vancouver.”

This year’s Laver Cup edition is going to be in Vancouver and Team World hopes to repeat last year’s feat, where they won their first title. Do you think it can happen this year as well? Let us know your views in the comments below.

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