Roger Federer‘s keen eye watched Ben Shelton perform a historic feat in the third round of the 2024 Wimbledon. It’s an accomplishment that neither Federer, Rafael Nadal, nor Novak Djokovic has achieved in their careers. Shelton is in red-hot form, having played exceptional tennis throughout this tournament and already clinching a title this year. Is he a real threat to Novak Djokovic’s dream of matching Federer’s record of winning eight Wimbledon titles?

“I definitely feel confident in how fit I am right now, how prepared I am to go the distance. I know I’m going to fight until the end out there,” said the 21-year-old fearless American tennis star after defeating Canada’s Denis Shapovalov in a five-set thriller. It took him 3 hours and 4 minutes to seal the deal in the third round of this iconic grass-court tournament. With this victory, he has now become the first player in the Open Era to reach the men’s singles Round of 16 with three consecutive five-set wins after losing the opening set.

That’s sheer resilience more than anything else! He recently shared that there are “many things” he enjoys about playing five sets. “It’s a tremendous physical test and allows you to make different tactical adjustments during the match. It creates a game within the game that is very nice,” Shelton revealed.

Ben Shelton has now become the first American man to reach the fourth round at SW19 since John McEnroe in 1992. Almost 30 years ago, his father, Bryan Shelton, also reached the fourth round of the Wimbledon Championships. Ecstatic ‘Big Ben’ was also heard saying, “We’re back, big dog” to his father during his post-match on-court interview. But does he have time to celebrate this extraordinary feat?

He’ll take on world number one Jannik Sinner in the R16 on Super Sunday (July 7). Currently, Sinner leads their H2H with a 2-1 scoreline. However, Shelton believes he’s more than ready for this challenge.

“I’m not afraid of anyone” – Ben Shelton reveals his inner beast after his emphatic R3 victory at Wimbledon

Jannik Sinner and Ben Shelton are among the brightest prospects in the tennis world at the moment. Sinner has already won four titles this season, including a Grand Slam triumph in Australia. He’ll be keen to extend his lead over number two, Novak Djokovic, with a long run at this grass-court major tournament. Djokovic also displayed resilience, taking four sets to defeat his opponents in his previous two matches. He has now reached the fourth round for the 16th time, tying Jimmy Connors for the second-most Round of 16 appearances at Wimbledon in the Open Era, with only Federer (18) ahead of him.

However, regardless of the opponent, whether it’s the current world number one or a former world number one, Ben Shelton doesn’t fear anyone! Before facing Jannik Sinner, the American tennis star acknowledged the “difficult challenge” against the Italian, but he believes it will be a “great test” and a “good opportunity” for him. He is “going out there to compete to the maximum” fearlessly with utter confidence.

What are your thoughts on this? Will he be able to beat the top seed? Let us know in the comments below!

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