American tennis player Ben Shelton sent a heartfelt message for his father, Bryan, after qualifying for the quarterfinals of Wimbledon 2025. He clinched a victory over Lorenzo Sonego in four sets during the Round of 16 of the tournament.
Shelton faced a setback early on after losing the first set 3-6, but came back strong to win the next three sets and win the match 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 (7-1), 7-5. This also secured his first-ever Wimbledon quarterfinals appearance. Afterwards, Shelton was asked about his inspiration to play on grass courts.
Replying to this, he spoke of his dad, who is also a former tennis player and coach, and was also present in the stands to watch his son play. Shelton mentioned that his father played in the Round of 16 of the tournament several years ago (1994) and is one of the inspirations behind his playing style on grass. He said (during his on-court interview):
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"Definitely my dad. He was in the round of 16 here 31 years ago, give or take. He had a big serve, he came forward all the time and he’d like to see me come forward more than I am. My argument is I think I’m better than him from the baseline, and he had a better serve than me maybe. So, he kind of inspires me the way I am playing on grass."
The 22-year-old American will face off against either Jannik Sinner or Grigor Dimitrov in his next round, scheduled to take place on Wednesday, July 9.
Ben Shelton comments on playing against Lorenzo Sonego
Ben Shelton expressed his thoughts on playing against Lorenzo Sonego at Wimbledon 2025. The American said that his time on the court with Sonego was difficult, especially because of the latter's skillset to turn up in big moments.
He also expressed his admiration for playing on Court One and added (via the BBC):
"It was difficult. I feel like every time I play Lorenzo Sonego, every time I need a big point he comes out with a highlight shot. Maybe it's the same vice-versa as well. It was a lot of fun. I'm getting very comfortable out here on court one, I love playing in front of you guys."
Notably, Ben Shelton had the better of Sonego in H2H (3-1) before the match, which now stands at 4-1 in favor of the American. Their last matchup before this Wimbledon round of 16 match was at the 2025 Roland Garros first round, where Shelton won in five sets.
