World No. 8 Ben Shelton recently shared his thoughts on how he prepares to play tennis in extreme weather. The winner of two singles ATP Tour titles further reflected on the strategy he is using to acclimate his body to play under hot weather during the summer hard-court season ahead of the US Open.
Ben Shelton has had a decent 2025 season. His Australian Open journey ended with a semifinal loss to World No. 1 Jannik Sinner. The Atlanta, Georgia native reached the quarterfinals of the Indian Wells Open and became the second American player to achieve this notable feat since Andy Roddick in 2004. At the 2025 Wimbledon, he lost to Sinner once again in the quarterfinals.
He is currently in action at the 2025 Mubadala Citi DC Open, where he defeated Mackenzie McDonald in the round of 32 with a dominating score of 6‑3, 6‑4. The 22-year-old, left-handed tennis star revealed how he is adapting to play in the hotter U.S. weather. Additionally, he also shared how he prepares his body to endure the heat.
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"I only had a week so, I was getting in the hot tub up to my neck for 15 minutes at a time, doing sessions like that. Unless I have a sauna, then sauna sessions as well, really important," he mentioned (via ATP Tour's official site).
He continued:
"But to be able to get used to being in the heat and kind of go over the top so it doesn't feel so hot on the court... Obviously on a 95-degree [Fahrenheit] day on a hard court, it feels like 115 or 120. So there's a lot of things that go into playing on the hard courts and being ready to play, on top of just your tennis game. That's what makes the U.S. summer a challenge."
Ben Shelton will now take on Canada's Gabriel Diallo in the Round of 16 at the 2025 Mubadala Citi DC Open.
Ben Shelton reveals which famous personalities he would like to see in the crowd for his matches
During his interview with Town & Country Magazine on July 1, 2025, Ben Shelton shared the top famous personalities that he would like to see as his match attendees. He shared:
"Michael Jordan would be pretty sick, or Tiger Woods would be really cool. Two greatest icons in sports."
Apart from NBA and golf sports legends, another renowned name, Shelton shared, was Damson Idris, a British actor, entrepreneur, and film producer. Idris is widely known for his work in John Singleton's crime drama 'Snowfall' and recent blockbuster success 'F1: The Movie'.
