Ben Shelton opened up about which player he would emulate if he were in the NBA, choosing between Anthony Edwards and Rudy Fernandez. A big basketball fan, the American tennis star met the former Spanish NBA player in Mallorca this June.
Shelton is currently competing at the Canadian Open in Toronto. He got the better of Italy’s Flavio Cobolli in a thrilling fourth-round encounter on August 3. During a press conference after the match, the American was asked about his love for basketball and his admiration for Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards.
The reporter referenced his time in Mallorca, where he hit a few balls with former NBA player Fernandez, and then posed the question: if Shelton were an NBA player, would his style resemble that of Edwards or Fernandez?
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"They're both great. But I would hope, well just personal preference, I'm not that athletic, but, yeah, I would like to be playing like Anthony Edwards," Ben Shelton answered.
Shelton reflected on his meeting with the three-time EuroLeague champion, praising the former NBA star for his impressive career and for being one of the early European players to succeed in the league. Shelton found it fascinating to hear about Fernandez’s transition from Europe to the NBA.
"So, it was kind of just cool to get to know how the basketball scene works in Europe and how those guys make it over to the NBA, and how big of a goal it is for them to get to the NBA," he said.
As for his personal preference, Shelton named Edwards as his favorite player to watch.
Ben Shelton was surprised by Rudy Fernandez's tennis skills, cheekily crediting it to the Spaniard's time playing golf with Rafael Nadal
Ahead of Wimbledon, Ben Shelton played one of his three grass-court lead-up events in Mallorca. He was the top seed at the ATP 250 event and had the honor of meeting Real Madrid basketball legend Rudy Fernandez and playing tennis with him.
"He’s a better tennis player than I was expecting," admitted Shelton after challenging Fernandez (via ATPTour.com). "He told me that he plays golf sometimes with Rafa [Nadal], so maybe something has rubbed off from Rafa because his forehand is pretty good."
The duo even showed off their skills with a basketball, with Shelton just as eager on the court as Fernandez was during their tennis hit. However, Shelton's time at the ATP event didn't go as smoothly. He suffered a straight-sets defeat to Learner Tien in his opening match.
Up next for Shelton on the court is a quarterfinal clash against Alex de Minaur at the Masters 1000 event in Toronto. This is the first time they face off on tour, and the American has already sent a word of caution to his opponent.
