Meet the 23-year-old poised to make tennis history.&nbsp;

When it comes to contemporary <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/history-of-tennis-whites-trend-summer-2021" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tennis</a>, the landscape is jam-packed with athletes from across the world who each bring something unique to the sport. With modern tennis legends <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/venus-williams-tennis-book-strive-happy-viking-interview" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Venus Williams</a>, Naomi Osaka, <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/gucci-tennis-capsule-collection-jannik-sinner" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jannik Sinner</a>, <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/pop-culture/aryna-sabalenka-photo-diary-2025-us-open-tournament-party-tennis-champion" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Aryna Sabalenka</a>, and Carlos Alcaraz, among others, who are defining the sport, any tournament promises a top-tier watch, but for many tennis fans, the newcomer games are just as enthralling, and this season, Ben Shelton seems to be&nbsp;the player to watch.
After a series of smashing singles games, Shelton has caught the eye of tennis experts and casual fans alike, and ahead of more success during this year's season&nbsp;to come, join&nbsp;L'OFFICIEL&nbsp;as we dive into all the details you need to know about the player, including his past highlights, early career, and his relationships.&nbsp;

Ben Shelton showing off his powerful left-hand serve, which reaches speeds up to 140 mph, at the 2025 US Open. Getty Images.

As a kid, Shelton was actually more interested in <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/pop-culture/most-handsome-men-nfl-football-players-draft-2025" target="_blank" rel="noopener">football</a> than tennis, but with a family full of former tennis stars&mdash;his mother was a junior tennis star, and his father, Bryan Shelton, is a former pro player who also coached for the University of Florida's team&mdash;taking to the court seems to have been just a matter of time.
&ldquo;This was the same kid who said that &lsquo;tennis will not be my sport&rsquo; when he was younger,&rdquo; Shelton's father and current coach, Bryan Shelton, told the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/23/sports/tennis/ben-shelton-us-open.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">New York Times</a> back in 2022. &ldquo;So he definitely came to it on his own. There was no pressure from mom or dad or sister.&rdquo;
In high school, Shelton rose to the top of national youth player rankings, and was a finalist in two national tournaments. Just a few years later, Shelton saw the same success during his time on the University of Florida collegiate team. In 2022, he finished his season as the top-ranked collegiate player in the US and clinched a major victory as the NCAA Singles Tournament Champion.&nbsp;
That same year, Shelton went pro and quickly made history as the youngest player in ATP Challenger Tour to take home three wins in three weeks. Over the course of 2023 and 2024, Shelton continued to hone his skills, and won big against tennis legends like Jannik Sinner and <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/pop-culture/wimbledon-male-athletes-dating-wives-girlfriends-2025-tommy-paul-paige-lorenze" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tommy Paul</a>, to name a few.&nbsp;&nbsp;
In 2025, he was a semi-finalist at the Australian Open and a quarter-finalist at Wimbledon, and took home the singles win at the Canadian Open.&nbsp;

Aside from his prowess on the court, Shelton is also beloved by fans for his sweet relationship with fellow athlete, Trinity Rodman. The pair reportedly began dating back in March of 2025, but neither was hesitant about hard-launching their relationship status on Instagram. Now, Shelton and Rodman continue to be each other's biggest cheerleaders, celebrating each other's accomplishments loud and proud on social media. During the 2025 US Open, fans spotted Rodman sitting front row in the stands.
Rodman is also the daughter of former <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/pop-culture/megan-thee-stallion-boyfriend-klay-thompson-nba" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NBA</a> star Dennis Rodman, but has been open about not having a close relationship with her father.&nbsp;
Rodman is a star athlete in her own right. The 23-year-old <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/pop-culture/most-handsome-soccer-players-of-all-time" target="_blank" rel="noopener">soccer player</a> currently plays forward for the Washington Spirit, and during her first season as a rookie back in 2021, she made history at the time as the youngest drafted player in the NWSL. During the same season, her team took home the NWSL Championship, and thanks to her killer moves on the field, she earned the league's Rookie of the Year award and the US Soccer Young Female Player of the Year award&mdash;widely considered the highest honor for American footballers.&nbsp;
Not long after, Rodman played for the US Women's team during the <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/pop-culture/every-usa-gold-medal-paris-2024-olympics" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2024 Paris Olympics</a>, where the team won gold.&nbsp;&nbsp;
With a year full of amazing athletic accomplishments behind both Rodman and Shelton, they'll go down in sports history as a <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/pop-culture/simone-biles-husband-power-couple-athletes" target="_blank" rel="noopener">power couple</a> to be remembered.&nbsp;

Ben Shelton Is The Tennis World's Next Big Star

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