THE CHAMPIONSHIPS

July 7, 2025

Ben Shelton

Press Conference

B. SHELTON/L. Sonego

3-6, 6-1, 7-6, 7-5

THE MODERATOR: Ben, through to the quarterfinals. Feeling good?

BEN SHELTON: Yeah, really happy with my win today. It wasn't easy. A little bit difficult conditions. I'm sure, as everyone could see watching the tennis today, it wasn't as straightforward.

A lot of things that I'm proud of myself the way I handled that match, winning it in four sets, and some things I definitely want to do better moving forward for the rest of the tournament.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. You hit some great returns in that match? How focused were you on that coming into this tournament, the last few weeks? How important do you think that's been to your success here?

BEN SHELTON: Yeah, I've been returning really well. It's something that I'm really happy with my progression. Not where I want to be. I want to be an elite returner. I want to be one of the best returners in the world. I'm on my way. I'm certainly not there yet, but I'm much better than I was when I started out on tour.

For me, the game slows down and gets a lot simpler when I'm serving a high first-serve percentage, I'm hitting my spots, and I'm putting every return in play.

So that's my goal when I walk on the court. It doesn't always end up that way. I didn't serve great today. I was more disappointed in my serving game, and the way that Lorenzo mixes up speeds, spins on a serve, he can get it up to 130, 135. He can also hit the cutter at 95. It was difficult.

I didn't think I had a great overall consistent returning day as I did against Fucsovics. In the moments where I needed it most, I returned well today.

Q. You're the youngest American man to reach Wimbledon quarterfinals since Andy Roddick in 2004. Did you watch him much growing up? Did you base any of your game around him at all?

BEN SHELTON: I wasn't really playing tennis yet when he was still playing. Obviously seen a ton of tape now. He had nuke, bigger serve than me. He could run all day. He was a grinder, just a physical beast. Someone that I've looked up for inspiration. Massive forehand, great footwork.

Someone who's been there along the way, sending some messages, giving some advice. Not always directly, but my dad or through Dean Goldfine, who was coaching me when I first came on tour. It's kind of just been a great resource as another American who did a lot of the things that I'd like to do in this sport and did them at a really young age.

Seems like everything that I've done, it's the first to be done since him. He's got me beat pretty much in every category.

No, it's pretty cool to be mentioned in the same sentence as him. Yeah, definitely look up to him and think very highly of him.

Q. How soon before a match do you start thinking intensively about the opponent, who you're going to play? Do you ever find yourself thinking too much if you know a day or two before who you're going to step on the court against?

BEN SHELTON: Yeah, for me, I don't want to know, like, six days out how it is at a Masters. I feel like getting to a place where you're overly consumed with who play or who you could be playing in the future, for some people that works great. I talked to Taylor Fritz. He's like, Oh, I got this guy in the quarters. But it works for him.

I think everybody is completely different. That wasn't a shot at Taylor at all. For me, I got to kind of not think about who I'm playing, especially in later rounds. I only want to know the round that I'm going into. I want to know maybe two days out.

So once you start playing at slams, you kind of know who you got two days out after each match. For me, that's perfect, enough time to watch tape, think about it, talk about it with my team, but also not dwell at it.

Q. Can you relate to players asking reporters not to mention who they're playing in the next round at all in their press conference?

BEN SHELTON: Like I said, only if it's far out or if I get a text from somebody, a friend or family friend, who is just super excited. Oh, Wimbledon draw came out, saw you got this person in the quarterfinal. I'm like, This is first round (smiling).

Yeah, so at that point maybe. With, like, the next match coming up, I don't feel any type of way about it.

Q. What has this Wimbledon been like for you? Your sister is all over social media with Morgan Stanley, a lot of shots for your crew in the crowd. I'm sure you want to keep winning. What has this tournament been like for you to experience?

BEN SHELTON: Yeah, it's just been a lot of fun. I got all the people here with me that I could want. It's been an enjoyable experience being able to share these wins with them.

To be honest, a lot of times that I'm at tournaments, I'm enjoying the group of people that I have there with me, enjoying the off-court moments as well as the on-court. Those tend to be the places I play the best.

I have a good formula here in Wimbledon. It's not always that you get to stay in a house with your family and do things together. We spend a lot of time together. Obviously a lot of people have lives and jobs, things they have to prioritize.

This has been really cool for me and special to be as deep as I've ever been at Wimbledon, deeper than I've ever been, and have all these people here with me.

Q. Whether you think about what's ahead and realize that at this moment Jannik Sinner might be out, if that does happen, how would you describe the opportunity ahead for you?

BEN SHELTON: They're in the second set?

Q. Dimitrov is up a break serving for the set in the second... Never mind.

BEN SHELTON: Yeah, I mean, as the match is going on, I don't think about it one way or the other. If I get out of here in time, yeah, I'd like to watch a little bit when I get home, watch the end of that match.

Either way, I'm looking forward to it. I'm either playing Grigor, who's a great grass court player, has all the skills and tools needed to be great and beat great players on the grass. The slice is lethal, great serve, forehand, love to come forward, touch around the net.

Then you have Sinner. Don't really need to say anything there. The guy's a machine.

For me, I'm looking forward to either matchup. Very different matchups. But I think it's a great opportunity for me to go for it and be aggressive and come after whoever I'm playing and try to get to the semifinals at Wimbledon for the first time.

So I want to play my best tennis late in these tournaments. To beat either of those guys in two days, I'm going to have to play at a really high level.

Q. On your family, I know it might be hard to separate out because I'm sure Grand Slams feel different. What is the different feeling you have at a tournament where your whole team is with you? You seem to feed off that energy a lot. Is there a marked difference you can feel in how you respond, feel every day when you wake up?

BEN SHELTON: Yeah, I mean, there's a balance, right? If I was traveling with this many people every week of the year, I'd be like, All right, need a little bit of space (smiling).

The fact it's people I don't get to see all the time makes it really special, makes a tournament like this really special that ended up happening on one of the biggest stages in our sport.

I know my family kind of had this trip planned out six months, a year ago, that this was going to be the one this year that everyone came to. I know that they're really enjoying it. Glad that I've been able to win a few matches, kind of got to extend the trip for them.

I know they're having just as much fun as me. It's been cool.

Q. Is there some one specific element or dynamic in the house which is really fun? Talk about your first recollections of Wimbledon as a kid.

BEN SHELTON: Yeah, just spending time together, watching TV, meals. Watching tennis. For a lot of people that have watched tennis or know tennis, everyone can kind of relate to whatever's going on on the TV. Yeah, we've just had a lot of fun being around each other in general.

First recollection is sitting in the living room Sundays or a weekend. My dad, he always has tennis on the TV. We get back from a trip. If I end up going over to his house, it's like he's been watching tennis for four weeks straight. Masters, a slam, a couple 500s. I walk in the living room, sitting there, tennis on the TV. I'm like, Dude, go play golf or something (smiling).

Yeah, he's a severe, severe student of the game. So those are kind of first memories, whether it was the 2019 Novak and Roger final, a bunch of others. I don't remember exactly who was playing. Kind of late in the tournament, just the highly anticipated matches, getting glued to the TV for a few hours, for sure.

Q. You mentioned in your post-match interview on court how you were a quarterback. Of the sports you played in your life, which helps you most in your grass game?

BEN SHELTON: Tennis.

Q. Of the other sports you played, aspects that have helped you more on grass?

BEN SHELTON: I mean, I guess the sports that you would play on grass would help with the movement a little bit. But you're wearing cleats.

I don't know. Specifically on grass, probably nothing, to be honest, other than the serve, baseball and football, the throw motion maybe helped with the serve. I think anything else would be a bit of a reach.