MUBADALA CITI DC OPEN

July 20, 2025

Ben Shelton

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Ben, welcome back to D.C. You broke some new ground already at some of the Grand Slams this year. I was wondering what goals you have set for this U.S. swing beyond just making it that next round further.

BEN SHELTON: Yeah, always the biggest goal is the US Open, but I love all the early tournaments, lead-up tournaments in the U.S. swing. I think this is one of the tournaments with the best tennis crowds.

There is a lot of energy around this tournament. It's the reason that after a different slam, if it was, you know, two weeks after the slam ended and I was in the quarterfinals, I'd probably pull out and not play, but this is a tournament that I never want to miss, just because of the energy and excitement around it.

Yeah, I'm happy to be here, looking forward to putting up good performances. I always say I want to go one step deeper than I went the year before, and that's not always the case, but yeah, I hope to have some good results in this U.S. swing.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. I wanted to ask you, especially now that you're back in the U.S., about that quarterbacker thing at Wimbledon. I guess being back here, so what was your youth football life like? What did you do? What did you play or where did you play and at what age were you when you played football growing up?

BEN SHELTON: I was just playing like Boys & Girls Club, first-round middle school football, and then -- sorry, first-year middle school football after Boys & Girls Club. I stopped. I stopped young. It's kind of like I think an overplayed story. It's not like I was playing in college or something (smiling).

But, yeah, it was a sport that I loved growing up. I played a lot of sports until I was, like, 13 and then I kind of shut it down and started focusing on tennis. But I thought it was huge for my athletic development, hand/eye coordination.

I just think that for me it was the way that I was able to develop physically, athletically, and a big reason why I'm where I'm at today.

Q. You kind of talked a little bit there about not wanting to miss this tournament, and this tournament specifically has kind of launched a lot of great runs into the US Open. We look at Coco who won this tournament in '23 and then won the US Open. Do you think this is good prep, especially, for example, with the weather leading up to August in New York?

BEN SHELTON: Yeah, I think it's great prep, regardless of the result here. In 2023 when I made semis of the Open, I lost first round here in singles, but I was in the finals of doubles. I had a good run here last year, and I felt really confident going into the Open.

Obviously Foe got me a little earlier in that tournament, but I thought I was playing great tennis. Yeah, I think this is a great tournament for me to kind of start my U.S. swing. Obviously used to be Atlanta the year before, but I kind of like this schedule better.

It's nice, you know, going from D.C. to Toronto to Cincy. We use the same ball now, so it's like once you get to the hard courts, it's nice to be able to train and play with the same ball in all the tournaments leading up.

I think that's how all the pre-Grand Slam swings should be. And, you know, D.C. did a great job adjusting from a different ball to, you know, using this ball now. I think that it's been great for the players.

I mean, it speaks volumes with the player field that you have here this year. You know, four, five guys in the top 10. I don't know, eight or ten in the top 20. It's stacked.

Q. For you and Frances, getting the opportunity to play doubles now, I'm curious, what are you looking forward to most about that opportunity of having the opportunity to play with him? And also, when you guys are practicing together, is there any talk about strategy of doubles matches, or is it playing with your friend and friendly competition out there?

BEN SHELTON: You just asked if Frances was talking about doubles strategy? (Laughter.)

No, I mean, we're going to have a lot of fun. We're going to compete, obviously. I think we should get a good crowd here, and we thought that would be a good place to play. Hopefully get a dub and play a couple of matches, but even if it's just one match, we will have a lot of fun out there.

We will enjoy ourselves Monday night, get ourselves ready and in a good place for our singles matches, and I love playing doubles. I like the extra competition, especially if I'm playing with one of my boys who I like to be around, and obviously Foe is one of my best friends out here on tour.

Q. I wanted to ask you about the US Open. Some players will talk about the sort of feeling a little intimidated the first time they go there, the noise, the commute from Manhattan to Queens, the airplanes overhead, the fans. It's different in a lot of ways particularly from other Grand Slam tournaments. From the first time you went there, did you feel comfortable and enjoy all of that hubbub, or did that take some adjustment?

BEN SHELTON: Yeah, I guess I find peace in the chaos, because I feel more uncomfortable at the quiet tournaments where there is not much going on, not as many fans, or the ground isn't packed with people, or there is not a stigma of excitement around the tournament.

It's like for me that's what I live for, playing these tournaments. It's like every tournament of the year there is other tournaments that are sick, that they're cool, but for me just can't compare, because that energy is not there when you're driving from the city to the site or, you know, getting ready to walk out on Arthur Ashe.

For me, there is no feeling like it. That's my personal opinion. But that's where I have always felt at home playing and the reason I feel like I play my best tennis there.

Q. For a tennis player, obviously racquet is a pretty important piece of equipment.

BEN SHELTON: You said racquet?

Q. Racquet. When is the last time you switched racquets, or have you since becoming a pro? Is that a difficult move if you did do it?

BEN SHELTON: Yeah, in 2022, I was using a racquet that I bought from Tennis Warehouse or Tennis Express, you know, one of those. I was using Yonex, but they were just off the shelf. I put some lead tape on them myself. It was the Yonex racquet that Stan used to use.

I grew up playing with Wilson, and I switched to the Yonex right before college, and I used that until, you know, 2022 US Open and I was having some problems with my arm. I switched to the racquet that I'm in now, and I haven't switched since.

I make little tweaks sometimes in the offseason, whether it's the grip or strings or where I'm putting weight in the racquet. But for me, I feel like finding consistent frame and making tweaks is a lot easier for me than trying to find a different frame or -- because I love the frame that I'm in.

You know, there is going to be small things each year where the tour is playing faster or slower or how guys are hitting the ball. The tour is really fast right now. The courts are really fast. D.C., this court is playing really fast. Yeah, got to put the ball in the court, for sure.

Q. Frances may not be the most serious doubles player, but you're playing next month with somebody who is a pretty serious doubles player in Taylor Townsend, who's probably got the best doubles ranking of anyone on the entry list now for US Open mixed. Curious how you found her as a partner, and then also, how seriously you guys are going to take that? I think you guys are short-listed for a lot of people as pretty clear overdogs in that tournament.

BEN SHELTON: Yeah, I don't know about that. Got some big hitters in there. But yeah, we're both from Atlanta. We have known each other, been friends since I have been out on tour. Obviously we made a semis run at the US Open. Personally, if I wasn't still in the singles, we probably would have had a good shot at taking that title.

Yeah, she's the best mixed doubles player in the world, hands down. So if I was going to play, I wasn't going to play at all unless I could play with her.

My dad was, like, There's no point in playing if you're not trying to win it and you don't think you have a chance to win it. And she's who I think I have a chance to win it with.

It should be a lot of fun. We enjoy ourselves. We compete hard. But, you know, we clown out there also. Yeah, it's a big prize. I forget what the prize money is for the tournament, but I feel like it's ridiculous.

It's a mill? Yeah, I guess you could say we'll be playing hard.

Q. (Off mic.)

BEN SHELTON: Yeah, I hit her up. I was, like, So are we doing this or what?

She's, like, Yeah, I was just waiting on your call.

Q. You talked a bit in your previous answer about loving tournaments with energy and you don't like the quieter tournaments. You're pretty young and you're the next generation of tennis players that we're getting. Do you see a change in tournaments with fans, you know, allowing free movement, allowing talking, that sort of thing? Is it something you're excited for, encouraging? What do you think about it?

BEN SHELTON: Yeah, I mean, for me it's all about the kids. Here in D.C., for example, there is a million kids on-site. It's hot but they are still excited to be here.

You tell a kid they can't speak for hours and can't move out of their seat, that's not something they're going to be excited to go to.

Yeah, that's what's important to me. It's getting young fans in our sport, the people who are the next, you know, best players in the world, but also just the next normal tennis fans who love the sport and travel around to watch it. You know, you have the traditional tennis fan already who loves tennis and have always loved tennis. But it's the younger crowd that have always been lacking, and I think that there has kind of been a shift.

For me, especially in the U.S., the crowd's a lot younger, a lot more diverse. You just notice it in the airports and people who recognize you now, are big into watching tennis or watching Wimbledon or love what Coco is doing or saying something about Frances or me and all the Americans.

It's pretty cool, because tennis has never been a sport that was as appreciated in the U.S. as other sports, and I definitely am feeling the love and can see that happening.

So for me, to be able to feel that energy in a sporting event I think also is what young crowds want to see and want to be a part of. So that's what I think makes it cool about a tournament like this, because you can see how much fun people are having on-site.