Ben Shelton’s father reveals Rafael Nadal call that helped American reach US Open final
Ben Shelton’s father has revealed key advice that tennis legend Rafael Nadal gave him on the eve of the US Open, before weighing in with his analysis of the final against Zverev.
The eighth seed defeated fellow American Frances Tiafoe 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 7-5 to reach his maiden Grand Slam final.
Shelton is looking to become the first American man to win a Grand Slam since Andy Roddick at the 2003 US Open.
In addition, he is the first Black American man to reach a Grand Slam singles final since Arthur Ashe in 1972.
Whilst it may be a new milestone, Shelton entered the event as one of the title favourites, having successfully defended his title at the hard-court Masters 1000 event in Canada.
Just a few days later, however, the 23-year-old star was upset by Jaime Faria in his opening Cincinnati Open match.
According to his father and coach, Bryan, this shock loss prompted him to contact 22-time Grand Slam champion Nadal.
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“I think you learn from your experiences,” said the elder Shelton during a post-match press conference.
“One bad experience for him, but there’s a silver lining in it.
“He won Montreal, he went to Cincinnati and we said this is going to be the toughest day you’re going to have playing against Faria in the first round in Cincinnati after winning a title. Very few people come from that and have another good tournament the next week.
“He didn’t, he lost the very first round.
“I remember talking to Rafa a couple days after that match, you know I called him up, and Rafa was like you’ve got to be able to get through that first one and have the day off and then be able to get your best tennis again the next week.
“So it was a lesson for Ben that you’ve got to be able to bounce back when good things happen, just as you have to bounce back when adversity or tough things go on.
“So we talked about him beating Carlos and how important it’s going to be that this one is going to be even tougher tonight to bounce back after that.
“Because a lot of people want to rest after they’ve had something good and want to celebrate it. What we say is don’t celebrate until you separate, so you’ve got to win the next match, you’ve got to consolidate it and then somewhere hopefully next week we can celebrate a little bit.”
In the final, Shelton will face world No 2 Zverev, who is searching for his second Grand Slam title of the season after winning the French Open.
The German has now reached three consecutive Grand Slam finals and will undoubtedly fancy his chances.
Shelton has won just one of his 11 sets against Zverev and has been defeated in all five of their previous clashes, including three in 2025.
However, the American’s father and coach believes the star can turn the tables due to an array of recent improvements.
“Ben has been progressing in the right direction throughout this year,” he added.
“The four titles he has won on different surfaces are proof of that. I think part of that is down to the maturity and discipline he has developed on court. He is willing to suffer a little during exchanges, extend points and really make the most of his athletic ability.
“He and his physical trainer, Gabe Echevarria, got to work after Wimbledon. Losing in the first round at Wimbledon was a bitter pill to swallow, but Ben didn’t crumble.
“He simply got back to work in the Florida heat and put together some incredible weeks of training. I think he is now starting to see the rewards of that work.”
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