Ben Shelton sent heartfelt birthday wishes to his sister Emma with an adorable picture from their childhood. Ranked 14th in the world, Ben will be in action at the Miami Open later this week.
Shelton has had a good start to the season, which has helped him break into the top 20 of the ATP rankings. He began the year by reaching the semifinals of the Australian Open, where he was beaten by eventual champion Jannik Sinner.
The 22-year-old made early exits at the Dallas Open and Mexico Open but bounced back in the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells last week. He did not drop a single set en route to the quarterfinals, which included a win over former World No. 8 Karen Khachanov.
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The American was up against a spirited Jack Draper in the quarterfinals and was unable to extend his winning streak. However, he will find solace in the fact that Draper went on to win the Indian Wells Masters.
Now preparing for the Miami Open, where he is seeded 13, Ben Shelton took to Instagram to wish his sister a happy birthday. He picked out an adorable picture from their childhood and captioned the post:
“Best sister in the worlds bday…Love ya @_emmashelton ♥️”
Much like her younger brother, Emma is also a tennis player. She played for South Carolina and the Florida Gators during her collegiate career. One of the highlights of her career was when she won the Grene bracket individual title while playing for the Gators in 2022. Emma had also recently enjoyed a game of pickleball.
Ben Shelton reveals how sister Emma inspired his tennis career
Ben Shelton is among the most exciting young talents in tennis today. Shelton, who went pro in 2022, has two ATP titles to his name. The first one came when he won the Japan Open in 2023 and he followed that up by clinching the 2024 US Men's Clay Court Championships after beating his compatriot Frances Tiafoe.
Tennis runs in Shelton’s family as his father is a tennis coach. However, the youngster recently spoke about how his sister inspired his tennis career.
“I saw my sister – she was getting to play all these tournaments, traveling to all these different places. I was like, ‘Man, she can get out of school to play sports, travel, and stay in hotels,’” Ben Shelton said in a chat with ON.
Having made a good start to the season, Shelton will hope to capitalize on it when he begins his campaign at the Miami Open this week. He is seeded 13 in the singles, while he has also teamed up with Alex Michelsen to compete in the doubles department.
