“I just keep my mouth shut" - Ben Shelton opens up about the other side of his personality, calls himself 'boring' off the court

Ben Shelton has exposed a different side of himself, admitting that he's not as entertaining off the court and prefers to chat less.

Since his quarterfinal appearance at the US Open this year, the rising American tennis star has captivated tennis fans with his on-court personality traits. Ben Shelton displayed a steely celebration after defeating compatriot Frances Tiafoe in four sets at Flushing Meadows, punching his ticket to a Grand Slam semifinal for the first time in his career.

In a recent video broadcast on the ATP Tour's official YouTube channel, the 21-year-old revealed some details about his attitude when he's not competing, which is diametrically opposite to his fiery and expressive approach on the court.

Ben Shelton described himself as "boring" and stated that he did not enjoy interacting with others. He joked about not having many friends, but then highlighted how his friends saw him as a fun-loving person who enjoyed to hang out with people.

“I am pretty boring when I’m off the court, I don't like to talk too much. I kind of just keep my mouth shut, like to stay in my hotel room and be by myself. I don’t have too many friends but umm..I like to keep…(laughs). No, uh.. I think my friends would describe me as someone who likes to make jokes, keep things light-hearted. I like having fun and just hanging out and being with people is what I enjoy the most,” Shelton stated.

In an all-American affair on Friday, October 20, at the 2023 Japan Open, Shelton edged out Tommy Paul in straight sets 7-6 (4), 6-3. He will square off against compatriot Marcos Giron in the semifinal.

“I have had a pretty good year so far”- Ben Shelton reflects on his 2023 tour performances

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Ben Shelton has enjoyed a fairly decent season this year reaching the semifinals of the US Open and the Japan Open. Looking back on his journey thus far, the American emphasized the importance of hitting the court as often as possible and figuring out what worked for him.

“At the beginning of the year it was really important to me that I played as many weeks as I could just to try to get my feet wet, know which places I like or don’t like to play, what conditions I like and just kind of get used to everything that comes with being out here on the tour.”

Ben Shelton's victory over home favorite Alexei Popyrin in the third round of the Australian Open this year was a shining example. He said it gave him the assurance he needed to compete on the world's biggest stage.

“ I think so far I’ve had a pretty good year in terms of that I think the biggest highlight for me this year was playing in the Australian Open for the first time and having to play an Australian guy in front of a big crowd that was against me and you know handling my nerves well, multiple matches in a row, being able to go five sets..last five sets which I hadn’t done before in my career and I kind of proved to myself that you know I was fit enough to compete in Grand Slams and mentally tough enough to play in front of big crowds. So I think that was something that I gained a lot of confidence from this year,” he said.