"I've always had a bit of style" - Ben Shelton fondly reacts to old picture of 15-year-old self with sportsmanship award

Ben Shelton was overjoyed to see an old picture of his 15-year-old self from his under-16 playing days. The American concluded his 2024 ATP season at the Davis Cup Finals, losing back-to-back matches for the USA in singles and doubles to end the year as World No. 21.

Shelton was born into a tennis family with father Bryan serving as a coach for the Florida Gators men's team. He, however, was interested in playing football during his early childhood before playing tennis regularly from age 12.

The 22-year-old was coached by his father, who advised him to not compete in the ITF Junior tournaments abroad and instead focus on his development. His career bloomed late after joining the Florida Gators' collegiate tennis team before making his ATP tour debut at the 2022 Atlanta Open.

Shelton was recently shown a picture of his 15-year-old self receiving the sportsmanship award during an appearance on the UTS Tour. He was overjoyed on revisiting fond memories from his U-16 playing days and claimed his appearance hadn't changed at all.

"I look the same, I haven't changed at all. This was maybe when I was 15 years old. I played a 16 and under tournament in Florida and this award was actually I won the Sportsmanship award at the tournament. I don't know how I won," Ben Shelton said.

The 22-year-old was initially in doubt whether his style had gotten better or worsened but concluded that he always had the style.

"I think my style has gotten worse. No, no I think it has gotten a little better. I've always had a little bit of style," he added.

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"He would just get on me and scream at me more than the other guys" - Ben Shelton explains how collegiate stint developed him as a tennis player

Davis Cup Finals - Ben Shelton in action against Australia (Source: Getty)

Ben Shelton committed to play tennis for Florida Gators on 2020 Father's Day and acknowledged that before joining the Gators, he had a lot of holes in his game, which were eventually filled by his coach and father Bryan Shelton.

“I was pretty underdeveloped when I got to college. I had a lot of holes in my game. I was a little bit of a mental case on the court, I got angry pretty easily. But you know, when you don’t do the right things on a college team, when your dad’s the coach, the punishment is a lot harsher than other guys on the team would have," he told Guardian in an interview.

The 22-year-old added that he faced more punishment than his teammates because his father didn't want to show favoritism.

"He would just get on me and scream at me more than the other guys, but I get it because you can’t show favoritism. Or I’d have to run sprints in front of everybody if I showed up late, but if someone else showed up late and then I showed up late, I was running a lot more sprints than they were," Ben Shelton added.

He shone brightly in two seasons with the Gators, helping them win their first national title in 2021. He led the team to back-to-back SEC titles and won the NCAA singles championship in 2022. The 22-year-old was slated to return for a third year but turned pro after an impressive campaign at the 2022 Cincinnati Masters.