WATCH: Ben Shelton excels at testing his American football skills as he takes up 50-yard line challenge

Ben Shelton isn’t just serving aces, he’s kicking up a storm! Amid practice sessions before his upcoming campaign in Dallas, the young champion stepped on the football field to test his skills in a long-range shot challenge.

Shelton has always been vocal about his love for American football. The young champion had earlier admitted that he wanted to pursue a career in football as a kid. The popularity of the sport in the United States attracted him. However, the ATP star finally decided to extend his family legacy and, therefore, excelled on the tennis courts.

The ATP Dallas Open's official Instagram account posted a video of Ben Shelton trying his football skills. The author created a curious moment for the followers, adding up a query to test Shelton's skills at American football.

"From the service line to the 50-yard line… can Ben Shelton go the distance?," the post caption said.

Ben Shelton attempted shots from the service line and therefore tried hitting a mark of 25 Yard and easily made it. This gave him enough confidence to go for bigger targets.

"I don't know, it think I can make it," he said, giving himself a tougher challenge of 40 yards.

To fans' surprise, the 22-year-old nailed his shot, landing the ball right on the target line. But the challenges didn’t stop there! Within the final five seconds, he pushed his limits even further and delivered a stunning 45-yard shot, his personal best. Although he couldn't make it to 50 yards, he unleashed his witty side and threw the ball to cover the remaining 5 yards.

Ben Shelton refocused on his 2025 goals after a tough loss to Jannik Sinner

Ben Shelton at the 2025 Australian Open - Source: Getty

Ben Shelton was forced to reconsider his goals for the ongoing season after the defeat against Jannik Sinner. Despite making it to the semifinals, the young champ encountered a tough challenge against the defending champion. He lost 6-4, 7-5, 4-6, 7-6. In a press conference following his defeat, the American made his goals for 2025 clear.

"I know I'm close. I know my level's close. I know I have a lot of the stuff that I need. I certainly believe in myself. I just think that the reps against those guys, the consistency of playing those guys, playing a lot of matches in a week or a couple weeks, that will be the goal this year for me," he said.

The young champ pointed at a winning aspect in top-ranked pros including Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic and others. He assured adapting the same mindset that they carry.

"I think that those guys... Sinner, Alcaraz, Novak, the guys who have been dominating in the Slams since I've been on Tour, on their bad days they're still winning in three sets, winning in four sets. They figure it out. I'm getting closer to being able to do that,” he added.

Ben Shelton is all set to begin his Dallas Open campaign on February 5, 2025. With his opening-round match against Aleksander Vukic of Australia, it still remains to be seen if the young champ could take things forward this time around.