The sport Ben Shelton ‘fell in love’ with as a child that wasn’t tennis

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Ben Shelton has quickly become one of the best players on the ATP Tour.

The American, 23, has already won multiple ATP Tour titles, including the 2025 Canadian Open.

Shelton has continued to impress this year, reaching the Australian Open quarter-finals and winning the Dallas Open.

However, tennis was not always Shelton’s preferred sport, as noted in an interview with the Daily Mail in 2024.

Ben Shelton ‘fell in love’ with American Football

Growing up in the US, it is hardly surprising that Ben Shelton developed an affinity for American Football.

American football is one of the most popular sports in America alongside basketball and baseball.

Shelton was most certainly caught up in the American football fever when he was a child, as acknowledged in a conversation with the Daily Mail.

“I played lots of other sports growing up,” Shelton said. “I played basketball, football, baseball, soccer, I played it all.

“The sport I really fell in love with was American football. I played until I was 12 and that’s when I started to take tennis a bit more seriously – probably because my sister was having some success, she’s a year and a half older and I wanted to follow in her footsteps.

When asked if American football was his intended path, Shelton added: “100 per cent. First, college football.

“When you’re a little kid and you have those things in school, what do you want to be when you grow up? Every year I wrote pro football player, pro football player, always.

“That was the path I dreamed of and hoped to take but I’m happy with where I ended up!”

Can Ben Shelton win Indian Wells?

Last year, Ben Shelton reached the Indian Wells quarter-finals, beating Mariano Navone, Karen Khachanov and Brandon Nakashima before losing to eventual champion Jack Draper.

This year, Shelton is seeded eighth and has received a bye through to the second round.

In the second round, Shelton will face Reilly Opelka, who beat compatriot Ethan Quinn in his opening match.

Shelton has a 2-0 record against Opelka, having beaten the American at 2024 Cincinnati Masters and 2025 Japan Open.

If Shelton beats Opelka again, he will play Adam Walton or Learner Tien in the third round.