Ben Shelton recently discussed his experience of having his father, Bryan, as his coach. Shelton turned professional in 2022, and his father joined his team as a full-time coach in 2023.
Bryan, who is a former player himself, was previously the head coach of the Florida Gators, a team that Shelton played on during his college years.
Ben Shelton Makes His Feelings Known About Having His Father, Bryan, As His Coach
In a recent interview with the Tennis Channel, Shelton was asked about the dynamics of his relationship with his father, who also serves as his coach. In response, the World No. 12 stated that he has a “great relationship” with Bryan and mentioned they share the same goals concerning his tennis career.
“Yeah, there’s not really a formula; it’s kind of natural. I mean, we have a great relationship, there’s no pressure. We just both have the same goals. We want to be the best; we want to put in a perfect effort every day. We don’t need to be perfect, but we want our effort to be,” Shelton said.
Shelton explained that after spending so much time together training and traveling, he and his father pursue their own activities at the end of the day. The tennis star mentioned that it helps keep their relationship “fresh” and prevents it from becoming overbearing.
“Yeah, we have the same mindset about a lot of things obviously. It’s not like okay we’re on the court together, we’re on the site together, and then we go back and we go to dinner together. No, he does his own thing a lot of times. I do my own thing. It’s kind of the same when we’re at home and we’ve figured out how to really manage the relationship and keep things fresh and keep respect in the relationship,” he continued.
The World No. 12 also expressed deep respect for Bryan, valuing him not only as a father but also for his “great tennis mind.”
“I think that it’s important that I respect him as a father, which I do very much, and also as a coach. I respect his tennis mind and how he was as a player, and I think that a lot of people in the world respect him as a great tennis mind,” he said.