AUSTRALIAN OPEN 2023: Shelton part of growing crop of US men
FILE - Ben Shelton plays during the Western & Southern Open tennis tournament Aug. 18, 2022, in Mason, Ohio. No American man has won a Grand Slam singles title since 2003. There is a crop of players from the U.S. hoping to end that drought at some point, and while it still might take some time, breakthrough performances in 2022 by Frances Tiafoe and Taylor Fritz helped show even younger countrymen what could be possible. That group includes 20-year-old Shelton, the NCAA champion from Florida, who turned pro last year, shot into the top 100 of the rankings and received direct entry into the Australian Open. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean, File)[ASSOCIATED PRESS/Jeff Dean]
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — This whole international pro tennis thing is all pretty new to Ben Shelton. One indication of that is Shelton says he is using his passport for the first time to travel overseas. The 20-year-old NCAA champion from the University of Florida will be making his Australian Open debut on Tuesday. Shelton is part of a group of young Americans who are hoping to take strides and bring the country its first Grand Slam singles title for a man in 20 years. Players such as Frances Tiafoe and Taylor Fritz made breakthroughs in 2022 and Shelton found their success inspiring.
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FILE - Frances Tiafoe celebrates after winning a point against Rafael Nadal, of Spain, during the fourth round of the U.S. Open tennis tournament Sept. 5, 2022, in New York. It's been said over and over and over again: No American man has won a Grand Slam singles title since 2003. There is a crop of players from the U.S. hoping to end that drought at some point, and while it still might take some time, breakthrough performances in 2022 by Tiafoe and Taylor Fritz helped show even younger countrymen what could be possible. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson, File)
Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS/Julia Nikhinson
FILE - Brandon Nakashima holds the trophy during ceremonies after defeating Czech Republic's Jiri Lehecka in the final of the ATP Next Gen tennis tournament in Milan, Italy, Nov. 12, 2022. No American man has won a Grand Slam singles title since 2003. There is a crop of players from the U.S. hoping to end that drought at some point. Nakashima is a 21-year-old from California. He could face Rafael Nadal in the second round of the Australian Open. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno, File)
Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS/Luca Bruno