Ben Shelton reveals 'physical beast' who has inspired him after reaching Wimbledon quarter-finals - 'I think very highly of him'

Ben Shelton has reached the Wimbledon quarter-finals for the first time in his career and will face world No. 1 Jannik Sinner for a spot in the semis. Shelton has revealed a former player who has been an "inspiration" for him and has given him "advice" during his career. The 10th seed has also spoken about what area of his game he hopes to make "elite".

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Ben Shelton has revealed the "physical beast" who has been an "inspiration" to him after reaching his first Wimbledon quarter-final.

Shelton powered past Lorenzo Sonego in four sets to advance to the last eight in SW19.

Aged 22, Shelton is the youngest American man to reach the Wimbledon quarter-finals since a 21-year-old Andy Roddick in 2004.

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Former world No. 1 Roddick made the final that year and the following year, losing both times to Roger Federer.

"It's pretty cool to be mentioned in the same sentence as him," Shelton said about Roddick.

"Definitely look up to him and think very highly of him. Seems like everything that I've done, it's the first to be done since him. He's got me beat pretty much in every category."

Roddick, who won 32 tour-level titles, including the 2003 US Open, had similar standout weapons to Shelton with a huge serve and forehand.

Shelton says his fellow American has been giving him some "advice" along the way.

Shelton continued: "He had nuke, bigger serve than me. He could run all day. He was a grinder, just a physical beast. Someone that I've looked up for inspiration. Massive forehand, great footwork.

"Someone who's been there along the way, sending some messages, giving some advice. Not always directly, but my dad or through Dean Goldfine, who was coaching me when I first came on tour.

"It's kind of just been a great resource as another American who did a lot of the things that I'd like to do in this sport and did them at a really young age."

Shelton next faces world No. 1 Jannik Sinner, who is having an MRI on an elbow injury after advancing in the previous round, when opponent Grigor Dimitrov retired with a two-set lead.

Shelton’s strengths are his serve and groundstrokes, but he says there is another area of his game he hopes to make "elite".

"I've been returning really well. It's something that I'm really happy with my progression," he added.

"Not where I want to be. I want to be an elite returner. I want to be one of the best returners in the world.

"I'm on my way. I'm certainly not there yet, but I'm much better than I was when I started out on tour.

"For me, the game slows down and gets a lot simpler when I'm serving a high first-serve percentage, I'm hitting my spots, and I'm putting every return in play. So that's my goal when I walk on the court."

Shelton has been joined at Wimbledon by his parents, as well as girlfriend Trinity Rodman, and his sister, Emma.

He says it has been "special" to share the experience with those close to him: "It's just been a lot of fun.

"I got all the people here with me that I could want. It's been an enjoyable experience being able to share these wins with them.

Ben Shelton has been joined at Wimbledon by (L-R) his parents, girlfriend, and sisterImage credit: Getty Images

"To be honest, a lot of times that I'm at tournaments, I'm enjoying the group of people that I have there with me, enjoying the off-court moments as well as the on-court.

"Those tend to be the places I play the best. I have a good formula here in Wimbledon.

"It's not always that you get to stay in a house with your family and do things together. We spend a lot of time together.

"Obviously a lot of people have lives and jobs, things they have to prioritise. This has been really cool for me and special to be as deep as I've ever been at Wimbledon, deeper than I've ever been, and have all these people here with me."

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