He did not play any of the significant junior grand slam events that have operated as springboards for many pros. Shelton went to the University of Florida, where the men’s tennis coach happened to be Bryan Shelton, who is well respected in tennis circles for emphasizing a mastery of the game over chasing victories. There was no grand plan to move Ben quickly up the tennis ranks. “You work on something, you work on something, you keep working on it, and then, six months later, you see that you can do it,” the younger Shelton told me this week. Then he began running roughshod in ATP Challenger tournaments, the tennis equivalent of Triple-A baseball.

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Persons: Shelton, Bryan Shelton, Ben, “ Organizations: American, University of Florida, Florida, ATP Challenger, Triple