"Ben Shelton is going to take care of business" - Former American pro makes major prediction about American ahead of US Open

Former American tennis player Steve Johnson shared his honest prediction on Ben Shelton being a Grand Slam contender. This comes just a few days before the start of the 2025 US Open.

Notably, Shelton, 22, has had some promising Grand Slam runs this year. The most notable being the Australian Open 2025, where he was eliminated from the semifinals by Sinner. He followed this up with another impressive performance at Wimbledon last month and was again defeated by the Italian in the quarters.

Even though Shelton hasn't been able to clinch Grand Slams like his counterparts, such as Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, who have shared the last 7 Slams between them, his countryman, Johnson, has expressed his belief in the former's Slam prowess.

Johnson shared that Shelton's physicality is a major positive for him, which helps him to deliver at the big stage of Grand Slams. The 2016 Olympics bronze medalist further heaped praises on Shelton for his performance under pressure and added (via Nothing Major Show):

"I mean he is built like a Mack truck. Seeing him at the courts this week, I mean, he is insane, and so, you know, he is going to be ready week in and out. That's why I thought he has done well at Slams because his physicality takes over. When he gets these big moments, it doesn't feel like he flinches."

"Watching him on TV and watching him in person, you feel like he gets to these big moments and you just feel like, he's going to slowly take care of business."

Ben Shelton's recent performance in Toronto has been quite formidable, as he won the title after defeating Karen Khachanov in the finals. Following this, he also started his Cincinnati Masters impressively and has defeated the likes of Camilo Ugo Carabelli and Roberto Bautista in the initial rounds of the tournament.

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Ben Shelton speaks up after his victory over Roberto Bautista

Ben Shelton (Image via: Getty)

Ben Shelton made his feelings known on beating Roberto Bautista in a rain-delayed second-round clash at the Cincinnati Masters. Shelton won the first set in a tiebreak (7-3) and then went on to dominate his Spaniard opponent (6-3) in the following set to clinch the match in straight sets.

The current World No.6 shared that he was able to play his natural game after the rain break, and expressed his happiness at winning the match. Shelton said (via ATP Tour):

"The rain delay was a little reset for me. I came out playing much more aggressive tennis, my brand of tennis, and I’m happy how I finished it. I don’t think I did a great job [handling the match postponement last night]."

After his victory over Bautista, Ben Shelton will face Jiri Lehecka in the next round of the tournament on Friday, August 15.