Ben Shelton steps out of American soil for the first time as Top-100 debutant gears up for Australian Open 2023

World No. 96 Ben Shelton has revealed that he will be traveling outside the US for the first time as part of the ATP tour as he prepares for the 2023 Australian Open.

Shelton has been one of the most surprising performers of the season. Prior to the summer, the 20-year-old had no experience playing on the tour. He earned a wildcard entry at the 2022 Cincinnati Masters and made the most of the opportunity as he put up strong performances to outclass fifth seed Casper Ruud and Lorenzo Sonego. He failed to move past the third round of the tournament.

The American is currently flying to Australia as he looks forward to taking part in the first Grand Slam of the season. He took to Instagram on Monday to share the news of his first trip outside the US.

"First time leaving the country, AUS soon," he wrote in his Instagram story.

Ben Shelton's Instagram story on Monday

Leading sports journalist and commentator Jose Morgado was surprised that the No. 96 has not ever left his nation until the present day during his professional career. He conveyed that such a thing would have been impossible for a player from any other country other than the US.

"Fascinating that Ben Shelton never left the US (at least to play tennis - seniors or juniors) in his life. He is already an ATP Top 100. That would be pretty much impossible for players from any other country," Morgado wrote in his tweet.

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"It's cool that I have a former pro who's my dad" - Ben Shelton proud to be coached by his father

Ben Shelton at the 2022 US Open

Ben Shelton revealed that he is happy to be coached by his father Bryan Shelton, a former tennis player.

After a surprising win against Casper Ruud at the 2022 Cincinnati Masters, the American, during the press conference, conveyed that it was "cool" to have a former professional in his dad.

"Yeah, it's fun to talk about. It's cool that I have a former pro who's my dad to look up to," he stated.

With the win against Ruud, Shelton broke his father's record of surpassing the second round of the Ohio-based tournament.

"Yeah, a little bit. I know that he has two top-5 wins and I only have one. He's got me in that category," he said when asked about how he felt after beating his father's record.

Shelton was last seen in action at the Challenger Champaign US, an ATP Challenger tournament, and the 20-year-old went on to win the title, beating Aleksandar Vukic in the final.