Boris Becker advises Ben Shelton to heed his coach and father Bryan's words despite their difference of opinion at Wimbledon

Boris Becker advised Ben Shelton to be attentive to the opinion of his father and coach, Bryan Shelton. Bryan played professionally from 1989 to 1997 and later served as the coach of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets women's tennis team and the Florida Gators men's tennis team.

Ben, currently ranked 10 in the ATP rankings, has had an impressive Wimbledon run so far, losing just one set on his way to his first quarterfinals at SW19. Interestingly, his father and coach, Bryan, who now cheers on his son from the stands, made it to the R16 of the same tournament 31 years ago.

Ben Shelton, following in his father's legendary footsteps, hailed him for improving his grass skills, serving style, and teaching him how to slowly unveil his cards on the court. He also argued that his baseline play is better than his father but he would give the serving upper hand to the latter.

"Definitely my dad. He was in the round of 16 here, 31 years ago, give or take. He was a serve and volleyer, big serve, came forward all the time. And he liked to see me coming forward a little bit more than I am. My argument is that I think I'm better than he from the baseline. And he had a better serve than me, maybe."

"So he kind of inspires the way that I'm playing on grass, the way that I'm moving forward, how I'm cutting off angles, wanting to mix in the serve and volley style, vintage style of tennis every once in a while, and be a little bit unpredictable on the court. So yeah, he's kind of the guy who puts our game plans together. So far, so good."

Former World No.1 Boris Becker, who won six Grand Slam titles, reacted to Shelton's comments and agreed with his father's opinion.

"Your dad is correct…."

Ben Shelton will next play World No. 1 Jannik Sinner in the quarterfinals of the 2025 Wimbledon.

Boris Becker previously commented on Ben Shelton's play after losses on the grass this season

Shelton at the Championships - Wimbledon 2025 - (Source: Getty)

Ben Shelton succumbed to Carlos Alcaraz in the fourth round at the French Open, followed by a semifinal exit from the Stuttgart Open. He faced another heartbreak at the HSBC and Mallorca, losing in the opening round in both.

Shelton's underwhelming results on grass garnered reactions from Boris Becker, who felt that his reactions were late and the foundation wasn't strong enough.

"I think he fundamentally hasn’t found his game yet. I mean, at the elite level, he’s world number 10, so he can play tennis. But I actually see him in the top five. He has an incredibly high loop. That’s why he often hits too late, he also has too much topspin for my taste. He still needs to work on his forehand, and on grass, due to the speed of the game, he doesn’t have the time." (via Becker Petkovic podcast)

Shelton made it to the semifinals of the 2025 Australian Open, having repeated his 2023 US Open feat.