"On my first trip to Australia, it took me 8 or 9 days to feel alive, I was dead" - Ben Shelton on struggling with jetlag in his first year as a pro

Ben Shelton has said that he struggled to deal with jetlag in his first year as a pro on the ATP Tour.

The American youngster spent two years playing college tennis at the University of Florida before turning pro in 2023. He began the year by taking a wildcard to compete at the ASB Classic in Auckland, where he made a second-round exit.

Shelton, however, had a pretty successful year on the circuit. He made a surprise run to the quarterfinal at the Australian Open and later reached his first Grand Slam semifinal at the US Open. He also won his first ATP singles title in Tokyo.

Being a full-time pro has come with its own challenges, ones that Shelton initially struggled to adapt to. The 21-year-old, who is back in New Zealand to take part in the ATP 250 event, shed light on the difficulties that came with life on the road.

“It’s a much different lifestyle. When I was in college you spent most of your nights at home, in your own bed. Now, I’m living in hotels, going from city to city. Jetlag is one of the biggest things, getting acclimatized to new places,” he said. (via Stuff)

“Last year, on my first trip to Australia, it took me eight or nine days to feel alive. I was dead. This year, after three days I felt good. It’s just those things that the more you see, the more you know. I think I got a lot of that out of the way last year,” he added.

Despite the initial struggles, Shelton has enjoyed being a pro on the tour and is thankful for the opportunities he gets to explore different places and experience various cultures.

“It’s been cool. I’ve got to see a lot of different places, different continents and cultures for the first time. A lot of these guys got to experience these different things at young ages, 15 or 16, playing ITF [junior] tournaments. But for it to all happen in one year was crazy for me, it was all flooding in at once,” he expressed.

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Ben Shelton on his 2023 campaign: “I thought it went really well”

Ben Shelton at the 2023 Shanghai Rolex Masters.

On the whole, Ben Shelton expressed satisfaction with his 2023 season, which ended up being a massive learning curve for the youngster.

“I thought it went really well. I learnt a lot of things throughout the year, and it was important for my growth and development. There was definitely a learning curve for me last year,” he said.

At the season-opening Australian Open, he fought his way to the quarterfinals, where he lost to compatriot Tommy Paul. Looking back, he said that he was a little surprised by his run in Melbourne.

“I had a big result at the Australian Open and I think it was a bit of a surprise, especially for me. Then I started to build my game on the other surfaces, feel a bit more comfortable with the travel, but everything was new to me,” he said.

The highlight of the year, however, came in his homeland when he made a strong run to the semifinals of the US Open, before losing to eventual champion Novak Djokovic.

“It was a really cool experience. I’m looking forward to hopefully having more moments like that this year. I really enjoy playing in front of big crowds and in big stadiums,” he added.

The American got his 2024 campaign underway at the Brisbane International last week, where he went down to Roman Saifullin in three sets in the opening round. He will next take part in the ASB Classic, where he is set to play against Fabian Marozsan on Wednesday, January 10.