Ben Shelton: ‘Football and basketball and baseball were the cooler sports to play in America. But here we are’

The Florida native tapped as America's next great tennis star opens up about his meteoric ascent, sitting out the Olympics and where he plans on going from here

I'd say, if I had a grade myself on playing, I've played B or C tennis so far this year," Ben Shelton says. I don't think that I've played my best tennis this season. I don't think that we've seen my peak this year."

Shelton is fresh off of Wimbledon when he tells me this. The same grand slam where, in a span of a week, he played three grueling five-setters and two doubles matches before falling to world No 1 Jannik Sinner in the round of 16. He also began the tournament with a bone bruise on his knee from a bad fall at a practice. I actually wasn't sure if I was going to play," he says.