• Faith: Christian
• Career: Athlete
• Birthday:  October 09, 2002

Ben Shelton was born on October 9, 2002, in Atlanta, Georgia. However, he was raised in Gainesville, Florida, where his family resides. He is the son of Bryan and Lisa Shelton. They also have a daughter named Emma. Emma is a student and tennis player at the University of Florida (UF).

It's no surprise that both children are involved in the sport, since Bryan was a professional tennis player. From 2002 to 2023, he was the coach at UF. Ben's mother, Lisa, was a highly ranked Junior tennis player. Lisa's brother, Todd Witsken, was once ranked fourth in Doubles tennis.

While Ben inherited his athleticism, initially, he didn't embrace his parents' passion for tennis. He played quarterback for a youth football team. His father believes Ben began playing tennis at 11 after realizing his sister got to miss school to participate in tournaments.

Thankfully, Ben grew to love the sport and started playing at the Junior level. At this level, he won the 2019 United States Tennis Association (USTA) Boys 16s Doubles Tournament. He was also runner-up at the 2020 USTA Boys Winter Nationals. After this feat, he became a top-three player in the USTA Boys 18s.

After competing at the Junior level, Ben graduated from Buchholz High School. Then, he played for his father's team at UF. With the Gators, he won the 2021-22 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Singles Championship. That season, he also acquired a 37-5 Singles record. His overall collegiate career record is 65-10.

Thanks to an impressive overall record, Ben has several collegiate accolades, including the 2022 Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) National Player of the Year and the 2022 Southeastern Conference (SEC) MVP. Ben's work ethic continued to manifest in the classroom as he made the 2021 SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll. He's also a two-time ITA Scholar Athlete (2021-22).

After his sophomore year at UF, Ben became a professional tennis player. Currently, he's ranked 10th worldwide, and his highest career ranking is 5th. Such rankings are possible thanks to a 27-12 record during the 2026 season and a career record of 138-89. Thanks to this record, he's earned $13,875,245 in prize money and has 6 Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) titles. His first ATP title came at the 2023 Tokyo tournament. This victory allowed him and Bryan Shelton to become the fourth father-son duo to win a tour championship during the Open Era.

Ben Shelton's Religious Beliefs

Ben Shelton is a devout Christian. Like his tennis heritage, Ben's faith foundation was established by his parents. His father, Bryan, is a vocal Christian. Bryan credits his wife, Lisa, for her exemplary conduct. She values respecting everyone and challenging others to maximize their God-given abilities.

Ben emulates his mother's principles by using his tennis skills to glorify God on the court. Off the court, he strives to model his faith by glorifying God and making Him the top priority in his life. Along with prioritizing and acknowledging God, Ben also shares his faith on his social media profiles, which contain the word "BELIEVE" with a cross emoji.

The mantra "BELIEVE" resonates through Ben's life in two ways. First, the term reveals his belief that salvation and eternal life come through believing in Jesus Christ (John 3:16). Second, the word suggests that all things are possible to those who have faith in God (Mark 9:23). For Ben, his faith in God gives him the confidence to set and pursue ambitious career goals.

Additionally, Ben's values are evident through charitable efforts. He's donated over $100,000 in support of environmental efforts. Ben did so because he understands God's call for humans to be good stewards of His creation by taking dominion (Genesis 1:26-31 ESV).

While these donations reveal his faith, Ben likes to keep his philanthropic work private. This is because giving, in any capacity, should be done to obey God's word and assist the needy, not for public praise. That said, being more open about giving may inspire Ben's fans to consider how they can help the less fortunate. After all, Christians are supposed to love and encourage each other to do good works (Hebrews 10:24, ESV).