Ben Shelton Rockets Into Wimbledon Quarterfinals: How the 21-Year-Old’s 149-mph Serve Is Shaking Up Tennis

Ben Shelton is riding a wave of momentum into the grass-court swing. The 22-year-old left-hander officially cracked the ATP Top 10 for the first time on 16 June, becoming the youngest American to do so since Andy Roddick and joining compatriots Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul inside the elite tier. Less than two weeks later the Gainesville native touched down at the Mallorca Championships, where he stole headlines off the match court by trading tennis and basketball trick shots with former NBA star Rudy Fernandez. “Maybe something rubbed off from Rafa because his forehand is pretty good,” Shelton joked after the impromptu hit-around, before showing off his own hops with an alley-oop assist to the Spanish hoops legend. Shelton arrives on the Balearic island as the top seed and a genuine title favorite. His booming lefty serve—clocked at 149 mph earlier this season—plays even bigger on grass, and he owns a 7-3 career record on the surface. A Round-of-16 clash with #NextGenATP challenger Learner Tien looms next; victory would keep Shelton on course for his third ATP final of 2025 and valuable ranking points ahead of Wimbledon. The surge comes after a breakout clay campaign highlighted by a run to the Roland-Garros fourth round and a four-set thriller against world No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz, reinforcing Shelton’s growing reputation as an all-surface threat. Off court, the former Florida Gator continues to cultivate crossover appeal—partnering with luxury watchmaker TAG Heuer, boosting social-media engagement with viral phone-celebration posts, and now brushing shoulders with basketball royalty in Spain. Key storyline headings for search engines • Ben Shelton Top 10 ranking milestone • Mallorca Championships 2025 draw and match schedule • Ben Shelton vs Learner Tien preview and prediction • Rudy Fernandez tennis cameo with Ben Shelton • Shelton’s Wimbledon preparation and grass-court stats With confidence high and buzz building, Shelton’s Mallorca week could be the springboard to a deep Wimbledon run—and cement his status as the new American headline act on tour.