Ben Shelton shares what his Dad has been telling him about Wimbledon after he reaches round three

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American star Ben Shelton has certainly done things the hard way to reach round three of Wimbledon.

The 21-year-old is competing in the iconic tournament for just the second time, having fallen at the second round in 2023.

The third round was reached at both the Australian Open and French Open earlier this year, with his 2023 having ended very strongly with a US Open semi-final run.

Shelton is now fighting his very hardest at Wimbledon, having already been involved in two five-set matches.

The first lengthy clash arrived in the first round as he overcame Italian qualifier Mattia Bellucci 4-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Ben Shelton shares what his Dad has told him about Wimbledon

And that was followed by a second round test with South African Lloyd Harris, who the 14th seed beat 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-7 (5), 6-3, 7-6.

The youngster is, of course, following in the footsteps of his father Bryan on the tennis court, who famously beat second seed Michael Stich in straight sets in round one back in 1994.

When asked on Tennis Channel about the stories his dad has told him about the All England Club, Shelton replied: “I think one of the funniest is that the court he beat Stich on is called the graveyard court and they got rid of it.

“That was one of the funniest moments for him. But I think it’s one of the coolest places that he gets to come back to, being in the final eight club, and he says to me all the time that I didn’t think I would be back here as a coach at this point in my life.

“We’re all enjoying it, me and my family, we are looking forward to more opportunities and taking that as it goes.”

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Stich joined Steffi Graf as a first-round loser at the tournament that year with his defeat to qualifier Shelton.

Bryan’s son Ben will now be aiming for an upset of his own this time around should the occasion present itself.

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Seven-time champion Novak Djokovic is the second seed at this year’s tournament, with the Serbian having soared into the third round.

The world number two has shaken off a knee injury to compete at Wimbledon, with Andy Roddick predicting him to reach the final.

Shelton meanwhile will need to up his game on the grass, having gone into the tournament on the back of a disappointing exit at the Mallorca Open.