John Isner says Ben Shelton has a skill which simply cannot be taught by any tennis coach

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Ben Shelton has made another breakthrough at a hard court Grand Slam after beating Lorenzo Sonego.

Shelton equalled a Rafael Nadal record by doing so, after achieving his best result at the Australian Open by reaching the semi-finals.

Sonego noticed a change in Shelton in their quarter-final, having beaten the American in their last meeting at a Grand Slam.

This has set up a semi-final meeting against the world number one and defending champion, with Shelton open to adapting against Jannik Sinner.

John Isner highlights skill that Ben Shelton has at Grand Slams

Shelton impressed Mardy Fish and many others during his nearly four hour semi-final victory over Sonego.

The 22-year-old has also caught the eye of John Isner, who has been impressed by Shelton’s ability to hold his nerve in big moments at this year’s Australian Open.

When speaking on his Nothing Major Podcast, Isner claimed that Shelton has a skill that cannot be taught.

“I am super impressed with how he shows up in the big tournaments, yes, but also the big moments in the match,” said Isner. “When the match against [Lorenzo] Musetti was on his racket, 6-5, fourth set tie-breaker, Ben serving. What does he do with the inside out forehand? 100% commitment, inside out forehand winner to beat Musetti in a very tight situation.

“A lot of players might decel(erate) there and not hit a great shot, hit it into the net or miss it wide, but he does the exact same thing against another Italian, Sonego. 6-4 in the fourth set tie breaker, got into a rally, ran around a backhand and hit an inside out forehand to win the match.

“In the big moments when the match is on his racket, he doesn’t shy away from that, if anything he accelerates more with his racket which is an incredible quality to be able to pull that off in a big moment, especially in a quarter-final of a Grand Slam.

“You can train that a little bit but you can’t really teach that. You sort of just have to have it. He has built up some confidence by making it this far to the quarter finals. It is very easy to get in that situation and choke a little bit but he rises to the occasion.”

How much better is Ben Shelton at Grand Slams compared to the ATP Tour?

Despite reaching the Australian Open semi-finals, Shelton is still yet to win an a match on the ATP Tour so far in 2025.

The world number 20 played at the ATP 250 event in Auckland, but suffered a first round defeat to Jakub Mensik.

This falls in line with Shelton’s general performances on the ATP Tour, having a significantly lower win percentage than he does at Grand Slams.

Shelton will look to reach his first Grand Slam final when he takes on Sinner in the Rod Laver night session on Friday January 24.