John McEnroe is a tennis legend, with seven Grand Slam titles to his name, including three Wimbledon championships and four US Open crowns.
Since retiring from the game, McEnroe has embarked on multiple different career paths, including music, punditry and commentating, but also briefly took a coaching position with a former Wimbledon finalist.
In 2016, he joined Milos Raonic‘s coaching team for the grass season, but the partnership ended before the US Open due to McEnroe’s media commitments with ESPN.
Ahead of Roland Garros, which is now underway, he recently hinted at a return to coaching when, in an appearance on ‘Inside the NBA’, McEnroe indicated there was a player on the ATP tour he could help.
John McEnroe publicly offers to become Ben Shelton’s new coach
When asked on the show to pick which American has the best chance of winning a Grand Slam title, McEnroe said: “Ben Shelton to me.
“I like his story because he played football as a kid, went to college for a couple of years, won as a sophomore, so he is maturing in a nice way and improving.”
The American legend added: “His Dad coaches him. Maybe he could bring a part-time coach on for 10 weeks a year.
“Maybe he is on the TNT set right now to try and get him over the hump. But he would be the best [hope].”
Ben Shelton’s record at Grand Slams throughout his career
McEnroe thinks he could help Shelton get over the line at Grand Slams, where the young star has come close before.
Shelton made his main draw debut at a major in 2022, when he appeared in the first round of the US Open.
It didn’t take long for him to make a name for himself on the biggest stage, though, as the following season he found his way to the quarter-finals of the Australian Open.
| Year | Australain Open | Roland Garros | Wimbledon | US Open |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Quarter-Final | – | – | – |
| 2024 | Third Round | Third Round | Fourth Round | Third Round |
| 2023 | Quarter-Final | First Round | Second Round | Semi-Final |
| 2022 | – | – | – | First Round |
In the same season, Shelton had his best Grand Slam campaign to date, when he made the semi-finals of the 2023 US Open, before ultimately bowing out to Novak Djokovic.
The 22-year-old had a year-long stretch of struggling at the big four events, failing to make it past the fourth round for the entirety of 2024.
He has since returned to form at majors in 2025, reaching the quarter-finals of the Australian Open for the second time in his career.
Shelton will now look to make a deep run at Roland Garros this year, where he is the 13th seed.
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