Ben Shelton plays Stefanos Tsitsipas in the Round of 16 at the 2026 US Open today. The eighth-seeded American has fought through a series of grueling matches to reach the second week at Flushing Meadows.
If Shelton triumphs over Tsitsipas, he will advance to the quarterfinals, where he could face defending champion Carlos Alcaraz.
All About Ben Shelton’s Parents Bryan Shelton and Lisa Witsken Shelton
Ben Shelton’s parents are former tennis professionals and college coaches, Bryan Shelton and Lisa Witsken Shelton.
His father, Bryan, is a former top-60 ATP singles player and a legendary collegiate coach who became the first person in NCAA history to win national team titles as a head coach for both a women’s program at Georgia Tech and a men’s program at the University of Florida.
He later left his position at the University of Florida to become Ben’s full-time professional coach.
His mother also has a deep connection to the sport. Lisa Witsken Shelton comes from a tennis family, and her late brother, Todd Witsken, was a highly ranked ATP professional who competed during the 1980s and 1990s. She was also an accomplished junior tennis player from Indiana.
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Bryan and Lisa married in 1999 and also have an older daughter, Emma, who played collegiate tennis at Florida.
Feud With Novak Djokovic
In 2023, Shelton found himself at the center of a controversy at the US Open after celebrating victories with his signature “dialed-in” gesture, which involved mimicking picking up a telephone and hanging it up.
After defeating Shelton in the semifinals, Novak Djokovic copied the exact same celebration, appearing to slam the phone down in response.
Djokovic later admitted that he did it because he felt Shelton’s on-court behavior lacked respect. In response, Ben’s father, Bryan, spoke about the incident in an interview shortly after the match and accused Djokovic of having malicious intent.
“He wanted to mock Ben at the end. It wasn’t something he was doing just to copy Ben. It was to mock him. And that’s too bad, for that to come from such a great champion,” he said.
While Djokovic initially tried to claim that he loved Ben’s celebration, the public back-and-forth, including Bryan’s comments, eventually led Djokovic to change his tone.
Months later, he admitted that his celebration was a direct response to what he perceived as Shelton’s unsportsmanlike behavior.
2026 US Open Essentials
- US Open Prize Money Breakdown: How Much Will Players Earn?
- Novak Djokovic Dealt Bad News After First Round Exit
- Carlos Alcaraz Wrist Injury: How One Mistake Risked His Chances
- Top 25 Highest-Paid Tennis Players by Career Earnings
