All About Ben Shelton’s Parents, Bryan and Lisa Shelton

Meet Ben Shelton’s parents.

The 20-year-old tennis star — who recently became the youngest American men’s US Open semifinalist since Michael Chang in 1992 — is the son of Bryan and Lisa Shelton, both former players of the sport.

Lisa and Bryan were married for almost 25 years and married in October 1999. They welcomed their first child, daughter Emma, ​​on March 18, 2001 before welcoming Shelton on October 9, 2002.

Although it is not clear what brought Lisa and Bryan together, their shared love of tennis is part of what made them a perfect match. The two were successful players in the sport before raising their children to follow in their footsteps in sneakers.

20-year-old Ben Shelton upset Frances Tiafoe to become the youngest American in the US Open semifinals since 1992.

Shelton, in particular, is following his father’s professional path — but Bryan says of his son, “He’s just a different animal than me.” When you talk to The New York Times in August 2022, the proud dad said: “It took me a long time to get to where he is, and he started later than me.”

Bryan — who reached the top 60 singles in the 1990s and reached the fourth round of Wimbledon as a qualifier in 1994 — told the newspaper: “I think things have certainly accelerated a lot faster than I planned or thought with Ben’s development on the field, as well as his maturity.”

In fact, Shelton — who didn’t start playing tennis regularly until age 11 after giving up his initial career as a guard — initially had no interest in the family sport. “It was the same kid who said ‘tennis wasn’t going to be my sport’ when he was younger,” Bryan revealed, adding that he “definitely came up with it” without any “pressure” from his offspring.

Here’s everything you need to know about Shelton’s parents, Bryan and Lisa.

Bryan is a retired professional tennis player

Clive Brunskill/ALLSPORT

Bryan is a former professional tennis player, who spent nine seasons on the ATP Tour before retiring after the US Open in 1997. Some of his career highlights include winning two singles titles and two doubles titles.

The Alabama native has also seen some Slams. Bryan is a seven-time US Open participant, a six-time Wimbledon participant, a six-time Australian Open participant and a four-time French Open participant.

In 1993, he reached the French Open mixed doubles final with partner Lori McNeil. In the same year, the two were semi-finalists in mixed doubles at Wimbledon. In 1994, Shelton reached the round of 16 singles at Wimbledon

Prior to beginning his professional tennis career, Bryan played sports at Georgia Tech where he was an All-American and a four-time All-Atlantic Coast Conference selection, leading the school to record wins in 1988.

Bryan had 101 wins, ranking second on the Jackets’ career individual wins list. He was inducted into the Georgia Tech Athletic Hall of Fame in 1993, the Georgia Hall of Fame in 2002 and the Huntsville-Madison County Athletic Hall of Fame in 2007.

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Bryan is a former college tennis coach

Ben Shelton/Instagram

Prior to serving 13 seasons as head coach of the women’s program at his alma mater, Georgia Tech, Bryan spent one season as a national coach with the United States Tennis Association and worked with top juniors such as Andy Roddick, Mardy Fish and Bobby Reynolds.

In June 2012, Bryan was named the head tennis coach at the University of Florida. In fact, Shelton was coached by his father during the two seasons he played as a Florida Gator. While there, he accomplished two major feats: He won the 2021 national title for Florida as a freshman against Baylor and won the singles title the following spring.

“I saw that my dad was a college coach and he knew a lot about the game,” Shelton told the The New York Times. “My chances of progressing in the sport and having those resources at my disposal will definitely help.”

More than a decade after his tenure in Gainesville began, he stepped down from college coaching in June 2023. Among his various accomplishments during his coaching career at Florida, he became the fourth head coach in program history to win 200 games.

Bryan coaches Ben all the time

Steve Woltmann/NCAA photos via Getty

Although he stepped down from coaching college tennis in June 2023, Bryan hasn’t completely walked away from the sport. In fact, he continues his duties as his son’s full-time coach.

Shelton posted a tribute on his Instagram, honoring his father following his retirement. “My dad retired from college coaching today. Congratulations on everything you’ve accomplished in your 24 years out there,” the professional tennis player began.

“This is not a career defined by championships and accolades, but by the people you’ve impacted and the lives you’ve changed. You showed up to work every day and gave the perfect effort. You did things with character and humility regardless of the situation,” he said. is. continued.

“You kept your faith wherever life took you and always put your family first. There is no better role model for young men trying to find their way in life. Gator Nation may have taken a hit with this one, but we always bounce back. 🧡💙”

Shelton concluded, “That being said, the dream team is back together baby‼️ I can’t wait to take you on tour with me and see what we can accomplish together 🤞🏽🐐.”

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Lisa was a successful junior tennis player

Ben Shelton/Instagram

Shelton’s mom, Lisa, was also an accomplished tennis player — however, the Indiana native peaked at the junior level compared to Bryan and her son. Lisa currently works as a relator for Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Thomas Group in Gainesville, Florida.

“I specialize in bringing you the best homes for sale and real estate listings in the area. Whether you’re buying a home, selling a home, or need help securing a home mortgage, I’ve got you covered,” her bio reads.

Lisa is the sister of a highly ranked tennis player

Ben Shelton/Instagram

A reigning tennis family herself, Lisa – who is one of eight siblings – is the sister of the late Todd Witsken. The tennis player, who died in May 1998 at the age of 34, was ranked No. 4 in doubles and No. 43 in singles, and was also a three-time All-American at the University of Southern California.

“We’re joking, which genes is Ben playing with, Shelton’s or Witsken’s?” Bryan said The New York Times. “He’s got good blood through him, that’s for sure.”

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Bryan and Lisa have two children

Ben Shelton/Instagram

In addition to Shelton, Bryan and Lisa are parents to a daughter, Emma. The older of the two siblings, Emma is also a tennis player.

Additionally, the Gainesville native also played at the University of Florida after signing with the Gators in June 2021 following her transfer from South Carolina.

Prior to playing for both varsity women’s teams, Emma was ranked as a five-star recruit and the No. 7 recruit in the state of Florida. She is also rated as the No. 16 prospect in the Southeast region.

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Source: HIS Education