Several NFL stars have had a soft spot for the finesse of tennis. Who can forget Tom Brady’s appearances at ATP events, including the 2023 US Open, and Patrick Mahomes’ Wimbledon visit, where he rubbed shoulders with Carlos Alcaraz, Frances Tiafoe, and Nick Kyrgios? Even Travis Kelce was in attendance alongside his girlfriend, Taylor Swift, to watch the US Open final last year. Earlier this year at the Australian Open, Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons’ visit during Ben Shelton’s thrilling third-round win over Lorenzo Musetti grabbed a fair few eyeballs as well. Parsons, with his teammate Chauncey Golston, brought the gridiron swagger to John Cain Arena. Fast forward four months, and the 25-year-old linebacker is rallying behind Shelton again, as the heavy-hitting lefty makes history by reaching an ATP 500 semifinal on clay.
Seeded 2nd at Munich, Ben Shelton launched his campaign in style, rallying from a set down to edge out Borna Gojo 4-6, 7-6(6), 7-6(3) in a nail-biting opener. He then dispatched the ever-dangerous Botic Van de Zandschulp 7-6(1), 6-3 with utmost composure, before delivering a commanding 6-4, 6-3 win over Italian Luciano Darderi to punch his ticket to the SF. But this wasn’t just another deep run, it was historic! Shelton etched his name in the record books by becoming the first American man ever to reach the SF of a clay-court ATP 500 tournament since the format began in 2009.
In doing so, the 22-year-old outpaced not only his current compatriots Taylor Fritz, Frances Tiafoe, Tommy Paul, and Sebastian Korda, but also a generation of past American greats like John Isner, Sam Querrey, Jack Sock, as well as Steve Johnson. Given American tennis’s long-standing comfort on hard courts, this clay-court milestone stands out as a statement of grit and evolution.
And as the tennis world took notice, Dallas Cowboys star Micah Parsons, never one to miss a moment of greatness, chimed in with words of wisdom and pride, saluting Shelton’s rise with unmistakable new-gen American swagger.
Moments after the World No. 15’s historical milestone, Tennis TV’s official IG page posted a photo of Shelton with a playful caption, “Breaking new ground! .” The picture also displayed Shelton’s achievement: “First American into an ATP 500 clay semifinal! Ben Shelton defeats Darderi to reach the last four in Munich and creates USA tennis history.”
As the post went viral across the tennis fraternity, it didn’t take long for the NFL firepower to join the chorus! Micah Parsons shared the post on his own IG story, with a praise-filled reaction: “Legendary @benshelton,” he wrote, in a true display of cross-sport brotherhood.
Right after sealing the historic win, Ben Shelton himself took a moment to reflect, not just on his own breakthrough, but on the new wave of American stars hungry to make their mark in the clay-court swing. “Yeah, I don’t know. I think this next gen of Americans is a little bit different than the norm, you know, Americans are always just big serve forehand guys. I mean, I guess I kind of am too,” Ben said, recognizing the collective drive of this generation.
He also shared his views about his recent form at the BMW Open, crediting consistency and belief as key to his deep run.
“Feel pretty good,” Ben Shelton opens up after defeating Luciano Darderi in Munich
After toppling Botic Van de Zandschulp in the R16, blazing through a dominant first-set tie-break, Ben Shelton looked every bit the rising force he’s been heralded to be. The American’s first serve was untouchable, as he won a towering 83 percent of those points on his way to a clinical 7-6(1), 6-3 win. His game on clay, once a work in progress, is now rapidly maturing.
Shelton’s current ATP Tour win rate sits at 57.1 percent, quickly closing the gap on his more familiar hard-court (63.56%) and indoor hard numbers (a sizzling 76.92%). Though hard courts have been his launching pad, there’s no denying the 22-year-old is starting to find his rhythm and confidence on Europe’s storied red clay.
“Not gonna lie, feel pretty good. Moving around, sliding, getting to dropshots, defending, playing offensive, I was kind of like deer on ice a couple of years ago. I’ve evolved for sure. Yeah, just trying to keep getting better with every match and every day. I’m not the player I want to be yet, but I’m working towards it for sure,” he added.
Up next for Shelton is an SF showdown with fifth seed Francisco Cerúndolo, who’s powered past Jan-Lennard Struff, Alexander Shevchenko, and David Goffin, all in straight sets, to book his place in the final four. It’s a rematch of their 2024 Indian Wells encounter, which the American claimed the win. Will the World No. 15 continue his clay-court surge and punch his ticket to the BMW Open final today? All eyes are on him.
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