Ben Shelton picks out who he considers his closest friend on the ATP Tour

Photo by Scott Taetsch/NWSL via Getty Images

Ben Shelton isn’t short on mates around the ATP Tour, especially among the American players.

He gets along well with guys like Frances Tiafoe, Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul, and has built a reputation as one of the friendlier faces in the locker room.

Now 23, he’s the highest-ranked American on tour and recently made his return to action at the BMW Open in Munich after missing Monte Carlo.

There he faced off against world number 112 Emilio Nava, who is also his best friend in tennis.

Ben Shelton praises Emilio Nava as ‘best friend’ following Munich victory

Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

Shelton had been searching for form in recent weeks but managed to get back on track with a hard-fought win over Nava, taking the match 7-6(4), 3-6, 6-3.

After the match, Shelton spoke warmly about Nava, describing him as one of his closest friends and acknowledging how well he played.

“Yeah, it’s tough. Not just another American, but probably my best friend out on tour, one of a few,” said Shelton.

“His trajectory has been steep lately, so happy to see the way that he’s been climbing. I know he wasn’t feeling 100% today, so feel bad about that. You know, hope he gets back to 100% quickly because he’s playing great on the clay.

“He’s got a massive serve, similar to my first round match last year, so it made things really, really difficult. He returned well down the stretch in the second set and broke me when it mattered and was clutch.

Shelton and Nava teamed up earlier this year at the Dallas Open doubles event in February where they reached the semifinals before losing to Frances Tiafoe and Juncheng Shang in straight sets.

Ben Shelton talks about what he wants to change with his serve

Despite picking up the win over Nava, Shelton wasn’t entirely satisfied with how he played, particularly in the second set.

Shelton’s serve is a real weapon and one of the best on tour, but even he felt there were areas that needed work heading into his next match.

“A lot of improvements,” said Shelton. “The one thing that I can really pick on is the drop off in my serve in the second set. Hitting spots, miles per hour, first serves in, double faults all went against me and some of that had to do with the pressure he was putting on return, how well he was returning.

“So I think it’s important for me to iron those things out. It’s never easy to serve accurately and consistently when there’s a little bit of altitude, but when you do make it to your spot you certainly get rewarded.”

“I think it’s still live,” said Shelton when asked about the conditions. “I think I played a couple of matches in these type of conditions last year when I played Botic [Van de Zandschulp] and [Luciano] Darderi, it definitely wasn’t warm.

Shelton will now turn his attention to Belgian youngster Alexander Blockx in round two as he looks to build momentum on clay.

The American is also competing in doubles at Munich alongside compatriot Ryan Seggerman.

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