ATLANTA — World-class tennis is coming back home to Atlanta, and Atlanta-born Ben Shelton is one of the headliners for the debut of the Atlanta Cup.
“I grew up in ‘The A,’ grew up in Atlanta. I lived there until I was like 11 years old, something like that. So first 11 years of my life, I lived there, but it’s always, you know, been my favorite city,” Shelton told Channel 2’s Karyn Greer.
His father, Bryan, was the coach for Georgia Tech’s women’s tennis team and still serves as his son’s coach today.
His mother, Lisa, was also a highly ranked tennis player.
“My dad kind of paved the way. Being a black kid in Alabama in the 70s and 80s, growing up, trying to play tennis predominantly, you know, a white sport at the time, or pretty much an all-white sport at the time, was not easy,” Shelton said.
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Shelton told Greer that he is excited to bring world-class tennis back to Atlanta for the inaugural Atlanta Cup.
“I’m only doing one exhibition this off-season, and the one that I chose was Atlanta. Obviously, being in my hometown, being able to play in front of friends and family,” Shelton said.
Atlanta is widely acknowledged as the tennis capital of the world, with more than 100,000 players in leagues like the Atlanta Lawn Tennis Association and the United States Tennis Association.
The highest bidder at an auction for the Atlanta Cup at Gas South Arena on Dec. 6 could win a chance to play a full game with Shelton, Naomi Osaka, Nick Kyrigos, or Aryna Sabalenka, with proceeds going to Bert’s Big Adventure, which provides memories and moments at Walt Disney World for children with chronic and terminal illnesses and their families.
“I’m in the top 10. It’s kind of surreal. It’s been a crazy kind of unexpected journey,” Shelton said.
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