Ben Shelton's father Bryan gets 'Coach of the Year' nomination, fans debate whether it is deserved or not

American tennis sensation Ben Shelton made giant leaps in his game as he won his first ATP Masters 1000 title under the coaching of his father, Bryan. Apart from this, Shelton also reached a career high No. 5 ranking in just three years.

Shelton's father was nominated for the ATP "Coach of the Year" award, leading to a debate among fans about whether he deserves it in the first place. One fan believes Bryan, who has been coaching his son since mid-2023, has actually negatively impacted Shelton's game. The fan said:

"Very interesting to me to see Brian Shelton up for ATP coach of the year when he is, in my opinion, clearly holding Shelton's game back. An odd choice from the ATP that he was nominated."

The fan continued:

"To anyone who thinks Shelton deserved it, what tactics have you observed from Ben this year that he didn't have in a prior year that you think is Brian positively putting his stamp on Ben's game?"

Meanwhile, one fan highlighted what Shelton accomplished this year to suggest that his father deserves to win the ATP award. The fan wrote:

"Saying you don’t think Bryan Shelton shouldn’t win coach of the year is calm saying he shouldn’t be nominated yet Shelton ended the year with technical changes, 1000 title that only a few managed to grab and #5 career high just 3 years in is crazy. Anyways, go Unc!"

Other fans chimed in as well, sharing their point of view on the same.

"Fr stop playing with this man, cause his track record speaks for itself," one fan reacted.

"I do think recency bias aside, it’s clear that this year Ben was playing a lot better from RG-USO (before he got injured) with his shot tolerance, decision making, & consistency. Brian def played a big role in that. The record vs top players isn’t great atm, but he’s still young," one fan added.

"100% agree. Bryan Shelton is possibly keeping us from having a new Big 3," one fan commented.

"I completely agree with you, it kind of looks like Ben just wings it a bit when he plays, and his talent lets him away with it at times. What I’ve been thinking is I don’t know who the best candidate to coach him is. Who would yours be?" one fan reacted.

On the other hand, one fan replied:

"Regardless of your observations, I don't think you can claim a coach is "clearly" holding a player's game back, when that player just had career-best results in 3/4 slams and their first 1000 title."

For the Coach of the Year Award, Bryan Shelton will face competition from other nominees, including Benjamin Balleret (coach of Valentin Vacherot), Darren Cahill & Simone Vagnozzi (coaches of Jannik Sinner). Juan Carlos Ferrero & Samuel López (coaches of Carlos Alcaraz), and Frédéric Fontang (coach of Felix Auger‑Aliassime).

Ben Shelton gets honest about his father's constant feedback during matches

During the 2025 US Open, there were numerous instances when Ben Shelton and Bryan Shelton were part of heated conversations. Sometimes, Shelton paid heed to the feedback coming from his father and sometimes he even stood up to the coach and played his own game.

Reflecting on the same in a post-match interview, Shelton said:

"Yeah, I think it’s probably become less just the more secure I feel in myself and what I'm doing out there. … But it’s a balance. There are times I want advice, out on the court. I think he’s lighter nowadays in what he gives me… For the most part, he’s just letting me do my thing."

Shelton has previously claimed that his father has inspired him a lot and his game. Bryan reached the fourth round at the All England Club back in 1994 and played professional tennis for several years.

Edited by Krutik Jain