25 Cheers for 25 Years: How Ben Shelton’s Late Night Serving routine helped Florida win its first tennis national championship

Ben Shelton of the Florida Gators celebrates after defeating the Baylor Bears during the Division I Men’s 2019 Tennis Championship held at the USTA National Campus (Collegiate Center) on May 22, 2021 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Jamie Schwaberow/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

Before he was smashing serves past top-10 players on tour, Ben Shelton was just Ben: a freshman roommate with an massive work ethic, a love for night practice, and a habit of pushing himself in the quiet moments.

Antonio Giraldo was the team manager and Shelton’s roommate during his freshman season He chronicled the little things that made Shelton special.

“He wasn’t Ben Shelton yet,” his Giraldo said. “He was just my guy Ben. Random roommate situation that ended up working out better than anyone could’ve guessed.”

It seems strange now that Shelton is an international star, but back then, Shelton wasn’t even the No. 1 on the UF team.

But behind the scenes, he was setting the tone that would help the Florida Gators win their first national championship in program history.

Giraldo said that it wasn’t the big moments or flashy gear that separated them as a team. It was the consistency in preparation and a steadfast mindset. He explained that every team has good players, but the best ones win with how they prepare.

“Our whole thing was doing the little things better than anyone else,” he said. “We wore the same gear for practice. Same shoes. Same shirts. Everything structured. It wasn’t about the 99th percentile, it was about the one percent that most teams overlook.”

Shelton, who some now see as a big personality and a marketing stud, wasn’t just flash. He lived and breathed the grind.

“People see the fun side of him now — the big smile, the energy. But what they didn’t see were the nights he’d be out there feeding balls at 10 p.m. Working on his serve, on his recovery, while everyone else was done for the day.”

That effort rubbed off.

Florida’s 2021 season had its bumps. A chaotic loss to Tennessee in the SEC Tournament almost derailed their momentum. It was also a shockinhly hostile tennis environment.

“Stuff was getting thrown on the court, fans were wild. We had to get on the bus and book it out of there. It wasn’t a great memory, but it stuck with us,” Giraldo recalled. “Honestly, I think it lit a fire under us.”

That loss turned out to be the wake-up call. The Gators didn’t drop another match. By the time they reached the NCAA Tournament, they were just talented and locked in.

“It was all those little habits. Food. Prep. Uniforms. We held each other accountable for every detail. The margins are tiny, like Roger Federer only won 54% of his career points, it all matters,” Giraldo said.

It all came together in May when Florida eventually clinched the national title.

“It was surreal,” he said, laughing. “That’s what everyone says, but it really was. None of us had ever done it before. Florida had never done it before. We didn’t know how to act. We were just running around like chickens with our heads cut off.”

For a team that had trained with the ultimate discipline all season, that final moment was beautiful chaos.

Shelton clinched the title with his match win and his roommate attributes the success to the work that nobody saw. Although his father Brian Shelton was the head coach at the time, Shelton was self modivated.

“People will talk about his talent, or say it’s because of his dad. But I saw the work. I saw the nights. I saw how he treated his teammates. He was selfless. That’s what made the difference.”

Shelton and his dad father joined forces later that season and both left Florida to go pro, Brian as Ben’s coach.

Years later, Shelton is the #13 player in the world and has made multiple major semifinals. He seems primed to be the next great American tennis player with his Dad alongside him.

The origin story of Shelton and Florida’s first tennis title lives in the details — the behind-the-scenes work, the quiet moments, the night practices when no one was watching.

Before the trophies and the ATP glory, it was just Ben. A college freshman grinding after dark.