Why Ben Shelton may be equipped to end American mens 23-year US Open drought

Ben Shelton is going against a whole lot of history in Sunday’s U.S.Open final: a 23-year Grand Slam drought by American men; an even longer 51-year dry spell by black American men; his own winless record against Flushing finals foe Alexander Zverev. All the negative numbers add up.

And the sum total is ugly. Shelton, though, is undaunted. “For me, this whole tournament now at this point has been uncharted territory,” Shelton said.“I’m in positions I’ve never been in before.

I’ve beaten guys that I’ve never beaten before.I’m just excited to put it all out on the line.

Yes, I can think about how cool this moment is and what I’m playing for. “At the end of the day, I’m here in New York, hanging out with my team, with my homies, playing a little tennis.And I’ve been able to downplay the moment pretty well.” It’s admittedly a lot to downplay, having already broken through to reach his first Grand Slam final — and become the first black American to make one since MaliVai Washington at Wimbledon in 1996, or the first at the U.S.

Open since Arthur Ashe in 1972. But Shelton’s goals are set even higher. He’s aiming to break a string of 90 straight majors without an American winner, become the first to win a Grand Slam since Andy Roddick in 2003, and the first black American to claim one since Ashe at Wimbledon in 1975. None of that appears to faze him. Maturing both on and off the court, Shelton is 4-0 this year in finals. “Don’t want to jinx him here, but if you look at his record throughout his career, he’s played well on Sundays,” Shelton’s father/coach Bryan said.“That’s where he wants to be.

He feels like he’s going to play his best tennis at the end of [tournaments].So, glad he has a chance at the U.S.

Open.” This tournament is a different test from the ATP Masters 1000 Canada, Stuttgart, Munich and Dallas.And the top-seeded Zverev is a different challenge.

But Shelton is in a good headspace coming...