Ben Shelton: European football's newest superfan? Lefty making most of Munich debut

MUNICH—Ben Shelton made a winning start to his BMW Open debut in Munich on Monday—but it’s not just his tennis that he’s enjoying in the city. The American made like a local at the weekend, heading to the Allianz Arena for his first-ever German Bundesliga experience.

Soccer games don’t get much bigger than what's known as "Der Klassiker": Bayern Munich vs. Borussia Dortmund. Shelton’s verdict?

“It was my first professional football game in Europe, and the atmosphere was crazy! I was upset that it ended in a tie when Bayern was up 2-1. But I was happy to just be there, feel the energy,” he enthused when asked by Tennis Channel DE.

“I think that those guys are so skilled, and I was really impressed with what I saw throughout the whole game. And I love the fan energy around football in Europe.

One of the guys with Bayern said that since 2005, there hasn't been a single game where they didn't sell out. And I think that just speaks to how big this sport is globally, but especially here in Germany.

Given that he referred to the game as “football” and not “soccer” throughout, it’s clear to see he’s already fully in the swing of German culture. At the Laver Cup in Berlin last September, Shelton revealed a love of döner kebab, even bringing the local speciality to his teammates on court. But has he had a chance to embrace the distinctive Bavarian cuisine yet?

“No actually, but I’d love some recommendations! Our PR guy sent me a few schnitzel places to go to. I haven't been leaving my hotel room much, but maybe later this week I'll get out. Going to the Bayern game was more than enough stimulation for me for the week!” he smiled.

Shelton’s is not the only debut in Munich this week. The tournament itself is being staged as an ATP 500 event for the first time and the American has been impressed by what he’s seen.

“I think they've done a great job. I never would have known that this was a 250 before this year. I think it's amazing what they've done selling out the stadium, packed crowd. The grounds are full every time walking through,” he said.

“There's a lot of hype around this tournament, and it's one of the things that I love playing in Europe, especially Germany, how much they care about tennis, how much they love coming out to the tennis.

“Obviously, it was Kids Day today, and I love playing in front of kids. That's who I want to be watching me. That's who I play for. Having the chance to inspire kids is really, really cool. I saw a lot of kids in the crowd today, a lot of kids on the ground, so it was pretty special,” he added.

"I'm enjoying it. I feel that I'm learning a lot. And the clay is very different. When it's hot in the United States, I live in Florida or you're playing in Texas, the clay gets really dry. It's fast. The balls are fast. You get really high bounces. If it's windy, the clay just blows off the court,” he explained.

“Here you have cooler conditions. The water doesn't evaporate as fast, so the play is a little bit heavier, a little slower. I don't mind it. It's different for sure. Even not just the way the ball goes through the air, but the way it react off the court when it is a little damp and heavier and more compact versus in the US, it feels like you're using rocket launchers,” he added.

Someone else helping with that adaptation is Shelton’s surprise new doubles partner, Rohan Bopanna. In 2024, the Indian doubles specialist became the oldest first-time world number one at the age of 43 when he won his first Grand Slam title with Matthew Ebden at the Australian Open.

“Obviously, he’s a legend of the game,” said Shelton.

“There’s a lot of things to learn from someone like that who's had so much success and been on tour so long. For me, it's just cool to be able to be around him, see his perspective on tennis and life, and we're good friends,”

“He's much closer to my dad's age as he is mine, but he's still playing at a very high level. When I'm 45 years old, I won't be on the tennis court. I can promise you that. But it's impressive to see what he does, and we get along really well.”