The advice Madison Keys' former coach gave that helped Ben Shelton win the Canadian Open

Ben Shelton won the biggest title of his professional career last time out in Toronto.

Known for his excellent performances at the Grand Slam tournaments, Shelton had yet to make a breakthrough at the Masters 1000 level.

However, when Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, and Novak Djokovic all withdrew from the Canadian Open, Shelton was quick to take advantage.

Taking down the likes of Alex de Minaur and Taylor Fritz, the 22-year-old advanced to the final, where he met Russia’s Karen Khachanov.

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After three sets of thrilling action, Shelton defeated Khachanov, 6-7, 6-4, 7-6, to clinch his maiden Masters 1000 title.

It has now been revealed that Shelton was helped along the way by Madison Keys’ former coach, who offered up some advice during the tournament.

Jesse Levine told Ben Shelton to ‘take 10 or 15mph off’ his wide serve in Toronto

Appearing as a guest on ‘The Slice Tennis’, Keys’ former coach Jesse Levine shared what Shelton did that impressed him in Toronto.

“That was insane for me watching Shelton play like that [against Alex de Minaur]. I have seen him play many times live, but his improvements besides the serve are second to none,” said Levine.

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“He did the same thing against [Taylor] Fritz, too. I was super impressed. It’s funny because after the De Minaur match, I went to talk to his Dad. I know his Dad really well.

“I have known Bryan [Shelton] for a long time; he actually tried to hire me as the assistant coach before I took the job with Madison Keys, so I almost worked with him, which would have been really cool.”

Levine revealed the contents of his conversation with Bryan Shelton, including the advice he gave to the young American.

“Bryan came up to me and said Jess, what do you think? I was like, you’re asking me, I was calling the match and asking him the post-match interviews,” he said.

“I was like, alright, I’ll let it fly. I said to Bryan, ‘Look, I think he is serving unreal, but on the lefty slider out wide, I feel he is hitting it too hard. I said he is hitting 200kmph out wide and it’s still there for De Minaur to cut it off and hit it.’

“I said if he takes 10 or 15mph off that serve, it will slide away, and he will not be able to touch it.

“Bryan looked at me and said that I am going to tell him you told me, because he isn’t listening to me. I was like, go for it, you can tell him I said that.”

Making the adjustment, Shelton shared a joke with Levine after his semifinal win over Fritz.

“The next match, he beats Fritz, and I was doing the on-court interview live to the house, and before I went on camera, Ben came over and he was like, ‘See that? I took 10mph off that slider out wide!” said Levine.

“I was like Bryan really did tell him! That’s pretty cool!

“But he is a showman, he loves playing in front of the crowd, and those big moments do not faze him.

“They only get him more fired up, so it was extremely impressive to watch the level of Shelton throughout that week.”

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Lifting the title shortly after, Shelton added his name to the list of ‘active’ Masters 1000 champions.

Travelling to Cincinnati full of confidence, Shelton has already made a strong start as he searches for his second consecutive title.

Ben Shelton makes a strong start in Cincinnati

The American star began his Cincinnati Open campaign in round two against Argentina’s Camilo Ugo Carabelli.

Winning the first set 6-3, Shelton led 3-1 in the second when his opponent retired from the match.

Yet to play his third-round match, Shelton will take on Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut on Wednesday.

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The pair have played one another twice before, at the Australian Open and the US Open last year, with Shelton emerging victorious on both occasions.

Shelton will likely be the favorite to pick up his third win over Bautista Agut when they play in Cincinnati, to set up a last-16 clash with Czechia’s Jiri Lehecka.

Only time will tell if Shelton can make it past the veteran Spaniard, but you certainly won’t want to miss any of the action when they play on Wednesday, August 13.

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