Dane Sweeny: Euphoria, disbelief and the legendary shot inside Ben Shelton’s mind | ATP Tour

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Dane Sweeny: Euphoria, disbelief, and the legendary footage inside Sheldon’s mind

Australian talks to ATPTour.com after win over Monfils

January 21, 2026

Dane Sweeny may only be 5-foot-7, but the Australian stood tall on Tuesday in the biggest moment of his life. On match point against fan-favorite top-10 star Gael Monfils, the 24-year-old showed his mettle one final time of the day, hitting a huge forehand winner.

The 182nd-ranked player in the PIF ATP rankings fell on his back, threw his racket several meters and then did the same with his hat. Sweeney momentarily covered his face, took a deep breath, lay on the court, and soaked in the moment.

“I would say, ecstatic. A little bit disbelieving. It’s a pretty incredible feeling. It hasn’t sunk in yet,” Sweeney told ATPTour.com of his win against the Frenchman. “But all I can say is a lot of gratitude, a lot of gratitude. I just feel so lucky and lucky and it’s an overwhelming feeling.”

“Gratitude” is a word Sweeney keeps coming back to. The man had only played one main draw match at a major before – a heartbreaking five-set loss to Francisco Cerundolo at Melbourne Park two years ago – but he found a way to defeat the notoriously powerful player in Monfils.

“It’s just a feeling of gratitude. Being able to perform in front of an audience, it’s more overwhelming than anything else,” Sweeney said. “Yes, I’m nervous, but more importantly, I feel very privileged to be able to play in front of a crowd and to be able to play tennis on a big stage. So, yes, I’m nervous. But again, besides being nervous, I feel very lucky and grateful.

“I think it keeps me smiling, it keeps me relaxed, it allows me to really enjoy the moment and not be too overwhelmed or take myself too seriously.”

This isn’t the first time Sweeney has shown this mentality on the court this year. After losing in straight sets to 6-foot-11 Reilly Opelka in Brisbane, the Australian grabbed a chair, stood up, and hugged the American.

“I just don’t want to take my tennis too seriously,” Sweeney said at the time. “I told the kids, my friends, at the end of the game, I’m going to do Dudicela. Dudicela did that to Karlovic not too long ago. So I think it’s pretty iconic, and he’s 16 inches taller than him, and I think it’ll be fun.”

Sweeney doesn’t have much experience at this level yet, but he’s a familiar face to eighth-seeded Ben Shelton. The great-serving southpaw remembers one of Sweeney’s first ITF World Tennis Tour events in July 2021.

“I thought it was the best shot I’ve ever hit, actually, and maybe he saw it. Hopefully it scared him a little bit,” Sweeney said with a laugh. “If that’s what comes to mind, I’m playing against Jon Kirchheimer and it’s a big point – maybe a break point in the third set, or a deuce – maybe on his serve. He comes into my forehand and I dive, topspin a forehand winner.”

“I have a lot of respect for Dane Sweeney,” Shelton said on ESPN. “I only played two or three futures, but he was there in one of them. I remember…I was playing in Champaign, Illinois. He was there and everyone was talking about him because he hit a diving forehand pass winner, so he was one of those guys that could light up the crowd.”

Shelton can do it too, and Sweeney knows it. The American reached the quarter-finals in his first appearance at the Australian Open in 2023 and has developed into a top-10 quality.

“It’s incredible. He does it really fast. He plays with confidence and kind of dominates the stage, and that’s his X-factor. He’s not going to shy away from the moment. He obviously has an incredible serve, and he’s moved up the rankings very quickly. And for good reason, he’s a phenomenal player,” Sweeney said.

“I always want to win, that’s a given, but all I can do is control what I can control, no matter how big the stage is, no matter who I’m playing against. That’s all I can do, so that’s what I can ask myself.”