Eagle-eyed tennis fans tuning into the Australian Open may have spotted Reshard Langford when watching women’s champion Madison Keys and men’s semi-finalist Ben Shelton. The mystery man helped them become the first American male and female to each reach the final four of the tournament since 2009.
At 29, Keys finally captured her first Grand Slam today (January 25) courtesy of a hard-fought 6-3, 2-6, 7-5 win over world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka. She was pictured embracing Langford in the moments after her victory, with the commentary team citing how the fitness coach had been “so instrumental” to her successes at the first major of the year.
Meanwhile, Langford was also spotted in Shelton’s box up until his exit on Friday (January 24), when he bowed out at the hands of Jannik Sinner. But what is Langford’s involvement with the tennis stars? Here, Express Sport breaks it down…
Who is Reshard Langford?
Fans of American Football may recognise Langford. The 38-year-old safety enjoyed a decent collegiate career at Vandebilt before he joined the Philadelphia Eagles’ practice team in 2009 as an undrafted player. However, shortly after joining the Eagles, Langford made the move to the Kansas City Chiefs in December 2009 – finding himself added to the 53-man active roster.
He failed to appear for the side in the 2009 season, but played six games in 2010, and 11 games during the 2011 season – starting two of which. Langford then spent the 2012 season as a member of the Detroit Lions, but ultimately failed to appear for the side after suffering a calf injury in the pre-season.
He signed with the Canadian Football League’s Sakatchewan Roughriders in May 2013, but was released by the franchise just a month later during the side’s final roster cuts. Despite once appearing as an exciting prospect in the world of American Football, Langford has enjoyed far more success in the tennis world.
A move to the world of tennis
Langford has worked as a strength and conditioning coach for the United States Tennis Association (USTA) for more than a decade now – well armed with an MBA and Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist credentials. His prior experience in the NFL allows him to provide catered training programmes for fellow athletes, working closely with them off the court to help develop endurance and strength.
Beyond his work with individuals over the years, Langford has also been involved in broader educational seminars – attending the likes of the USPTA World Conference where he provided information on the impact of tennis on fitness levels to coaches and peers alike.
Langford first started working with Shelton in 2020 at the USTA National Campus. As per ESPN, Langford initially identified the explosivity that Shelton carried, but knew that work was needed in terms of his all-round game. He told the publication: “Ben couldn’t keep a ball in the court.”
He added: “I helped with his footwork and him being able to move under control and know when to speed it up and know when to slow down and how to slow down properly.” Fast forward to 2025, and 22-year-old Shelton is ranked at 20 by the ATP with two titles to his name and a record of 71-54 in the singles game.
The youngster looked likely to go all the way at this year’s Australian Open, blitzing through the likes of Brandon Nakashima, Pablo Correno Busta and Gael Monfils in the opening rounds, before securing a victory over Lorenzo Sonego in the quarter-finals of the tournament.
Unfortunately, top seed Sinner in the semis proved too hot to handle for Shelton, as he suffered a 7-6, 6-2, 6-2 loss to the Italian. However, Shelton isn’t the only player that Langford has been working with as of recent, most notably appearing at the side of women’s singles champion Keys.
Keys bested Ann Li, Elena-Gabriela Ruse, Danielle Collins, and Elena Rybakina in her opening games of the Australian Open before dispatching of Elina Svitolina 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the quarter-finals. An incredibly close-fought battle with Iga Swiatek in the semis saw her progress to the grand final of the tournament, where she met with WTA no.1 Sabalenka and ultimately prospered.
Speaking after her win, Keys said: “I have wanted this for so long, and I have been in one other Grand Slam final and it did not go my way, and I didn’t know if I was ever going to be able to get back to this position to try to win a trophy again. And my team believed in me every step of the way, so thank you so much.
“They believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself, and helped me every step of the way. Last year was so tough with some really bad injuries and I didn’t know if I was going to be able to do it again, and to be here and have this trophy – and also be able to do it with my husband who is kind of dazed and confused over there – I love you all so much, and I cannot wait for more.”
The camera panned to Langford and her husband/coach, Bjorn Frantangelo, throughout her speech – highlighting how imperative her coaching team have been in her Australian Open victory.
Content Source: www.express.co.uk