New To Grass, Shelton Aiming ‘To Do Damage’ On London’s Lawns

In a year of firsts, Ben Shelton ticked off another milestone Monday when he made his tour-level grass-court debut at the Cinch Championships.

After hitting on the surface for the first time just last week, the American earned his maiden win on grass when he defeated J.J. Wolf in straight sets in London.

“I only had my first session on a grass court last Tuesday,” Shelton told ATPTour.com. “There are definitely some big differences to clay. I think that the hardest part to figure out on grass is the movement. Once you get that down, it’s a lot easier to play on the surface. I think that between the movement and the ball staying a bit lower, those are two things that I just had to adjust to.

“But my first match was a lot of fun. I think the grass really helps my serve. It makes it move more and it makes it faster. I’m also willing and able to come forward and make plays at the net. I think that’s another thing that gets rewarded on a grass court. I think this is a surface that I could really do some damage on.”

The American has enjoyed a breakthrough first season on Tour, reaching the quarter-finals at the Australian Open before he competed on clay for the first time in April.

The 20-year claimed two tour-level wins on the surface and he reached the quarter-finals at an ATP Challenger Tour tournament in Cagliari. Ready to tackle a new surface again, Shelton is hoping to use the learning experience he gained on clay on grass.

“It’s two completely different surfaces, but it’s definitely a similar learning process,” Shelton said. “I know things that I did or didn’t do the last time around, so this time hopefully I make changes and don’t make the same mistake twice. I think that being able to go through that process once on clay courts will definitely help me for these four weeks on the grass.”

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One source of knowledge Shelton will be looking to utilise is his father, former World No. 55 Bryan Shelton, who this week has joined Ben’s team on a full-time basis. Bryan, who was the head men’s tennis coach at the University of Florida, lifted two tour-level titles on grass (Newport 1991-92) and advanced to the fourth round at Wimbledon in 1994.

“This is our first official tournament together full time. He really helps with my confidence in the way that he talks to me on the court and the way that he explains things,” Ben said.

“He is a great resource and I know a great tennis mind. He won two ATP titles on grass and made the Round of 16 at Wimbledon. To be able to have that resource, that tennis mind in my corner, kind of helping me as I go, it’s been really important and helped me a lot.”

Shelton showed early promise on grass during his first-round win at the ATP 500 event, winning 72 per cent (13/18) of net points. He revealed his father has already provided guidance, with a focus on his movement.

“He has told me a few general things, just kind of helping me find my footing and my movement,” Shelton said. “Things that you want to do or not do. To really move through the ball and not try to stop and slide, which is something that I do a lot on the clay courts and the hard courts.

“That was a big learning bit for me. Learning to take little extra steps after shots instead of sliding out of them. Also using my serve effectively and making it move in different ways because the grass really grabs the ball and makes it go.”

Twelve months ago, Shelton was No. 435 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. This week he competes at The Queen’s Club at a career-high No. 35. The American had never been outside of the United States prior to his trip to Australia at the start of the year, but has already gained a good amount of experience on Tour, with Queen’s his 15th tour-level event of the season.

“I’ve had a lot of fun. Definitely after Roland Garros it was really mixed. I was missing home and I was glad to be able to get back and spend some time in Florida. I’m really enjoying it, though,” Shelton said. “I’m enjoying all the new experiences and I love to compete. So every time that I get to play at a tournament and work my way through a draw or learn things as I go, I really enjoy it.

“I think it’s really important to find the places that you like to play, then you can make adjustments to your schedule as you go. I think that me playing a lot is going to help me in the long run and I’m really enjoying being able to experience all these different tournaments.”

Shelton will next play Lorenzo Musetti, who competed at the Next Gen ATP Finals in 2021 and 2022. The 20-year-old Shelton has aspirations of making his debut at the 21-and-under event at the end of the season. The American is currently fifth in the Pepperstone ATP Live Next Gen Race.

“I think it would be an event that’d be really cool to play and we’ll see where we’re at by the end of the year,” Shelton said. “I think that that could be a tournament and one that would be really cool to be a part of.”

Shelton’s focus will remain on grass for now, where he will also compete at the ATP 250 event in Mallorca before making his Wimbledon debut.