Ben Shelton Reflects on His Frustrations and Disappointments on Tour this Season

Ben Shelton is currently ranked World No.6, which is just one spot below his career-high ranking. He has also won three tour-level trophies this season, his most in a single year. But his success on the court has not come in ATP Masters 1000 and Grand Slam tournaments, as he continues to dominate the 500-level events.

Last month, he won the Stuttgart Open, ending Taylor Fritz’s dominance at the tournament by beating him in the final. He then reached the quarter-finals of the Terra Wortmann Open. The two tournament runs were enough for him to be amongst the favorites to win the Wimbledon Championships.

But before the first two days of the grass-court Grand Slam tournament, Shelton was already out. He lost to Otto Virtanen in five sets in the first round. It was almost the same story that transpired at the French Open. He managed to win just his opening match at Roland Garros before crashing out in the second round.

In the last four ATP Masters 1000 tournaments this season, Shelton has managed to win just one match. Far less than teenage star Rafael Jodar, who was ranked outside the Top 100 earlier this year. The only big tournament Shelton gave an impressive display was at the Australian Open, where he reached the quarter-finals before losing to Jannik Sinner.

Shelton’s lack of form in big events this season has been quite concerning this year. He won his first Masters 1000 title at the Canadian Open last year, and if the trend continues, he’s likely to not defend the championship. The American star revealed at the Washington Open that he’s frustrated and disappointed with his performance this season and has been far from consistent:

It’s been a weird season for me this year. A lot of highs, a lot of lows. I’ve won more titles than I’ve ever won in a year. Only halfway done with the year. At the same time, there are so many things that I’ve been frustrated about, disappointed with in my game. I think that there’s a lot of room for improvement on the second half of the year, and I’m in a part of the season that I really enjoy and that I play really well in.

Shelton won his first title of the season at the Dallas Open after beating his fellow compatriot Fritz in the final. He claimed his second at the Munich Open after overcoming Flavio Cobolli. He claimed his third at the Stuttgart Open. He and Sinner are the only players to have won tour-level titles on three different surfaces this year.

Ben Shelton acclimatizes himself to the weather conditions ahead of the Washington Open first match

Ben Shelton has been spotted training in America since his loss to Otto Virtanen at the Wimbledon Championships. The American star has been supported by his girlfriend and Washington Spirit superstar Trinity Rodman on the training court while preparing for the North American hard-court swing.

The 23-year-old understands that he has big points to defend in the American swing, as it was during this period last year that he cemented his place in the top 10. During the aforementioned media interview, he admitted that he has acclimatized himself to the weather conditions and reached a good fitness level ahead of the Washington Open:

For me to be able to go to Florida right away, a couple of days after I lost in Wimbledon and get acclimated to the heat right away and start training immediately, it was big for me. I think that fitness is a big part of this part of the season just because of how hot it is and how brutal the conditions can be. So it was nice to get a head start on that.

Shelton will face a qualifier in the opening match at the Washington Open, and he’s a two-time semi-finalist at the tournament. He’s one of the favorites to win the ATP 500 competition, and he’s the second seed. Alex de Minaur is the first seed, while Taylor Fritz is the second seed and Frances Tiafoe the fifth.

ALSO READ: Naomi Osaka Shares Unusual Views on Life as a Global Icon