Ben Shelton has broken new ground on grass this season. The American won his first title on the surface at the Boss Open in Stuttgart, dethroning his compatriot, Taylor Fritz. Shelton’s run was far from straightforward, much like the rest of his 2026 season.
The 23-year-old barely survived the week, with each of his four matches going the distance. He also fended off three match points across two matches en route to the title. Andy Roddick touched on the youngster’s form ahead of Wimbledon while pointing out his mixed results throughout the season.
Andy Roddick Points Out One Ben Shelton Flaw Ahead of Wimbledon
When considering the highs, Shelton appears to have had a successful 2026 campaign so far. The American has clinched three titles – one on each surface. He won the ATP 500 Dallas Open by beating Fritz in a tense three-set final, saving three championship points in the process.
He then lifted the ATP 500 Munich trophy on clay, overcoming French Open finalist Flavio Cobolli in straight sets before his three-set showdown against Fritz in Stuttgart last weekend. Barring these three tournaments and the Australian Open (where he reached the quarterfinal), Shelton has failed to string two wins together. Notably, he’s lost his opening matches at three of the four Masters 1000 events he’s contested.
Assessing his inconsistent results, former World No. 1 Roddick said on the Served with Andy Roddick podcast, “He’s had kind of an interesting year. I mean, he’s won three times. He won Dallas, Munich, both big events and now wins first tournament on grass and then he’s sprinkled in some stretches where he loses first or second round for six weeks at a time. It’s a strange deal.”
At the French Open, the American, who reached the fourth round last year, was sent packing after a straight-sets defeat to an unseeded Raphael Collignon in the second round. At Wimbledon, he is set to defend his quarterfinal run, which came to a halt against eventual champion Jannik Sinner.
“Ben made the quarters last year, played Jannik, pretty tough. The match-up’s tough for him,” Roddick recalled.
The American legend was, however, delighted to see Shelton and Fritz on the podium in Stuttgart, which signaled a positive start to their respective grass-court campaigns. “This is great news for US tennis; Ben and Taylor kind of re-establishing their form on grass,” he said. “I love what I’m seeing from Ben.”
Roddick then warned Shelton of a concerning stat that could affect his chances of making a deep run at Wimbledon. “Ben winning a lot of tiebreakers. No surprise there. He’s going to have to break a little bit more, I think, to really make semis or finals of Wimbledon.”
Shelton played five tiebreaks during his run in Stuttgart, winning three. Over the past 52 weeks, his return game has remained a notable weakness. He ranks 70th in overall return stats, having won only 14.3% of his return games. By comparison, tour leader Jannik Sinner has won 31.8% of his return games during the same period.
Shelton would now hope to make the necessary improvements before Wimbledon. After his Boss Open win, he has shifted his attention to the ATP 500 event in Halle. He begins his campaign against Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego in singles.
