Ben Shelton is unwilling to let long-held stereotypes hold him back from unleashing his full potential during the European clay-court season. He has made a stellar start to the swing by triumphing at the ATP 500 BMW Open with a 6-2, 7-5 win over Flavio Cobolli in the final. In doing so, Shelton became the first American man to win a clay-court title above the ATP 250 level since Andre Agassi lifted the Italian Open trophy in 2002.
Why Ben Shelton Refuses to Be ‘Written Off’ Ahead of the French Open
Shelton is riding a surge of confidence after his title win in Munich and has set his sights on bigger goals. Speaking to Tennis TV ahead of his Madrid Open campaign, the 23-year-old made it clear that he wants to shatter the long-standing belief that American men are incapable of winning the French Open by doing a lot of “damage” during the remainder of the swing.
“Americans kinda get written off as not competitive, especially the clay court. Maybe at Wimbledon they have a chance, maybe at the US Open they have a chance. But certainly not Roland Garros and I’d love for that narrative to change. For me, the style of play, I like to use my drop shot, I like coming forward is all rewarded on clay court. So just looking forward to see what kind of damage I can do the rest of this swing,” he said.
MORE: Ben Shelton’s Girlfriend Trinity Rodman Swoons Over the American as He Gears Up for Madrid Open
Shelton had voiced similar sentiments while speaking to the press after his BMW Open victory, opening up about his “big ambitions” on clay. He pointed out that while Coco Gauff delivered a breakthrough for American women by triumphing at Roland Garros last year, American men needed to elevate their performance and make bigger progress.
“Success on clay is coming back. I’m looking forward to being part of this progression of U.S. men’s tennis on clay,” he said. “On the women’s side, they have a lockdown as they won the French last year. We as the men have some more to do but we are heading into the right direction. This is just one step in a long swing and let’s see what happens.”
MORE: Ben Shelton’s ‘Inner Swagger’ Makes Him a Threat As French Open Looms, Says Sam Querrey
Ben Shelton’s faith in his ability is reinforced by the analysis of former players and experts. Sam Querrey recently deemed the world No. 6 a major threat at the French Open due to his unshakable “inner confidence.”
Meanwhile, Serena Williams’ former coach, Rennae Stubbs, boldly compared Shelton’s forehand to Rafael Nadal and expressed her belief that he possessed “even more power” than the Spanish legend. She backed the 23-year-old to thrive on clay, suggesting that his “massive weapons” could help him break through and challenge Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.
