Shelton's current suffering: "He needs to add variety to his tennis"

Ben Shelton shocked the world last summer when he defeated Carlos Alcaraz in the quarter-finals of the US Open, reaching his first Grand Slam final. It seemed that the American had made the definitive leap that was so expected of him, but just a month and a half later, he is experiencing a troubling slump in results and performance. Four losses in his last six matches, including one particularly painful loss against the world number 222, have raised alarms.

The American has shown he can reach the later rounds of major tournaments, with semi-finals at the 2023 US Open, the 2025 Australian Open, and the aforementioned final in New York in 2026. Additionally, this year he has won four ATP titles. However, these great performances contrast with other weeks where he disappears too soon and, especially, with his difficulties in overcoming the top elite players.

What is happening to Ben Shelton?

From my perspective, what happened at the last US Open helps to understand a large part of the problem. Shelton completed an extraordinary tournament, but he arrived at the final with considerable fatigue. His victory over Alcaraz, after four hours and 28 minutes of battle, and the subsequent semi-final against Frances Tiafoe took a huge toll on him both physically and mentally.

When he faced Alexander Zverev for the title, I felt that he was always a couple of points behind and, above all, a couple of resources short of the German. The American needed to play practically at his limit to compete effectively, while Zverev found solutions with much more ease. He ended up losing in four sets, leaving an impression that I consider important for analyzing his current situation: when he lacks physical condition, his tennis becomes more vulnerable.

The most striking part came immediately after. Just five days after that final, Shelton decided to play the Davis Cup for the United States and lost both of his singles matches against Lehecka and Mensik. Two high-level players, but who, by ranking and due to the recent results of the American, were a step below.

Those losses could be explained by the accumulated fatigue in New York, but what happened next begins to outline a trend for him. In Shanghai, he lost to Arthur Géa, the world number 44, and this week, in Basel, he fell to Jérome Kym, number 222, with scores of 6-3, 6-7, and 7-6. Between both tournaments, he has only achieved two victories, against Daniel Altmaier and Aleksandar Kovacevic.

And here appears, for me, the real problem: when Shelton isn't physically at 100 percent, his tennis loses too much edge. He is a player who relies heavily on his body to support his more established playing style, and he pays dearly for that against top rivals or when his physical condition doesn't hold up in those weeks.

A tennis style too dependent on the serve and forehand

I have always considered Shelton to be one of those players whose performance greatly depends on his explosiveness. His main pattern is quite recognizable: Serve +1, looking for an aggressive forehand that allows him to immediately dominate the exchange. He also uses the serve and volley to shorten points and leverage his power.

When everything works, he is a tremendously dangerous player. His left-handedness, the speed of his serve, and his ability to generate power with his forehand can overwhelm almost any opponent. To that, we must add his extraordinary athletic conditions, which allow him to cover a lot of ground and defend seemingly lost situations.

The problem arises when any of those pieces stop functioning. If he loses leg speed, he gets worse positioning on the ball, and his forehand stops being as effective. If his first serve loses effectiveness, he is forced to engage in more rallies from the back. And there, I believe Shelton still does not have enough alternatives to maintain his usual level.

Desde que llegase a la final del US Open, ganando a Alcaraz por el camino, así han sido los últimos partidos de Shelton: Lehecka ❌ Mensik ❌ Altmaier ✅ Gea ❌ Kovacevic ✅ Kym ❌ Pasa por un bache importante. Yo me asombré de verle cómo jugó la noche de Alcaraz, porque le vi hacer cosas que normalmente no hacía, pero desde NY ha vuelto a su versión más vulnerable. Shelton, a mi modo de ver, es un tenista que si físicamente baja un par de puntos, no tiene variantes ni planes de juego que apoyen a su saque, lo que le convierte en un jugador bastante menos peligroso. Es decir, que si a un Slam como el UO o el AO llega bien a nivel físico, se podría contar con él. Sin eso, hay bastantes otros jugadores que pondría por delante suya.

— José Morón (@jmgmoron) October 30, 2026

His backhand, especially when he has to defend or endure prolonged exchanges, remains a weak shot. The best players know how to attack it, forcing him to hit repeatedly from that side until they get a shorter ball. I also do not find a sufficiently consolidated tactical variety in his game to change the script when the opponent manages to neutralize his first strike.

The defeat in Basel offers a revealing statistic: Shelton only won 39% of the points contested with his second serve against Kym. This figure helps explain why he struggled so much against an opponent ranked over 200 places below him. When he fails to impose his serve, the rest of his game becomes much more exposed.

We must not forget, in addition, that the American has already suffered a significant injury to his left shoulder. This is something he has been dealing with from time to time, and it can weigh on him over time.

Shelton's numbers against the best are staggering

To understand why I think Shelton needs to evolve, it is enough to review his matches against four of the major representatives of the tour.

•    Carlos Alcaraz: 1 victory and 3 losses. His only win came in the quarter-finals of the 2026 US Open.
•    Jannik Sinner: 1 victory and 9 losses. The Italian has won their last nine encounters, including four Grand Slam matches.
•    Alexander Zverev: 0 victories and 6 losses. The German has outperformed him on all surfaces where they have met.
•    Novak Djokovic: 0 victories and 1 loss. The Serbian eliminated him in the semi-finals of the 2023 US Open.

The overall balance is very significant: only 2 victories in 21 encounters, with 19 losses. And in Grand Slams, against these four rivals, his record stands at one win and seven losses.

I believe these numbers perfectly reflect the situation. Shelton has enough power to beat anyone in an extraordinary week, as he showed against Alcaraz in New York, but he still struggles to compete regularly against players capable of neutralizing his first hit and forcing him to construct points.

The case of Sinner seems particularly significant to me. The Italian is able to take time away from him, attack his backhand, and turn exchanges into uncomfortable situations. He doesn’t need to constantly overpower Shelton because he has a much more complete and reliable game structure. Additionally, being the best returner, he blocks Ben's best hit, leaving him more exposed from the back.

Shelton needs to reinvent himself to aim for the top

I don't think the solution lies in renouncing his identity. It would be absurd to ask him to stop utilizing one of the best serves on the tour or a forehand capable of deciding points at any moment. But I do consider it essential for Shelton and his team to start developing alternatives and begin working on adding diversity to his tennis.

He needs to improve the consistency of his backhand, work on constructing exchanges, incorporate more changes of pace, and learn to win points without constantly relying on explosiveness. He should also find ways to better manage his efforts, especially when he accumulates demanding matches. Tactical work could help him grow as a player to improve what he urgently needs.

His season, with four titles and being ranked number four in the world, shows that we are talking about a player of immense level. Precisely for this reason, I believe we must demand more from him. The question is no longer whether he has the conditions to win major tournaments, because that has been proven, but whether he can sustain that performance against the best when his body isn't responding optimally. Otherwise, he will always be exposed to the best.

For me, Ben Shelton is facing a critical decision for his future. He either evolves and adds new dimensions to his tennis, or he risks becoming a player of very pronounced peaks: capable of frightening anyone for a week but too vulnerable when he loses freshness, confidence, or effectiveness with his serve.

Because to win a major tournament, it may suffice to string together several exceptional days. To remain among the best throughout a season and regularly aspire to Grand Slams, much more is needed. And that is precisely the next step Shelton still needs to take in his career.

 

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, El sufrimiento actual de Shelton: "Necesita añadir variantes a su tenis"