Ben Shelton had a rather short grass season last year, which is why he's opting to start it early this year.
Shelton's game looks like a natural fit on grass, but he didn't look great last year. It's not a huge surprise because he hasn't really played much on grass, and it is a surface where players need to have the experience to do well.
He'll get better at it the more he plays, and toward that goal, he's already signed up for his first grass-court ATP event of the 2024 season. Last year, the grass season consisted of three events for the youngster.
He made his debut in the Queen's Club, where he won one match but then lost to Lorenzo Musetti 4-6, 6-4, 4-6. His next event was the Mallorca Championships, where he lost early to compatriot Christopher Eubanks, who actually went all the way and won his maiden trophy at the event.
Wimbledon was a pretty interesting event for Shelton, who won his first match there but then lost in the next round to Laslo Djere. Overall, he finished with two wins and three losses, which certainly can be better this year.
We already know which event he's going to play this year. He's going to be in Stuttgart, as he has already confirmed his participation at the ATP 250 event, which is called the BOSS Open for sponsorship reasons but is known broadly as the Stuttgart Open.
It will be interesting to see if he continues his stay in Germany and possibly opts to play in Halle. That would be a different path from last year, and maybe that's the approach he wants to choose.
Shelton's serve should be a good fit on grass, but he needs more experience, which he hopes to gain at the Stuttgart Open. The event runs from June 10th to the 16th, 2024.
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