Ben Shelton's first grass match went well and he's looking to build upon that as he gears for his maiden Wimbledon.
Ben Shelton has been described as a natural fit on grass due to his powerful serve and bold mentality on the court. He doesn't mind attacking in a rally nor does he mind venturing to the net which makes him a tricky opponent to face.
His compatriot J.J. Wolf found out the hard way becoming the first player ever Shelton beat on the grass at the 2023 Cinch Championships. After the match, Shelton spoke to ATPTour.com noting the difference between grass and clay. The latter was something he never experienced until he came to Europe and he did fairly well.
I only had my first session on a grass court last Tuesday. There are definitely some big differences to clay. I think that the hardest part to figure out on grass is the movement. Once you get that down, it's a lot easier to play on the surface.
The serve was working well in the first match and though there were some moments where Shelton looked out of place, his talent alone was able to carry him in the moments of fun. Describing his first match, Shelton used the word fun. The style suits the surface well so he can certainly do a lot of damage.
But my first match was a lot of fun. I think the grass really helps my serve. It makes it move more and it makes it faster. I'm also willing and able to come forward and make plays at the net. I think that's another thing that gets rewarded on a grass court. I think this is a surface that I could really do some damage on.
Similar to how clay was a new experience for Shelton, so is grass. Both surfaces have a learning curve to them and the youngster things the experience earlier this year on clay will help adapt to grass tennis quicker. Him being a more natural fit on that type of tennis court should certainly help as well.
It's two completely different surfaces, but it's definitely a similar learning process. I know things that I did or didn't do the last time around, so this time hopefully I make changes and don't make the same mistake twice. I think that being able to go through that process once on clay courts will definitely help me for these four weeks on the grass.
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