Ben Shelton has the game suited for grass, and he seems to be confident in it, as he picked himself as the dark horse for this year's grass season.
Ahead of this year's grass-court part of the season, the ATP sat down with many players to hear their predictions, asking various questions. One of those questions was, 'Who will be the dark horse for the grass season this year?' Many of the respondents chose Shelton, including the American himself.
It's a natural pick because of his play. He has a massive serve, which is a huge bonus for grass tennis. He also likes to take chances and is not afraid to attempt a huge winner, which certainly can be read on grass highly.
Shelton himself picked himself as the dark horse, showing confidence and belief in himself despite a year of struggles. His tennis hasn't been as electrifying this year as last year, but that's normal. He's better known, and players know how to counter him this year.
It's up to Shelton to figure out how to take the next step and become even better, and he certainly doesn't lack confidence in himself.
"I'm going to choose myself as a grass-court dark horse. I think I learned a few things last year that I hope will help me this year. I think the grass suits my game well, and I am excited."
Grass is a surface a player has to figure out, so the more he plays on it, the better he'll get. With a few more matches ahead of Wimbledon this year, Shelton could certainly be poised to have a great run at the Championships, maybe as good as that of compatriot Christopher Eubanks, who did really well last year, reaching the quarter-finals.