Ben Shelton sparks Rafael Nadal comparisons with clay-court flair

Rafael Nadal comparison surfaces for Ben Shelton after clay-court title in Munich

Ben Shelton has been likened to Rafael Nadal following his recent run of success on clay courts.

Shelton defeated Flavio Cobolli to claim the ATP 500 title in Munich, becoming only the fifth American man to win a clay court event outside the United States.

After picking up his second trophy on clay, Shelton revealed that he’s starting to enjoy the surface more than ever.

This hasn’t gone unnoticed by former doubles world number one Rennae Stubbs, who has suggested that clay might be where he shines most.

Rennae Stubbs explains why she thinks Ben Shelton is suited to clay

Stubbs was impressed by what she saw from Shelton in Munich, offering plenty of praise for the world number six on her latest podcast episode.

The six-time Grand Slam champion pointed out that both Shelton’s serve and backhand are well-suited to clay, and even went as far as to draw comparisons between his forehand and Nadal’s.

“I think the clay might be his surface in a lot of ways and I think there’s a couple of reasons why,” said Stubbs. “One, the serve and the kick serve. He can serve anybody off the court, it doesn’t matter what court, but his variety of speed on the serve actually really helps him.

“He’s going to hit his serve and win points on every surface, he’s going to ace people whatever, but on clay because he has that beautiful kick serve as well and he gets people off the court.”

Stubbs also praised Shelton’s forehand: “Guess what else he has, a phenomenal forehand with so much top spin. So if you think about Rafael Nadal’s forehand and how aggressive and good it was on clay, bouncing up super high and getting out of people’s hitting zones, that’s what Ben Shelton is doing.

“In actual fact, he has even more power in some regards to Rafa’s forehand, which is saying something! Rafa could obviously hit it big, but Benny Shelt’s forehand gets off the court, he pulls people off the court with it, it bounces up and gets out of people’s hitting zones, and the serve, so he’s going to be really hard to break.

“Also, he can hit his backhand a little bit better, because he has a little more time on the clay, and he can use his slice, and he can come into the net

“…Over five sets is a little bit different…he’s going to have to find a way to beat [Carlos] Alcaraz and [Jannik] Sinner over five sets at any major, but he is the one American that I think can break through because of these massive weapons that he has. Boy oh boy, he looked real comfortable on the clay, real comfortable.”

Shelton will head into Roland Garros this year looking for another deep run at a major following quarter-final appearances at both the Australian Open (2023) and US Open (2024).

What Ben Shelton’s Path to the Madrid Open Final Could Look Like

Shelton has made a strong start to the clay season, and he could benefit from several key withdrawals at the Madrid Open.

Although he’s only managed two wins in five appearances in Madrid so far, he’ll be looking to turn that record around this time.

Shelton’s section of the draw includes some tough potential matchups, such as world number one Jannik Sinner, Lorenzo Musetti, and Barcelona Open champion Arthur Fils.

Before considering those future opponents, his immediate focus will be on qualifier Dino Prizmic. The 18-year-old Croatian had an impressive first-round win over Matteo Berrettini and could pose a challenge when they meet for the first time on Friday, April 24.

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