Ben Shelton breaks down his season with brutally honest truths

Ben Shelton’s 2026 ATP Tour campaign has been a bit of a mixed bag up to this point.

The American started strongly, making the quarterfinals of the Australian Open and picking up his fourth tour-level trophy in Dallas.

But consistency has been an issue since then, as Shelton exited early in three straight events. He went out in the third round at Indian Wells, fell in the second round in Miami, and managed just one win at the US Men’s Clay Court Championships in Houston.

Shelton is now back in Europe to start his Munich Open run, hoping for another strong showing after reaching last year’s final. Shelton spoke about how much he’d picked up from being around other top pros during the clay swing.

Shelton pointed out two specific parts of his game he wants to develop further – shot selection and tactical awareness.

Shelton assesses his form ahead of Munich Open

Shelton fell short in last year’s final against home favourite Alexander Zverev, losing in straight sets.

With only one clay-court event under his belt this season before returning to Munich, Shelton admits he’s still finding his footing on the surface.

Speaking to Tennis TV, he said: “I feel good. I think, you know, the more time that I spend on it, the better that I get, the more clear I feel my identity is on the court.”

“And yeah, just really looking forward to continuing to work on things and improve. You know, I’m not where I want to be on clay or any surface yet – but each year I try to get a little bit closer.”

Ben Shelton recalls his Munich run and what stood out from the experience

“It was a lot of fun playing here last year. I think this tournament has amazing energy. I think Munich is a city that loves sports, so to be a part of that is cool.

“I got to go to a Bayern Munich game last year and the atmosphere was insane. As the tournament went on, the centre court was packed and it was a lot of fun to play here.”

Shelton nearly made an early exit from the event before going on his deep run, saving match point against Borna Gojo in the opening round after dropping the first set.

Reflecting on that narrow escape, he added: “Going from almost losing in the first round, being down match point, to then playing in the final here – my first 500 final on clay – was really cool.”

This time around, Shelton’s campaign will begin with an all-American clash against Emilio Nava.

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