Ben Shelton reflects on key area for improvement after advice from John Isner and Reilly Opelka

Ben Shelton spoke about the area of his game he aims to improve, following advice from fellow Americans John Isner and Reilly Opelka. Since his early days on the Tour, Shelton has stood out as one of the best servers, just like Isner and Opelka, who both offered valuable guidance to their compatriot.

Shelton finished the 2024 season ranked world No. 21 after claiming the title at the ATP 250 Houston Open and reaching the final at the ATP 500 Basel Open, along with several semifinals throughout the season. The former US Open semifinalist saw a slight dip in his level compared to 2023, when he achieved his best-ever ranking in the top 15.

Shelton targets serve improvement 

The 22-year-old American started 2024 ranked No. 17, but irregular results led him to finish the season outside the top 20. One area he plans to improve is his serve, and for that, he turned to Isner and Opelka for advice. Both told him that a break serve percentage between 5-7% would be ideal.

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"I was under 10 percent in 2023, and am at 15 percent this year. I'd like to get that number higher,” Ben Shelton said in a conversation with Tennis.com.

"It's just being competitive. I don't let myself go away. You can get away with a lot, but when Plan A isn't working, it's easy to just keep pounding your head against the wall. I had some of that last year. I had some rough patches. But as you mature you learn to adjust, how to turn a bad day into a gritty win."

Shelton plans to start his season at the ASB Classic in Auckland, where he is the first seed, starting on January 6. This will be his only challenge before facing the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of the season, and the stage where he gained recognition back in 2023, his second major appearance, where he reached the quarterfinals.

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