"Honestly, this week it’s been ordering Uber Eats and sitting in my room" - Ben Shelton details relaxing week in Houston while labelling Frances Tiafoe as a 'snake'

Ben Shelton is currently enjoying his return to the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championship. The 2024 champion began by taking down Zhizhen Zhang 7-6(5), 7-6(3) in a tight match. Away from the action, his life has been relatively quiet, although a big part of that is thanks to Frances Tiafoe in an incident that resulted in him being called a 'snake' by Shelton.

There were zero breaks of serve in a match where both players dominated on serve. Shelton racked up 21 aces in total compared to Zhang's 12. They both had one chance to break on each other's serve in the whole match, but failed to take it. Two tiebreaks seemed inevitable in the end, and both times Shelton's quality prevailed. He got over the line to win both sets and send himself through to the quarterfinals of the tournament in Houston, and a tie against Argentine Thiago Agustin Tirante.

"It was really tricky conditions today. It was super windy, and the court was slick and playing fast," he told the Tennis Channel after the match. "That’s how it is a lot of the time in Houston. It’s actually an easier surface to serve-and-volley on for me than almost anywhere else on the calendar. Being early in the tournament as well, I was just trying to find my rhythm. I’m glad I had my serve today because it saved me in some tricky situations."

In the first tiebreak, he found himself 5-2 down and in a bit of a sticky position. However, he found a route out of it in a composed and mature manner. "I’d been serving pretty well and had found my rhythm by then," he commented. "Honestly, one mini-break isn’t something to be scared of in a tiebreak. I’ve played a lot of them—won a lot, lost a lot—and I’ve come back from tough positions plenty of times. Staying calm is really important. Down the stretch, I just focused on putting the ball inside the lines."

Having a trait of being a bit of a showman, Shelton has shared his love for the closely packed courts in Houston which lent itself to the fans being closer to the courts, soaking in the action more.

He had an interesting way of describing it. "It’s a 'zoo' in a different way. Like you said, it’s more intimate, but they still pack it out here in Houston, so you get a great atmosphere. It’s a much smaller site, you’re staying closer to the courts, and there are fewer variables compared to somewhere like Miami Open."

It is an added bonus when stepping on the court. "That can make these weeks more enjoyable at times—especially when you’re playing every day toward the end of the week. And if you’re in doubles, you’re out there every day."

After a busy month competing and putting a lot of time into the Sunshine swing, Shelton does not have much chance to get a proper rest in with the clay swing commencing straight away. He is taking full advantage of this with him making the trip to compete in this tournament.

Away from the court, he is not doing anything too strenuous. "Honestly, this week it’s been ordering Uber Eats and sitting in my room. I’ve been pretty tired. I came off a big training block before this—really working to prepare for clay—so I’ve just been trying to recover."

He had planned on going to a basketball match, opting to ask fellow American tennis player Tiafoe to go as a companion but he was not feeling like it. "I actually asked Frances Tiafoe at practice if he was going to the Rockets game and he said no—so he’s a snake," he joked. "But yeah, I’ve just been chilling."

All things considered, it is probably for the best that the 23-year-old gets a good amount of rest after being plagued with an illness that hampered his progress as of late, although he is over the worst of it. "It’s good to be back out there healthy. I’ve been putting in the work and just trying to build momentum again," he concluded.