"Hoping to honor her": Ben Shelton speaks on emotional period before Rome return

Ben Shelton looks to leave behind his early exit at the Madrid Open and rebuild with a new clay-court campaign, a surface where he seemed to have found consistency this season, and which he will aim to show again in Rome.

And the American was coming off winning the Munich Open title a week earlier, showing his value in clay tournaments by lifting an ATP 500 trophy. However, his Madrid campaign ended in his debut after being defeated by Dino Prizmic – qualifier – in the third set tie-break (4-6, 7-6, 6-7).

After the Munich title, expectations around Shelton’s clay swing were high, but the Madrid defeat brought a dose of reality for a player who is still looking to establish himself on slower courts.

“I feel good about my clay court game,” the American said upon his arrival in Rome. “Like you said, an early exit in Madrid, but not even a bad match that I played. So for me, something to continue to keep improving on, get better at, and yeah, see where we end up here. But I’m certainly excited being in Rome.”

The American is this time the 5th seed. And he continues to be one of the few names that seems capable of threatening Sinner’s current dominance. For now, he waits for his debut against the winner between Daniel Mérida and Nikoloz Basilashvili, both coming from qualifying.

The campaign in Munich a few weeks ago included victories over rivals such as Alexander Blockx and João Fonseca, before defeating Flavio Cobolli in straight sets in the final.

Conditions in Rome will be slower on this occasion, which means Shelton may rely less on the effectiveness of his serve and look to improve more from the baseline. “I think I just had great ball control,” Shelton said about his success in Munich. “I was hitting the ball really well off both sides, especially, you know, my backhand corner. It was actually probably on my better side from the baseline.

“I was just so solid off that wing. And outside of that, I served well, returned well, and those are the two most important pieces of the game.”

The player aged 23 has not fully convinced on clay courts so far – at least in the biggest tournaments. In fact, he only has a 3-9 record in Masters clay-court events, and at Roland Garros his best performance was reaching the Round of 16 back in 2025. However, his Munich title shows he can be competitive on important stages.

The world No. 6 has faced a difficult personal period after the passing of his grandmother one month ago. He announced it through a social media post a week ago. “Thank God for every moment we shared together and I miss her every day. I love you Grandma,” the American player posted on Instagram.

After a difficult transition from the American hard courts to the European clay courts, Ben Shelton said his mindset relies on his family to stay focused on court during a complicated moment.

“I mean, I feel good. I think that it’s part of life. It’s, you know, the most important part of life,” he said about the loss of his grandmother. “I’m happy to be here playing, but to be able to go back to the States and be with my family during this time, be at my grandma’s funeral and be there for my dad was really important to me. And, you know, moving forward, certainly hoping to honor her with everything I do out here.”

The American only has one win in his previous participation at the Italian Open, and this time it will be a good opportunity to add wins and points in a part of the calendar that has not brought him major success in the past.

Shelton at least believes he can transfer the run he showed in Munich into new victories, where he established himself as one of the standout names of this clay swing.