Ben Shelton backed to buck American trends on clay thanks to positive attitude

Former Wimbledon doubles champion Frederik Nielsen believes that Ben Shelton has the ability to buck the trend of Americans struggling to come to grips with clay and playing in Europe.

Nielsen feels that American men have struggled to make an impact on the clay swing due to the travel involved and being away from their support bases.

Small hotel rooms and tight spaces have made Americans uncomfortable playing on the clay swing in the past, according to the Dane.

“Historically, there haven’t been very many Americans who have been good at travelling,” he told Vegas Insider.

“They don’t particularly like being in Europe, where space is tight and hotel rooms are small, and at the same time, they are far away from home for long periods of time.”

Nielsen believes that Shelton’s positive approach to the game and aggression on court will help him adapt to clay and overcome the challenges of playing in Europe.

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He added that Shelton’s daring game can backfire but often pays dividends for the young star.

“It has always been a thing, but Ben Shelton seems much more capable of it, and he delivers a full effort in every match,” Nielsen said.

“With the attitude, opportunism, and the serve he has, he will be competitive against most, and no one wants to face him. He is capable of taking the ball off your racket. Sometimes that means he doesn’t hit the court at all, but other times he can serve at 155 mph, and he hits winners at some crazy times, comes to the net, and makes the game a bit unpredictable and breaks the flow.”

While the former Wimbledon winner places little stock in Shelton’s US Men’s Clay Court Championship win, he feels that the 21-year-old could very well be a future French Open winner.

“I absolutely believe he can make a really good run in many tournaments – including Roland Garros,” Nielsen went on.

“I also feel that he has to work hard for it because he still needs to get used to traveling a lot. He won the tournament in Houston, where it’s still American conditions with American balls, which are much faster.

“It still makes a big difference for him to play on that side of the Atlantic, which is why I also believe that just as he can beat most, he can also lose to anyone. It still needs to become more natural for him to play many tournaments outside the USA.”