Ben Shelton makes ‘dangerous’ comment when asked if he is a threat to Jannik Sinner at Wimbledon
Ben Shelton has told Tennis365 his game makes him “dangerous” on grass as he spoke about his chances at the 2026 Wimbledon Championships.
World No 5 Shelton beat his compatriot Taylor Fritz in the final at the ATP 250 tournament in Stuttgart earlier this month to secure his maiden grass-court title.
Shelton won all four of his matches in Stuttgart in three sets and saved match points in victories against Marcos Giron and Jiri Lehecka.
The American extended his win streak on grass to six matches before losing 7-6(5), 6-7(8), 6-7(3) to eventual champion Fritz in the quarter-finals at the ATP 500 in Halle.
The 23-year-old defeated Casper Ruud 6-3, 6-4 in an exhibition match at the Giorgio Armani Tennis Classic at the Hurlingham Club on Thursday.
Following his win at Hurlingham, Tennis365 asked Shelton if grass suits the weapons he possesses and if he feels he has a good opportunity to challenge world No 1 Jannik Sinner at Wimbledon.
“I like my chances always at Wimbledon. I think I’m always dangerous playing on this surface with my game style,” Shelton replied.
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“I think the more and more comfortable I become on this surface year after year, the more of a threat I become.
“And yeah, just trying to get as many matches as I can out here each year, and develop my game.”
Shelton holds a 9-4 record (73%) from his three previous Wimbledon appearances, which makes it his second most successful Grand Slam event for win percentage after the Australian Open.
The American achieved his best result at the grass-court major last year, when he reached the quarter-finals before losing to Sinner — who went on to win the title.
Shelton is considered by many to be the player with the best chance of becoming the first American man to win a Grand Slam title since Andy Roddick at the 2003 US Open.
The big-serving left-hander addressed his hopes of ending this drought.
“I don’t know when it’s gonna be,” said Shelton. “I know that we have a lot of talent. We’re good on grass, we’re good on hard courts, we’re getting better on clay.
“We’re definitely a threat in the second half of this season, [at] these last two Slams [of 2026]. But let’s just see what happens. I think that’s the unpredictability of sport.
“I look forward to seeing what happens, and hopefully throwing myself into the mix.”
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