Sports · Tennis · 11 hrs ago
Brad Gilbert says Ben Shelton must improve his return game
Ben Shelton lost the Paris Masters final to Carlos Alcaraz in straight sets after a close match.
The 24-year-old American is ranked No 4 and reached his first Grand Slam final at the US Open in September.
His return game is a major weakness: he won only 14.6% of return games over the past 52 weeks, according to the figures cited by Brad Gilbert.
Gilbert says no player has won a major with a break rate that low.
Juan Carlos Ferrero is set to coach Shelton alongside his father, Bryan, in the 2027 season.
Ferrero previously coached Alcaraz for seven years, helping him win six Grand Slam titles and reach world No 1.
Improving his returns could help Shelton compete for majors, but whether Ferrero can make that difference remains to be seen.
Brad Gilbert says Ben Shelton must improve his return game if he wants to win Grand Slam titles.
Shelton lost to Carlos Alcaraz in the Paris Masters final after taking him to two close sets.
Gilbert said Shelton’s break rate is too low for a player to win a major.
Shelton’s return game win rate over the last 52 weeks was 14.6%, according to Tennis Ratio.
Juan Carlos Ferrero is set to coach Shelton and his father Bryan for the 2027 season.
- Who
- Ben Shelton and coach Juan Carlos Ferrero. Brad Gilbert says Shelton needs to improve his return game.
- What
- Gilbert identified Shelton’s return as a key weakness to address.
- When
- Gilbert’s comments followed the Paris Masters final. Ferrero is set to begin coaching Shelton for the 2027 season.
- Where
- Paris, where Shelton played the Masters final.
- Why
- Gilbert said Shelton’s break rate is too low for a player seeking to win a Grand Slam.
Ben Shelton
Brad Gilbert
Return game
Ben Shelton
Shelton believes his return on a slower court can be elite at times.
Brad Gilbert
Gilbert says Shelton’s return game must improve if he wants to win majors.
Shelton beat Alcaraz on his way to his first Grand Slam final at the US Open.
Shelton reached the Paris Masters final.
Shelton lost to Alcaraz in straight sets, 7-6 (5), 7-5.
Ferrero is set to begin coaching Shelton and his father Bryan.
- World ranking
- No 4
- Age
- 24
- Return game win rate
- 14.6% over the last 52 weeks
- Paris Masters final score
- Alcaraz beat Shelton 7-6 (5), 7-5
- Coaching plan
- Ferrero to work with Shelton and his father Bryan for the 2027 season
1 source
What people are saying
I really think that Ben is becoming way more comfortable in these big matchups.
I think JCF (Ferrero) can add a lot to his game.
Helping him with shot selection and surely the thing that he is going to work on most.
Ben breaks at only 14% of the time. And no one has ever won a major breaking at that few of a percentage.