Andy Roddick has advised Ben Shelton on how to make his serve more effective.
The serve is undoubtedly the 22-year-old’s biggest weapon and he has left fans in awe with the sheer power he possesses with that shot.
However, there has been plenty said about the ways in which Ben Shelton can use his serve to even greater effect.
Now Roddick, the 2003 US Open Champion, is regarded as one of the best servers of all time, has shared some advice for the Australian Open semi-finalist.
What has Andy Roddick said about Ben Shelton’s serve?
Shelton made more than 61% of his first serves in all but two of his matches at the 2025 Australian Open.
One of those matches came in his semi-final against Jannik Sinner, where the 21st seed made his first serve just 59% of the time.
Tim Henman commented on how Shelton can improve his serve after Sinner beat him at the Australian Open, and now Roddick is urging his compatriot to make some adjustments.
“For me it is as if we don’t talk about Ben’s serve because it is so dynamic and effective,” Roddick said via his ‘Served podcast’ on Friday.
“He is a lefty. He can tip the radar gun at 150. He has all the spins. He can kick. He can slice. He just needs to land the fast ball more often.
“I feel like if Ben can get to the point where he can accurately land a flat serve on the ad side at 137mph, that makes his 106 can opener out wide that much better.
“I feel like he is more comfortable throwing the spinny stuff which is really effective against guys who aren’t elite returners. I think it’s less effective against guys who are elite returners.
“I don’t know if there is a world where Ben beats prime Jannik Sinner where Sinner is averaging a higher first serve speed in a three out of five set match.”
Ben Shelton reacts following his Australian Open semi-final defeat
Shelton made a promising start to his Australian open semi-final against Sinner, and he even served for the first set. But the American failed to take advantage as Sinner came roaring back and won the tiebreak to take the lead.
Shelton was then unable to produce the consistent level needed to trouble his opponent again, as he won just four more games for the rest of the contest as Sinner advanced to the Australian Open final once again.
Post-match he expressed his disappointment with his failure to take some opportunities. “Honestly, [I am] really disappointed,” Shelton said in his post-match press conference.
“Going into the match, playing Jannik is a tough ask. For me, I’ve made my living on Tour so far serving out sets and being able to serve out sets.
“Having two set points on my serve, serving at 6-5, I feel like it was uncharacteristic for me not to come through and win that.
“Obviously you’re playing the No. 1 player in the world, the chances, the windows are always small. Sometimes you miss your window, and the guy steps up his level, starts making a lot more first serves, playing better. The break chances don’t come as often.”
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