Ben Shelton has made some schedule changes after reaching the semi-finals of the Australian Open.
Shelton lost to Jannik Sinner after achieving his best Australian Open result, and has only won two of his four matches since.
Despite losing in the second round of the Mexican Open to David Goffin, Shelton reached a new career-high ATP ranking.
The American is now looking ahead to the first Masters 1000 tournament of the year, with Shelton backed to impress at Indian Wells.
Ben Shelton decides not to defend his title in Houston
Shelton has won two ATP titles in his young career, with his first coming at the Japan Open in 2023.
The 22-year-old added to his resume last year at the US Men’s Clay Court Championships, with Shelton beating Frances Tiafoe in Houston.
Tiafoe won the Houston title in 2023, and is set to return to the tournament this year as the second seed in 2025.
However, Shelton does not appear on the 2025 entry list, as he is set to begin his clay court season at a later date this year.
The top seed in Houston is American number two Tommy Paul, who is one of nine US players featuring on the entry list.
Learner Tien, who is tipped for big things, is one of them as he looks set to make his debut at the ATP 250 tournament.
While the often outspoken Reilly Opelka has been awarded a wildcard, as one of two former champions returning to Houston.
The US Men’s Clay Court Championships will get underway on Monday March 31.
Ben Shelton announced to play tournaments in Stuttgart and Mallorca
Shelton was not happy with his Wimbledon preparations last year, but ended up reaching the fourth round for the first time.
The world number 12 has already made preparations for this year’s grass court season, after being announced for ATP 250 tournaments in Stuttgart and Mallorca.
Shelton played both of these tournaments last year, but only won of his three matches after suffering shock losses to James Duckworth and Paul Jubb.
Upon the announcement of his entry to the BOSS Open, Shelton explained why he has decided to play this tournament.
“The BOSS OPEN is the perfect tournament to get reacquainted with the unique grass-court game and to prepare as best as possible for the Grand Slam at Wimbledon,” said Shelton. “I’m looking forward to Stuttgart and coming with the goal of playing as many matches as possible.”
In between the two tournaments, Shelton will also play at Queen’s Club after being announced alongside the likes of Carlos Alcaraz, Holger Rune and Jack Draper.
First, Shelton will set his sights on Indian Wells, where he will begin his campaign against the winner of the match between the aforementioned Tien and Mariano Navone.
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