Ben Shelton will soon get his North American hard-court swing underway at the Washington Open.
Shelton, currently sixth in the world rankings, plays Ethan Quinn in the first round of the ATP 500 tournament on Monday after a slightly longer break than he may have expected since Wimbledon.
The American crashed out in the opening round at the All England Club, falling to Finnish qualifier Otto Virtanen.
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His early exit follows a fairly successful first half of the season, in which Shelton has clinched three tour-level titles.
Despite adding to his trophy collection, though, the 23-year-old suggested he has not been satisfied with his 2026 campaign thus far.
Ben Shelton speaks ahead of the Washington Open
Speaking to the media at the Washington Open, Shelton said: “It’s been a weird season for me this year.
“A lot of highs, a lot of lows. I’ve won more titles than I’ve ever won in a year. Only halfway done with the year.
“At the same time, there are so many things that I’ve been frustrated about, disappointed with in my game.
“I think that there’s a lot of room for improvement on the second half of the year, and I’m in a part of the season that I really enjoy and that I play really well in.”
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Asked where the frustration is coming from, he replied: “I think for me overall I’d say performance, I don’t know how much of it has been just my level or specific matches, specific situations, decision-making.
“But for me, I’m somebody who tries to be consistent, I try to be consistent with the way I train, the way I live, how I go about my day-to-day life.
“I guess the inconsistency of my play is what I’ve been more frustrated about. One of my biggest goals on Tour is to get to the end of tournaments and finish off the week and win titles, which is a part that I didn’t have as much before, but I’m getting better and better at now.
“I think some of the frustration comes from those early-round exits that are kind of like the trap rounds for me. I think that being able to be more consistent week in and week out in those situations is important for me.”
Ben Shelton speaks about his training since Wimbledon
Discussing the work he has put in over the last month, Shelton said: “For me to be able to go to Florida right away, a couple of days after I lost in Wimbledon and get acclimated to the heat right away and start training immediately, it was big for me.
“I think that fitness is a big part of this part of the season just because of how hot it is and how brutal the conditions can be. So it was nice to get a head start on that.
“I guess that was kind of the positive that I took away from losing in the first round in a tournament that I usually make deep runs and play well at, but that’s tennis.”
Shelton is the second seed at this year’s Washington Open.
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