Ben Shelton lost his only match at the Miami Open this year in the end to a very disappointing sunshine double for him.
Shelton had struggled with illness at Indian Wells, but he had provided a positive update ahead of the Miami Open.
This is a tournament where he has previously struggled, but Shelton suggested he had changed his mind about the Miami Open courts.
Shelton has now lost four of his five matches at the Miami Open after losing to world number 84 Alexander Shevchenko, which has exposed a mistake he has made in his scheduling.
Ben Shelton should have signed up for the Monte Carlo Masters
Shevchenko beat Shelton 6(3)-7, 7-6(3), 6-3, meaning that the American has only played three matches in the sunshine double.
This would have been expected to be a busy part of the season for Shelton, who won the Dallas Open last month, but has been unable to continue this momentum.
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Shelton will now turn his attention to the clay court season, which he will begin at the ATP 250 tournament in Houston, where he won the title in 2024.
However, that is the only clay court tournament Shelton has in his schedule until the Madrid Open, as he is one of many American players who have not entered the Monte Carlo Masters.
The Monte Carlo Masters is the first ATP 1000 tournament of the clay court season, and would have been the perfect opportunity for Shelton to get some matches in on the clay, which he probably needs after playing just three in March.
This has exposed a scheduling decision for Shelton, which he may want to reconsider in future years if he is to become one of the best players in the world.
Even if Shelton had entered the Monte Carlo Masters, it would have still have given him the opportunity to withdraw later down the line.
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Ben Shelton has an opportunity to become the third best player during the clay court season
Although it seems as though Shelton has made an oversight in his scheduling after his defeat in Miami, he does still have an opportunity to reach his career-high ranking.
Shelton has a career-high ranking of world number five, but is currently the world number nine, with an opportunity available for him to climb back up the ranks during the clay court season.
The American is defending just 610 points during the clay court season, leaving Shelton with a huge opportunity to overtake the likes of Lorenzo Musetti, who has 2,350 points to defend on clay this year.
If Shelton can climb up the rankings then it would enable him to have a better chance at reaching the latter stages of Grand Slams without playing Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, both players he has struggled against.
| Top 10 ATP Players | Current Ranking Point Total | Points defending up to and including the French Open | Minimum ranking point total after the French Open |
| 1. Carlos Alcaraz | 13,550 | 4,340 | 9,210 |
| 2. Jannik Sinner | 11,400 | 1,950 | 9,450 |
| 3. Novak Djokovic | 5,370 | 1,720 | 3,650 |
| 4. Alexander Zverev | 4,905 | 1,360 | 3,545 |
| 5. Lorenzo Musetti | 4,365 | 2,350 | 2,015 |
| 6. Alex de Minaur | 4.185 | 850 | 3,335 |
| 7. Taylor Fritz | 4,170 | 570 | 3,600 |
| 8. Felix Auger-Aliassime | 4,000 | 280 | 3,720 |
| 9. Ben Shelton | 3,860 | 610 | 3,250 |
| 10. Daniil Medvedev | 3,610 | 420 | 3,190 |
Shelton has shown that he can produce some good tennis on clay, having won a title in Houston in 2024 and reached the final of the ATP 500 tournament in Munich last year.
The world number nine will begin his clay court season in Houston on April 13.
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