Ben Shelton’s 2026 season has been his most successful yet, winning three titles across hard, clay, and grass. But at the same time, it has been marked by disappointment in the biggest tournaments. His latest setback came at Wimbledon, where he exited in the first round against Otto Virtanen. Shelton acknowledged that the lack of steady performances has been weighing on him this season.

“I think for me overall I’d say performance,” he said during his pre-tournament press conference in Washington, as per ATP Tour. “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.”

The American further stated that early-round exits only increase his frustration. That is the last thing he wants, especially while trying to bring some consistency into his game.

“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,” he added.

This season, Shelton has collected trophies in Dallas, Munich, and Stuttgart — showcasing his ability to win across all three surfaces. But none of these tournaments fell in the Masters category; in fact, two of them were ATP 250 events. His best performance at a Grand Slam this year came at the Australian Open, where he reached the quarterfinals.

But Shelton then exited early at both the French Open and Wimbledon. Masters tournaments have been a stumbling block, with his only progress coming at Indian Wells, where he reached the Round of 32. In Miami, Madrid, and Rome, he couldn’t get past the opening round. So, it’s not a surprise that Shelton is dissatisfied with his performance and desperately wants to improve.

The American will get the opportunity to change his fortunes in the upcoming hard-court season. It is his preferred surface, and he has a win-loss record of 95-51 on it. Not to mention that three out of his six ATP title wins have come on hard courts.

Shelton will begin his hard-court season with the DC Open, where he will be participating in both the singles and doubles draws. His first opponent in the singles draw will be Martin Damm Jr., and the two are scheduled to lock horns on Tuesday, July 28.

But his recent display during a practice match must have left his fans concerned.

Ben Shelton gets outclassed by Jack Draper in practice ahead of DC Open

Jack Draper proved to be too good for Shelton during a practice set. The Brit, who will be making his return to the court after missing out on Wimbledon due to injury, won the set 6-1.

While this was just a practice set, Shelton’s performance was still quite concerning. Known for having one of the strongest serves on the tour, he was barely able to hold his serve against Draper.

One of Draper’s shots also sparked a lot of attention. He hit a phenomenal forehand winner on Shelton’s serve that left the latter with no answer whatsoever.

The hard court season can either make or break Shelton’s season. A good performance at the Masters events and the US Open will be crucial if he wants to keep his top-10 status. He currently stands at No. 8 with 3,580 points under his belt.

Though the gap may look big, early exits will only see Shelton lose points rapidly. The Canadian Open will be crucial; he won it last year and must reach the later stages to avoid a massive point loss.