The American ‘dark horse’ Ben Shelton is confident about his run at Wimbledon this year. Despite his recent attempts to slay on grass didn’t end up the way he expected, he has managed to keep himself stuffed with enthusiasm. Coming out fresh from his recent quarter-final defeat at the Mallorca Open, the 21-year-old learned about a strict hurdle waiting for him at Wimbledon.

Ben Shelton’s journey at Wimbledon 2024 seems to be a challenging one. Although the initial round matches could be cleared at ease, the danger lies in a potential Round 4 showdown against Jannik Sinner. The young Italian’s form in the current season is enough to describe how hard it can be for Shelton to be in an encounter with him.

Sinner stands over a fine record, as he won his first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open earlier this year. Along with that, his victories at the Rotterdam Open, the Miami Open, and the Halle Open make his presence against Ben Shelton more furious. On the other hand, Shelton has also had a fair share of ups and downs in the ongoing season. He won his first ATP Tour title at the Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships and claimed another title in Houston.

However, before even thinking about the showdown against Sinner, Shelton has to navigate through other challenges. His opening round is matched against Mattia Bellucci, and if he manages to move ahead, he could face either Alex Michelsen or Lloyd Harris in the second round. Soon after that, the young American will have to go through a potential third-round match against Nicolas Jarry, Denis Shapovalov, or Daniel Altmaier.

Despite noting the fact that the odds stand against him, the young American seems to be carrying high levels of confidence for the grass court participation.

Ben Shelton crowns himself as the grass court “dark horse”

The ATP tour recently shared an exciting video on their X (formerly Twitter) handle. Shot during the start of the grass-court season, the video session involved gathering responses to a common question from all the top ATP contenders. “Who’s going to win Wimbledon?” or “Who will be the ‘dark horse’ this grass court season?”

Players had different names to spell while Ben Shelton entered the conversation with absolute confidence. “I’m gonna choose myself as a grass court ‘dark horse’. I think I learned a few things last year, that I hope will help me this year, the grass suits my game well and I’m excited,” he said, naming himself as the potential game changer.

Tallon Griekspoor, another tennis player, discussed potential contenders for the grass court season. He specifically called Shelton a “dark horse”, praising his “unbelievable serve” as a major advantage. “I will go with Ben Shelton. Unbelievable serve. I think if he can figure out how to play on grass this year he can be the dark horse this year on the grass court,” Griekspoor said.

The opening round matches at Wimbledon are about to begin soon enough. While Ben Shelton is moving in win sheer confidence about his grip on the green surface, a test of his levels and the mindset awaits.