Ben Shelton says he is using Novak Djokovic’s approach to returning serve as a model as he looks to improve on faster courts. The American, known for his powerful serve, acknowledged that his return numbers lag behind those of many ATP Tour players.
Shelton is fourth in the ATP’s Serve Leaders ranking, which considers first-serve percentage, points won on serve, service games won, aces and double faults. But he is 72nd in the return ranking. Over the past 52 weeks, he has won 14.5% of return games, the lowest rate among the top 20 players, according to Tennis Ratio.
Despite those figures, Shelton said on Tennis Channel that he considers himself an “elite” returner on slower courts. He said he had found ways to break serve multiple times in a set over the summer, while faster conditions demand more anticipation because the ball reaches the returner quickly.
“You have got to guess a little bit and make educated guesses,” Shelton said, describing Djokovic as the “blueprint” for committing to one side and often getting the read right. Shelton added that being aggressive against second serves is important to gaining an advantage.
Shelton is ranked fourth in the world despite the gap between his serving and returning results. He is set to work with Juan Carlos Ferrero next season; whether the coach focuses on Shelton’s return game is not yet known.
Sources: Tennis365.