Ben Shelton Reveals How His Approach Towards Serves is Different From His Competitors

Ben Shelton has emerged as one of the best young players on the ATP Tour, with his powerful serves playing a large role in his success. The American star has surprised many with his ability to consistently clock in serves at 140 miles/hr. Giving out the secrets behind his biggest weapon, Shelton debunked a long-standing myth among tennis enthusiasts.

In an interview with Boardroom, the 22-year-old clarified that arm movement alone isn’t sufficient to deliver a powerful serve. Rather, engaging the lower body and core was even more essential.

“Most people focus on the serve being an arm movement or just a throw, but for me, it’s a full body movement. You’ve got to use your legs, core, hips, and your upper body as well to hit a big serve… It’s most important to get in the deep loading position first… And then from there, it’s a chain reaction.”

Shelton doesn’t want to be held responsible if one doesn’t deliver serves as big as his, even while following these steps.

“I’m not saying that if you do that you’re going to hit the serve 140 miles/hr, but it may add five or ten,” he added.

Shelton might just be 22 years of age, but he knows what he’s talking about when it comes to serving. Just ask Carlos Alcaraz! He found his serve nearly unplayable during their exhibition matchup at the Garden Cup.

Alcaraz finds it difficult to face Shelton’s explosive serve

Ben Shelton and Carlos Alcaraz entertained the audience present at Madison Square Garden in New York during their exhibition game on Wednesday. As expected, the exciting matchup between the two youngsters produced multiple notable moments. One such incident occurred early in the first set.

Shelton’s serve struck a spectator. The Spaniard apologized for the same, assuring everyone that he had tried his best to return the serve. However, he admitted that Shelton’s serve was simply too strong to handle.

“I am trying to do my best to return his serve but it’s not easy, not easy,” said Alcaraz.

Despite struggling to handle his opponent’s serve, Alcaraz secured the win in the end. If this is any indication of what to expect from the duo in 2025, then fans are guaranteed to be entertained whenever they face each other.