The red soil of Roland Garros is ready for its next champion, and the wait is shorter than you think! The 2025 French Open draw dropped on May 22, sparking excitement as players face their toughest challenges to reach the finals of the year’s second Grand Slam. For American ATP players, the road is a mix of easy and tough matches. Former World No. 1 Andy Roddick places his faith in Ben Shelton to go further this year.
Shelton’s draw feels familiar. He debuted at Roland Garros in 2023, losing in the first round to Lorenzo Sonego. Last year, he beat Hugo Gaston in a tough four-set opener before falling to Felix Auger-Aliassime in the third round. This year, he faces these players again in his draw.
On the ‘Served’ podcast, Roddick shared his thoughts. Despite his own struggles on clay, never passing the fourth round at the French Open, he’s hopeful for Shelton. He said, “Ben Shelton vs Sonego… Sonego has not been playing great, I’m going to go Ben. Tsitsipas… that Ben-Tsitsipas is really interesting because that’s a bad match up for Stef. I’m going to go Ben to the fourth round.” High praise from a former Grand Slam champ!
Aug 8, 2024; Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Ben Shelton (USA) reacts after a point against Alexei Popyrin (AUS) (not pictured) in second round play at IGA Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports
Ben Shelton has made strides this year. He reached the final in Munich, losing to Alexander Zverev. If he gets past Tsitsipas in the third round—which looks possible given Tsitsipas’s recent form—Ben could gain an edge. Their head-to-head stands 0-1 in favor of Tsitsipas, who was the 2021 Roland Garros runner-up.
If Shelton advances beyond the fourth round, he could face Carlos Alcaraz in the quarterfinals. Alcaraz is the defending champion and No. 2 seed, a formidable opponent. Jon Wertheim weighs in on the conversation with Roddick, “I think Carlos beats Ben.” But Shelton’s only 22, and time will tell if he can overcome these challenges.
Shelton has shown Grand Slam promise. In 2023, he reached the Australian Open quarterfinals and the US Open semifinals against Novak Djokovic. In 2025, he made the semis at the Australian Open against top seed Jannik Sinner. When Shelton fell short, Roddick offered insight on what the American could have done to topple the reigning AO champ.
Ben Shelton receives a word of advice from the former pro
Shelton made waves at the 2025 Australian Open, reaching his first Grand Slam semi-final before running into defending champ Jannik Sinner. After a fierce two-hour-and-36-minute battle, Shelton fell 7-6(2), 6-2, 6-2. Sinner advanced to his second straight final, but Shelton’s performance left everyone buzzing. Andy Roddick, on the ‘Served’ podcast, sees huge potential in Ben—if he plays his cards right.
Roddick pinpointed what Shelton needs to change to topple a player like Sinner. “He wasn’t going to come out and have a neutral stat line and be able to beat Jannik Sinner. He wasn’t going to be able to come out and have 15 winners and 20 errors. He had to play irresponsibly.” For over an hour, Ben matched Jannik shot for shot, but 55 unforced errors eventually tipped the scales.
Shelton started strong, breaking early for a 2-0 lead, but Sinner fought back to level the set. The tie-break went to Sinner, who dominated when it mattered most. Roddick praised Shelton’s serve as a secret weapon. “For me, it’s as if we don’t talk about Ben’s serve because it is so dynamic and it is so effective. He’s lefty, he can tip the radar gun at 150. He has all the spins, he can kick, he can slice. He just needs to land the fastball more often.”
Before the semi-final, Shelton wasn’t fully happy with his serve against Lorenzo Sonego, despite firing the joint-fastest serve at 232 km/h. He had 56 aces and a 79% first-serve rate, just behind Sinner’s 82%. Roddick stressed that Ben must master landing a flat serve on the ad side at 137 mph. “There’s no such thing as a totally flat serve; you always have to have some spin on it.”
Now heading into his third French Open campaign, the big question is: can Shelton bring this to Roland Garros? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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