Ben Shelton’s return game was caught in the negative spotlight after his shocking loss to David Goffin in the second round in Acapulco. Some fans even urged the American to fire his father-coach Bryan Shelton.
Apart from his fantastic semifinal run at the 2025 Australian Open, Shelton has endured an underwhelming season. The American was ousted in the second round of the ASB Classic after receiving a bye in the first round. Later, he faced second-round exits at the Dallas Open and the Abierto Mexicano Telcel in Acapulco.
On Wednesday, February 26, Shelton exited the ATP 500 event in Acapulco after a disappointing 6-7, 3-6 defeat to Goffin. The 22-year-old’s struggles on return were evident in his match, highlighted by the stats.
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Shelton managed only 27% of first-serve return points (11/40) and an equally poor 27% on second-serve returns (6/22), indicating major difficulties in reading and attacking his opponent’s serves. In contrast, Goffin won 30% of first-serve returns (15/49) and a strong 60% on second-serve returns (15/25).
After the result of the match was posted on Reddit, fans highlighted the American’s shortcomings in his return game and urged him to look for a new coach.
“Once ben learns how to return a serve it’s over (he won’t, bro needs to fire his dad)” one fan wrote.