A hinge point for U.S. men’s tennis: Paul, Shelton, Tiafoe, Fritz and Korda head overseas

Sometimes, it doesn’t “take a village” at all. Sometimes, it takes just one woman or, in the case of U.S. men’s tennis, one man. At the moment, that man just might be Ben Shelton.

In winning the Munich ATP 500 event last week, the lefthander from Atlanta became the first American man to win a clay-court title above the 250 level since Andre Agassi won the Rome Masters in 2002. Shelton also became the first American to set aside the familiar equivocations and caveats of peers who struggle on the surface—and boldly declared that he has “big ambitions” on clay.

This comes in the nick of time, because American players face a potential hinge point in the coming months. Can Shelton’s breakthrough spark a new push by U.S. men on clay, with a carryover to grass?

Tennis is moving quickly, its universe expanding with a big bang. Potential superstars aged 21 or under are emerging globally at a brisk clip these days. The window is closing sooner on the Grand Slam dreams of any player over the age of 25, a cohort that includes the cream of the American crop. Wheels are spinning; age and injury are closing in.

Taylor Fritz, Tommy Paul and Frances Tiafoe, the trio that has carried the water for the U.S. for a long time, are all 28. The clock does not tick quite as loudly for 25-year old Sebastian Korda, while Shelton is the fleet’s youngster at 23. (We’re leaving some promising young Americans, including Learner Tien and Alex Michelsen, out of this conversation due to insufficient data.) So let’s evaluate the prospects of the top Americans as the red-dirt road winds its way to the second Grand Slam of the year, Roland Garros. Beyond which lies Wimbledon.

Ben Shelton

• Age: 23
• Rank: No. 6
• Career record on clay, 23-18; 2-1 in finals
• Career record on grass, 12-11; 0-0 finals

\Record includes a clay-court loss on Friday to Dino Prizmic in Madrid.*

Shelton’s declaration of his love for clay should come as no surprise: He’s already won more clay titles than his compatriots. His words also point toward a greater embrace of the clay by American players in general. The payoff, while modest, is evident. Last year, Paul and Tiafoe were both quarterfinalists at Roland Garros. “Success on clay is coming back,” Shelton added. “I’m looking forward to being part of this progression of U.S. men’s tennis on clay.”

The key to Shelton’s recent success was a more consistent backhand, especially when returning serve. His all-around consistency is better, and he’s tightened up his explosive game. But the greatest harbinger of success for Shelton—after that massive southpaw serve—may be his can-do attitude.

“He doesn’t beat the top guys right now, but his game still feels like there’s plenty of room to improve,” Tennis Channel analyst Jimmy Arias told me recently. “Some of Ben’s strokes are funky, but he has some big weapons like that lefty serve, and he’s got that attitude—that belief and swagger.”

Shelton had a resonant win over emerging star Joao Fonseca on a sunny day in Munich. Warmer, drier conditions will help him as the season goes on. On grass, he has all the tools to be a force at Wimbledon.

It may come as a surprise that Shelton has yet to make a final on grass, but he’s had limited experience on turf. He has plenty of room to learn and grow, and has the all the right ingredients for success on the surface, namely a booming, lefty serve and killer forehand. But Shelton, who is 6’4”, also has an asset lacked by other big, power-serving men: outstanding mobility.

Taylor Fritz

• Age: 28
• Rank: No. 7
• Career record on clay, 54-41; 0-1 in finals
• Career record on grass, 46-25; 5-0 in finals

It a long time since the Californian won his fourth-round match at the Rome Masters 1000, then playfully signed the lens of the on-court camera, 
“Claylor Fritz.” That was in 2024, when he became the first American to have reached the quarterfinals of all three clay Masters 1000 events since the inception of the current format in 1990.

Fritz has had rough sledding on clay since. He’s just 3-4 since the start of 2025, and his current clay season is on hold. Fritz hasn’t played since Miami due to persistent tendinitis in his right knee, with no return date set. This was a devastating blow to Fritz, an ironman whose appetite for competition is boundless. But there may be a silver lining.

Fritz will be chomping at the bit when he returns to the tour, and by grass he may be healed and fresh, ready to build on his 2025 record. Most comfortable on hard courts, Fritz emerged as a grass-court contender last year, going 13-2 with titles at Stuttgart and Queens. A more aggressive game and outstanding serve carried him to the semis at Wimbledon, where he lost to Carlos Alcaraz. If he remains that dialed in, he could end the long U.S. drought for a male American Grand Slam champ.

Tommy Paul

• Age: 28
• Rank: No. 18
• Career record on clay, 42-31; 1-0 in finals
• Career record on grass, 25-14; 1-1 in finals

Paul is the most versatile player on this list. He was seriously hampered or sidelined for about six months of 2025, hence his fall from a career-high ranking of No. 8.

Last year, the New Jersey native led the charge for the U.S. men. He became the first American since Andre Agassi in 2003 to reach the quarterfinals at Roland Garros. He also made the semis at the Rome Masters for the second year running. While a middleweight power-wise, Paul is quick, well-balanced and unafraid of the net on any surface. He finally closed the deal on clay after a few near misses when he won the title in Houston a few weeks ago.

It has taken some time for Paul to show that his triumph as a junior at Roland Garros a decade ago—he beat Fritz in that final—was no fluke. A poor work ethic hampered his development on the main tour, but he’s since become an exemplary worker, particularly under coach Brad Stine.

Grass is the surface most friendly to Paul due to the premium it puts on movement and adaptability. The slick, low-bouncing surface will help Paul’s serve and assortment of finesse shots, even as excellent servers will challenge his return game. At Wimbledon last year, Paul was poised to improve on his 2024 quarterfinal finish when a tendon in his left foot ruptured during his second-round loss to Sebastian Ofner, after which he spent two weeks with his foot in a protective boot and did not resume playing until August.

Paul’s win over surging Lorenzo Musetti on grass in the Queen;s Club ATP 500 final of 2024 remains his greatest tournament effort to date.

Frances Tiafoe

• Age: 28
• Rank: No. 19
• Career record on clay, 47-47; 1-4 in finals
• Career record on grass, 24-20; 1-0 finals

Tiafoe’s career path is nowhere near a straight line. It’s circular, as periods of quality play give way to tepid interludes or even slumps. Early this year he was ranked as low as No. 34. Right now, “Big Foe” is on the upswing.

“I can’t wait to go Europe this year,” Tiafoe said after his loss to Jannik Sinner in the Miami Masters. “Normally, I’m like, it's gonna be an uphill battle. But now, I feel great, man. I feel great, physically, I'm in a great mental headspace. . .The North America swing was great for me.”

Tiafoe’s enthusiasm springs from another career reset, which has included the adoption of a rigorous training regimen featuring twice-daily workouts and abstinence from alcohol and junk food. He also is now working with Dr. Mark Kovacs, whose focus is biomechanics and physiology. The goal is to develop greater core stability and more refined movement.

Tiafoe has been in more clay-court finals than any of his peers, three in Houston and two in Estoril. If he can avoid mental lapses and maintain great fitness, he can be a force, and not just on clay. Tiafoe has won finals on all three surfaces, so his game travels well. His 2023 win over Jan Lennard Struff, on the German’s home turf in Stuttgart, may be his finest moment, given that he won it in a dramatic third-set tiebreaker.

Tiafoe is 13-8 at Wimbledon, with solid performances including a fourth-round appearance.

Sebastian Korda

• Age: 25
• Rank: No. 40
• Career record on clay, 28-24; 1-0 in finals
• Career record on grass, 16-9; 0-1 in finals

Korda’s low ranking can be directly attributed to his serial battle with injury. He has retired multiple times, including on the grass circuit, due to a hurt back, hip or shin. Those setbacks have quelled the hopes of the US tennis community, but they haven’t eliminated them. Korda is setting out to regain the form that paid off five years ago, when he won on red clay in Parma, Italy—the first American to triumph on European clay in over a decade.

Bursting on the scene in 2020, Korda was still a teenager when he qualified for Roland Garros and made it all the way to the fourth round. Like Paul, Korda plays a classic brand of tennis distinguished by fluid strokes, deft touch, all-court comfort and, in his case, a big serve. He’s 6’5” and served up to 137 MPH. His recent win in Delray Beach, while on hard courts, jump-started a career many thought stalled.

A perfectionist, Korda is working on eliminating “mental gaps” that crop up when he’s unable to play his preferred brand of clean tennis. Accomplishing that would certainly help him navigate the plot twists that happen in long clay-court battles. The task ought to be easier on grass, where the points are shorter and aggressive serving is rewarded. Korda has been a finalist at s’ Hertogenbosch and a two-time semifinalist at the premier warm-up for Wimbledon, Queen’s Club. If his health holds up, he could prosper.