I feel like I surprise other players with my serve," Shelton discusses his improvement in this aspect of his game

Advancing to the round of 16 in Toronto, Ben Shelton continues his strong progression this season, having broken into the top 10 and reached the quarterfinals of all three Grand Slams played so far.

The American, whose explosive game is built around a formidable first serve, spoke about his improvement in this area after his victory yesterday against Brandon Nakashima:

"I’ve been a bit more relaxed with my serve. I’ve allowed myself to make mistakes, to breathe a little. I was very aggressive early on with my serve. I feel like I surprise other players with my serve, especially with how I target the body. It makes it harder for them to find rhythm on the return.

On grass, I struggled with my first-serve percentage. I had trouble with the first ball and had to stay steady with the second serve. I was struggling on return games, so that put a lot of pressure on me.